Biter Advises Dealers on Using Social Media Tools to Increase ROI

May 25th, 2009

HomeNet, Inc. CEO Jesse Biter was a featured guest speaker at the recent 6th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition in Las Vegas.  Biter's presentation, "Getting Social
 in
 an Economic Downturn," focused on teaching attendees how to turn social media initiatives into a legitimate profit center for their dealership.

"As automotive dealers look for ways to save money amid the economic downturn, social media presents a powerful yet cost-effective tool that should be a part of a diverse overall Internet Marketing strategy," commented Biter.  "When you strip away the geeky technology and the hip Web 2.0 jargon, social media is simply the digital equivalent of the oldest form of advertising - word of mouth.  Sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc. have millions of users from virtually every demographic representing enormous viral marketing potential and dealers can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines."

Biter cited statistics that indicate that the vast majority of social media users are fatigued by traditional media advertising and turn to social media outlets in search of unfiltered/unbiased sources of real-time information.  The presentation advised dealers to take a more community-centric approach and learn to “participate” in the conversation on social media websites, rather than alienating users with an unsolicited sales pitch.  By taking the time to participate in the conversation and share useful information with community members, dealers can create opportunities to sell cars – without actually trying to sell cars.  The presentation also highlighted the importance of utilizing social media for customer retention, brand awareness, SEO, and reputation management.

"There are endless opportunities for consumers to vent their frustrations online," stated Biter.  "The last thing your dealership needs is for some random negative comment to appear in the top 10 search results page under your name on Google or Yahoo.  Establishing a positive online presence via your dealership blog and a variety of social sites will generate an abundance of content rich pages that can be heavily weighted by search engines.  This can help you to avoid allowing a single bad customer experience to morph into an online reputation killer that can spiral out of control."

For more information regarding this conference or upcoming events please visit:
www.homenetinc.com

Entry Filed under: Uncategorized, Industry, Product Info, Customers