How to Protect Your Dealership's Online Reputation

Transcription

1 How to Protect Your Dealership's Online Reputation Legitimate tactics to build a positive profile, but also rebut and balance any negative reviews - How to fight back! With Brian Pasch CEO, Pasch Consulting Group Moderated by Mike Bowers Executive Editor, DealersEdge

2 Brian Pasch - CEO, Pasch Consulting Group Brian is an 18 year veteran of the direct marketing industry. His career has spanned both management and technology roles. He continues to lead research into Digital Marketing platforms. PCG continually tests new digital marketing strategies which can provide a cost effective channels for business advertising and lead generation. Brian Pasch and his staff are currently rating the effectiveness of the top social networking and blogging portals. PCG works for and with an ever-growing number of auto dealers and dealer groups from all over the country to maximize results of their digital marketing efforts.

3 How to Protect Your Dealership's Online Reputation Presenter: Brian Pasch, CEO PCG Digital Marketing How to build a positive online profile, but also rebut and balance any negative reviews - How to fight back!

4 Webinar Goals How to effectively monitor the Internet for both good and bad reviews of your dealership by customers. How to know what your online reputation looks like to the public and potential new customers. How to create and encourage legitimately positive reviews from your satisfied and very satisfied customers. How to help "balance" the online comments of disgruntled customers and give your potential new customers a more complete picture of what it is like to do business with your dealership. How to turn the potentially damaging impact of online review sites to your advantage, without being accused of "rigging" the reviews.

5 Dealers in a Pickle The challenge dealers face with online reviews is partially due to historical abuses that have been perpetuated by a minority. Another challenge with online reputation management is the inability for many dealer principals and executive managers to lead in a digital age. Compounding lack of leadership is lack of funds allocated by dealers to staff education. Dealers are facing the widest knowledge gap between the haves and have notes on how to marketing their business.

6 Takeaway #1 Reviews Happens Dealers should not be worrying IF a negative review will be posted. Dealers should not be worrying IF asking their customers to post a review will INCREASE negative reviews. Dealers need to honestly assess the people and processes that exist in the dealership today which represent your customer service legacy. Since no process is perfect, the best strategy is to focus on excellence. At the same time develop a process for handling a negative review.

7 Takeaway #2 Attacks Happens Dealers should not be surprised if a former employee who transforms into a disgruntled former employee posts negative commentary online. Dealers should expect competing dealerships with low ethical standards to post false reviews under the guise of a consumer. Knowing attacks and negative reviews can happen at any time, it is more productive to focus on delivering an outstanding customer experience which facilitates positive reviews to be posted online.

8 Takeaway #3 You Have To Ask Even the happiest of customers may feel that posting reviews online may invade their privacy. The best place to capture a review is when the customer is in your dealership. Best places to grab a review are: F&I Process Service Lane Delivery Process templates reduce the human factor and need to be part of your reputation management process.

9 Internet Reputation Management (IRM) Dealers need to implement process that: Evaluates their current online reputation scores Document the changes in that reputation score Handles positive reviews and negative reviews Encourages all employees to participate Syndicates positive reviews to build brand awareness The best IRM success stories are driven from the top down. Recognize in advance that any additional task that is added to an employee will be rebuffed if they do not see a benefit.

10 Google Changes in 2010 In the Fall of 2010, Google made significant changes to search engine process and how search results are shown. Google s integration of Google Places into organic search results raised the IMPORTANCE of consumers review 1000% Today, organic search results that appear based on broad consumer searches will often show star counts.

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12 Leading a Large Metro Market

13 How to Inspect Setup Google Alerts It s Free Set an alert on your exact name Set an alert on common variations Set an alert for key managers Have the alerts sent as-they-happen Someone needs to be responsible for reviewing these alerts. There are more sophisticated tools that sort, prioritize, and escalate these types of alerts but they will charge a monthly fee.

14 Google Alerts Controls

15 Where to Look For car dealers, IRM hotspots will include: Google Places DealerRater.com Edmunds.com CitySearch.com Yelp.com Yahoo.com InsiderPages.com Judysbook.com PrestoDealerReviews.com

16 Review Sites Search Optimized Review websites are gaining Page One visibility because dealers are not checking their POD Score.

17 Why So Many Review Sites?

18 Documenting Change Google Places Jan-11 Feb-11 Mar-11 Apr-11 May-11 Jun-11 Jul-11 Aug-11 Sep-11 Oct-11 Nov-11 Dec-11 DealerRater.com Edmunds.com CitySearch.com Yelp.com Yahoo.com InsiderPages.com Judysbook.com PrestoDealerReviews.com You can document the number of positive and negative review on each website each month as an executive roll-up to your management team.

19 Prioritizing Your Time Google Places is the most important place to start building directly placed reviews. Google Places aggregates reviews from other websites. Google Places is highly visible and appears THOUSANDS of time a month for the average car dealer. Dealers should make sure that they have claimed Google Places and that the profile is completely filled out. This includes: Proper categories selected Proper service area (radius defaults to 20 miles) Proper descriptions that include targeted keywords. Compelling videos and photos

20 Aggregation on Google Places

21 After Google Places Secondary actions should be to post on websites that have an unbalanced view of your business or that the last few reviews were negative. If the website allows you to respond to a negative post, make sure your response is BRAND ENHANCING. Do not FLOOD third party review sites with reviews in a short period of time. This is not a sprint. Schedule 1-2 reviews per week to be posted on the websites that are being aggregated in Google Places. The sites that are included on Google Places will vary based on many factors so check your Google Places listing.

22 The Ugly Review Portals There is another category of review websites that are not designed to be democratic. RipOffReport.com ComplaintsBoard.com PissedConsumer.com These sensational review sites present a challenge to car dealers since the owners are likely to feed on controversy. For these sites, keep them off Google Page One for a search on your dealership name is important. Investing in an Automotive SEO strategy combined with a POD Score focus, can keep Page One under control.

23 Page One Defense (POD) 80% of this page has content that is controlled by the dealership. The two listings they don t control are very favorable and enhance the dealership s brand. For most dealers 50-70% of Page One has listings that weaken the dealer s brand.

24 Getting Customers to Post Getting customers to post reviews is best done while they are in the dealership. However, many platforms track IP addresses so using one computer inside the dealership can flag reviews. The alternatives are: Leverage Google and Mobile Devices Provide exit paperwork to remind them about reviews. Participate in platforms that allow in-store review generations like PrestoReviews.com. templates that are sent after a customer visit Phone Calls and Mailers

25 Leveraging Google & Mobile Many of your customers already have a Google registered address Ask your customers during the sales and service process if they have a Google address. If so, hand them a 3G ipad and ask them to login to their EXISTING account and post a review. You can also scan your CRM system for clients with gmail.com addresses and send them a special template requesting a review

26 Provide Exit IRM Cards Before the customer leaves, make sure you discuss with them the importance of online reviews. Get their commitment to post a positive review online when they get home. Ask when they will be able to place that review so you can document that date and follow-up. Remind them that you will be following up on this important task. Hand them a postcard or item that will remind them of this commitment. Of course, this request will also be sent via but the key is to get their buy-in to the process face to face.

27 Sample IRM Postcard Front Back

28 In-Store Review Portals PrestoReviews.com provides custom IRM portals that allow reviews to be posted from any PC in the dealership. Dealers are seeing over 80% of their customers participating on the in-store process. This can be easily be integrated into the Sales and F&I process because they don t have any barriers to posting. PrestoReviews also has an SEO component that leverages customer reviews based on where your customers live. Google Places has started to aggregate PrestoReviews posts so the added benefits of inclusion in Google Places are there.

29 Templates templates should NOT overwhelm your customers requesting them to post to TOO MANY review sites. Rotate your templates to include two different choices in each template. Templates can be changed once review posting goals have been achieved on specific sites. s take the human element out of the IRM process but even these s should be referenced in phone scripts that are used for all calls made post sale or service.

30 Using The Phone Your customers are already getting phone calls from your dealership. Adding another call to your processes may do more harm than good. Consider rewriting your sales and service phone scripts to include and IRM call to action.

31 Social Media and IRM Happy customers can be compelled to vote if they feel that other people are doing the same. Engaging your customers on Facebook is another way in which reviews can be posted, even though they are not shown on Google Places, today. Uploading photos and videos to Facebook of new and used car deliveries and then tagging those images can create a spontaneous response.

32 Videos and IRM Start taking videos of your happy customers in sales and service. Create a YouTube channel for reviews only. Leveraging YouTube with customer testimonials can also increase your positive brand message.

33 Videos on Google Places On Your Google Maps listing, you have the ability to load 5 videos. One video should be a welcome message from the GM. One video should compel consumers to service their cars at your facility. Three videos should be customer testimonials. Great testimonial videos will help with mixed reviews.

34 Final Considerations There are few things regarding your digital marketing investments that have more impact that consumer reviews. Your Google Places listing is your online billboard so what message are you projecting thousands of times a month? Don t try to rush because you will stumble. Create an action plan to honestly measures how much time a month you have to invest in IRM. If it s not enough to move the needle, get help!

35 Bonus for DealersEdge Attendees Dealers committed to excellence in IRM, digital marketing, social media, and search domination need to invest in education. February 1-3, 2011 the Digital Marketing Strategies Conference is being held in the Napa Valley just prior to NADA. The industries top speakers and educators will work with 50 dealers; are you interested in being mentored by real experts? Conference information can be found at:

36 All Attendees Get $120 Credit Anyone attending this webinar today can get the $120 dinner and evening tour package complimentary. When you register, just book the conference package at $850 and then call Renee McGowen at and tell her that you are a DealersEdge webinar member. She will add the $120 dinner and evening tour package at no additional cost.

37 Conference Educators

38 Post Webinar Advice Join online communities that allow you to engage with your peers and get help for free: Need Coaching, Just Call! Office: Cell: