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I have already written about the most important consumer review websites that car dealers should be monitoring. The focus of this post is how to implement a consistent Internet Reputation Management (IRM) process.  

If you wait until negative reviews show up for your auto dealership it will be more difficult to control the impact of a critical post. By creating a standard operating procedure for IRM you will ensure that positive reviews are being added on your dealer profiles each month.

Your dealership should focus on sites like www.DealerRater.com, www.Yelp.com, www.InsiderPages.com, Google Maps and www.Judysbook.com.  When a negative post then hits, it will be in the minority of negative reviews and the single post’s power will be diminished.

The biggest stumbling block for most car dealers that can’t seem to implement a consistent Internet Reputation Management (IRM) system is time.  The time required to call, email and follow-up some customers is much longer than others.  That’s why setting up a system that can keep the process moving is so vital. Hard to reach customers have to be skipped over since you only need a small percentage of your customers to participate to effect change.

Creating a Sustainable IRM Process

I have been helping auto dealers setup a manageable IRM process that can be kept in house or outsourced.  The key is to prepare, in advance, a list of all the review sites you want to target and to create a script that someone can use to answer customer questions while on the phone. 

You must have a good FAQ sheet prepared so that when you call a customer and ask them to post a review, the caller is not taken off guard with their questions.  The FAQ sheet should include responses to:

• What should I write?
• How long should the review be?
• Should I give my full name?
• What if I had a mixed experience and can’t give you a five star review?
• Will I get compensated for my time?

The process requires that a list of satisfied customers is provided to the person who will be implementing your IRM process.  This can be done on a weekly or monthly basis.  The sooner the request comes from the date of purchase is likely to yield the best results.

Once a customer agrees on the phone to post a positive review, we recommend that you follow-up the call with an email explaining which sites you would like them to post. The email should include a direct link(s) to your business profile page.  Your email should also walk them through the review process on each site, calling out any special requirements that may be needed.

A well written email will make it easy for your customers and increase the number of posts that are actually made.   Don’t overwhelm them by asking them to post on too many sites. Listing one, two or three sites is all you need from any one customer.  By giving them a choice of sites to post, we have found it makes them feel more comfortable with the process.

When speaking with customers ask them to commit to a date that they will post their review.  Make sure you have a system to follow-up on these dates.  By asking them when they will be posting, it makes sending a reminder email very appropriate if they don’t post.

Pace Your Customer Reviews

When implemented, a car dealership can change the dynamics of web reviews in just a matter of weeks or months.  This of course depends on how many negative reviews exist for your business.  The key to remember is that Rome was not built overnight.   Take your time and let your IRM deliver steady reviews over the next year.

Don’t rush too many reviews in any one month since dates are shown on review websites.  Never lie.  Never post reviews under anyone’s name other than yourself.  Never encourage your customers to lie.  Don’t have your customers post reviews from your Internet lounge which may appear that you are posting false reviews.

If you create a process based IRM system, potential customers will see the great things you do on these popular reviews sites as well as Google Maps.  Positive reviews will generate more clicks to your website.   

The customers that we have implemented a process based IRM system have seen their pace of monthly positive reviews increase over 200%.  You can also consider a bonus reward plan for your IRM staff as they hit certain milestones for positive review counts.

The second in a series of six automotive marketing and automotive SEO webinars, held on April 2nd was a great success.  I want to thank everyone who attended the Dealers Edge webinar and emailed me positive feedback.  The next webinar to be held in May will cover using social marketing tools to promote your car dealership. 

This automotive Internet marketing webinar will include detailed discussions on using Facebook, Twitter, Vox and NING for promoting your brand.  WE will also touch on a few other promising strategies we are testing.

Webinar Trends

There were a few common threads that ran through the Q&A periods but one that stood out the most.  Most people did not know how to login to their automotive web platforms and update META descriptions and Page Titles.

Internal website marketing professionals who are responsible for the organic search marketing visibility of your dealers should know how to develop strong page tags and descriptions and then how to edit them.  If you are not sure, call your platform provider and ask.

One common trend was that many dealers had most of their page titles starting with the Dealership Name.  I strongly advise against this practice and I feel that it is a huge waste in very valuable SEO real estate.  Your page titles should start off with the strongest keyword messages that reflect the content of the page.

Need Assistance?

If you would like help updating the META tags and Page Titles on your dealership website, give us a call.  We can do these updates in a few hours of work and it will make a big difference in your organic search results in your PMA.

The first in a series of Automotive Internet Marketing webinars offered by Brian Pasch and DealersEdge.com was a tremendous success.  Over 350 automotive professionals participated in the 2-hour webinar on March 10, 2009. There will be one webinar offered per month for the next 5 months as part of a new Internet marketing series offered by Dealers Edge.

The first webinar offered practical advice for automotive sales professionals who wish to leverage their dealer website for greater sales and web visibility. The goal of the webinar was to provide low cost strategies to attract additional Internet sales leads.

The free webinar explained the importance of  Web 2.0 automotive marketing strategies that included social networking, blogging, microsites and Internet reputation management. The seminar also reviewed website design guidelines that were included in Google’s free SEO Starter guide.

Upcoming Internet Marketing Webinars

The next five webinars will have a cost of under $100 per webinar making the webinar series both timely and affordable.  In fact, many dealers indicated that they had multiple staff members in a room participating in the webinar. 

We want to thank everyone who sent us a note, and all the feedback was extremely positive.

“The webinar was very informative. I read too many articles that just say, you need to be using social marketing media, but not telling you why and how it can enhance your organic search. That’s what was so great about this session-you thoroughly explained the benefits of each tip you suggested. “ Dionne Andrews, Marketing Director West Virginia

 ”By the way, very well done! The information was excellent it was presented in a way that even a GM or Dealer Principal should be able to get it” Jim Chamberlain, Ecommerce/BDC Director Florida

“This was one of the most informative webinars I have participated in. Not only does Brian offer a great process for SEO he actually takes the time to educate the audience. “ Brentley Jones, GSM Quantrell Auto Group, Kentucky

“Your webinar was first class and information packed.” David Griffith, GM Griffith Motors, Oregon

For the next 6 months, Brian Pasch will be hosting monthly webinars in conjunction with DealersEdge.com.  The next webinar is titled “How to make your dealership’s website Google compliant” will be held on April 2, 2009.  To register for future webinars and get important updates about the dates and times, visit http://www.dealersedge.com

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