Holiday Season Rep Check: Digital Public Relations

We’ve brought you stories previously of dealers who reach out in their community and saw instant rewards. The benefits we’re both an improved connection to their community, more consumer trust and thus a likely increase in vehicle sales. Two dealerships are making the holiday season the time of year when they extend a helping hand as “dealers doing good.” California-based Razzari Auto Centers is teaming up with a group that supports deployed soldiers to help make Christmas a bit merrier for service men and women overseas. Eric Hamm, the General Manager of Razzari Auto Centers, explained his organization wants to support our troops. “It was on our mind that there is no one else we’d rather support than our local troops who are overseas away from family at Christmas,” Hamm told the Merced Sun Star. “As it turns out, the Blue Star Mothers do a drive every year and were happy to partner with us.” Blue Star Mothers is the organization, which facilitates the donations for the troops. They sent over 150 packages last year, however they were short this year, which played into the partnership with Razzari Auto Centers. The drive seeks to give basic hygiene items to the troops and runs through December 11th. Hamm feels confident this drive will bring the community together. “I hope that our community will get behind this effort and help out our troops, and I know they will,” Hamm said.

Randy Wise Automotive is another dealer group that is reaching out during the Christmas season, in this case for the benefit of thousands of local children. Chris Wise, President of the Randy Wise Automotive Team, explained, “It’s vitally important that we play a key role in improving the lives of those in need, and what better way to do this than with children and the Old Newsboys,” Wise explained. The effort, on behalf of Randy Wise Auto, is to donate toys to needy children whenever a new or used car is sold. That’s one child helped per vehicle sold. Thus far, 1,800 children are signed up as eligible for the program. Those at Randy Wise Auto see this project as one that does good things not only for the local area, but as an example on a larger scale. “Our entire team is committed to helping this county,” Wise explained. The program is expected to reach 6,000 children this Christmas.

Why is it that dealers should bother to get involved in their community? Specifically, why should they get involved now verses even a few years ago? Of course, it’s always good to give back to your community and support a good cause to boost morality around the dealership helping those in need. Most dealerships do not get enough credit in this regard. One by-product of giving back has to do with digital public relations. The public image for a dealership can be helped or hindered seemingly in an instant with the right (or wrong) tweet or Facebook message. This point was illustrated very strongly with our recent report about Apple Valley Ford Lincoln. This dealership gave a teenager in their community the opportunity to volunteer locking car doors on their lot. Jake, their volunteer, has some disabilities and has found a home at their store. Their story garnered a lot of media attention and that quickly spread to their Facebook page. People took to the page to rate the dealership highly and left comments of high praise. That dealer’s reputation was bolstered from the digital praise. The opposite occurred for a California based Kia dealership. In early June, we brought you the story of a Golf tournament sponsored by that dealer. The grand prize apparently looked like a $66,000 Kia K900 sedan, which was parked at the final hole. However, when someone won, they received a $25,000 gift certificate. The winner sued, and the dealer has negative Facebook and Google reviews as a result. In both cases, the dealers’ online reputations were quickly altered for better or worse. Considering the two dealers who are reaching out this Christmas, as well as two other who felt the immediate impact of digital public relations, what’s your plan? What does your store do to maintain or bolster your digital reputation? Are you planning on reaching out to your community during this Christmas season?