It’s no secret that running a dealership is hard work. When you consider the selling, the promoting, and the events—not to mention running a successful service center and ensuring work on everyone’s vehicle is completed on time—it’s a dawn-to-dusk endeavor to deliver top-quality service to every customer. Then there are the test drives and the financing, and don’t forget about employee and staffing issues. The list can seem endless, and every now and then, you have to sneak in time to chat with customers, engage your online shoppers, and interact in the community. How’s a dealership supposed to do it all?

What if there were an easy answer to that question? What if you could meet a majority of dealership needs with less stress AND have time left over at the end of every day?

You can. By harnessing the power of social selling and encouraging each of your employees to act as an advocate for your dealership, you can take a huge portion of the burden off yourself and share the responsibility with your employees. Not only will your employees help the dealership by sharing news, updates, and interesting content across their social sites—they’ll also become more engaged in their work as they recognize the important role they play in the success of the dealership.

When you implement a successful social media strategy that’s accepted and adopted by your employees, you’ll empower them to act as the voice of your brand. And no matter what you may have spent on advertising in the past, your employees will get exponentially more exposure than what you alone can get. In fact, employees have a lot more reach than corporate social media accounts. So if you’re looking to reach a lot of people with your dealership’s message while building customer relationships, look to your employees and encourage them to share with their networks.

Build Relationships to Build Your Business

This is not just a shot in the dark. Consumers are more likely to spend their hard-earned money with businesses that go out of their way to make connections and truly understand the needs of shoppers. With a majority of car shoppers researching and looking for information online, it helps to have employees reach out via their online networks and interact whenever possible. Engaged employees will boost your dealership’s online presence, and they’ll engage the consumers who are active in their online circles. Check out the following stats if you still need a little bit of convincing:

• 71% of consumers are likely to recommend a brand to others when they have a positive social media experience with that brand.
• 59% of Americans with social media accounts think that customer service through social media has made it easier to get questions answered and issues resolved.
• 93% of Pinterest users use the platform to plan or make purchases.
• Engagement increases 200% when a post contains a link.

Your employees can propel your dealership to the next level when it comes to getting recognized and gaining traction online. As with most industries, consumers in the automotive industry are increasingly turning to online avenues to seek out information, and when your pros use their social-sharing skills to engage potential customers and build relationships, they’re more likely to bring them into your dealership.

If you’re looking for a great way to boost engagement, reach more customers, and get your employees involved, check out AutoAlert’s PandoSocial!