Dealer News Today Weekly Roundup: Dealership Websites, GM Plant Improvements, Managing Your Digital Reputation, and More

Get on the inside track with industry expertise coming to you straight from Dealer News Today. Here’s what you missed this week.

Connected Cars and Data: Improving Customer Experience or Making a Buck?

The Cambridge Analytica fiasco has awoken the American public to how valuable their data is and how it can potentially be misused. After all, it’s no longer about the information consumers are voluntarily giving up: many new cars today feature cameras, microphones and other sensors that could be used to track movements and driving behavior and even listen in on personal conversations (which is already proving to be a conspiracy headache for Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s Home). How does this translate to the connected car and what can we expect from the industry? Read here to find out.

How’s Your Dealership Web Presence?

You probably spend a lot of time making sure your showroom looks great. The floors are clean and shiny, the cars are clean and parked at just the right angle. You’ve made an effort to have nice signage and presentable-looking people to greet customers and prospects. But think about it: how many people really visit our showrooms each month? Probably far fewer than the number of people who visit Web sites. So why do we spend so much time making sure our showrooms are pristine and so little time making sure our Web sites are perfect? Here are some ideas to make sure your online presence looks as good as your physical presence.

Driving Customer Engagement With Social Media

According to the 2017 Car buyer journey report, 56 percent of car buyers used smartphones to access automotive information on the internet before making purchases decision. Despite its accessibility, social media still presents a challenge for many auto dealerships. How can dealerships use social tools to drive customer engagement and, ultimately, sales? We have the 411 on social media know-how.

The Latest on GM Plant Improvements

Automaker General Motors is completing improvements to three key manufacturing plants in New York State and a fourth in Ohio. The improvements promise to help GM produce innovative engine and powertrain technologies in the near future, and to improve the competitiveness of GM, as well as U.S. auto manufacturing. Our staff senior writer, Al Bredenberg spoke with GM directly about these improvements and what the company hopes to accomplish. Read about it here.

Your Online Presence Counts for A Lot When It Comes to Your Dealership

Richard Winch, President/CEO, eXtéres Corporation gives dealerships the lowdown on online reputation management and why dealerships need to care about how they look both offline and on.