Toyota Dealers Must Stay Accessible to Customers Via Blogs and Social Media During Recall Nightmare

Toyota dealers are in a bit of a panic right now following the recall of 2.3 million vehicles manufactured with faulty gas pedals that stick down in the accelerate position.

Equally troublesome for local Toyota dealers is the manufacturer’s decision to halt production on eight models, including Camry and Corolla until this issue is finally resolved and a plan for repairing vehicles already on the road is in place.

This may very well mean huge financial losses this year for the Japanese auto giant, who up until now came out of the recession and US credit crunch relatively unscathed.

For local dealers though, the recall means more than just short-term financial loss until the problem of sticking gas pedals is resolved. Instead, stores will have to work harder to regain the trust of their past and future customers to ensure they don’t take their business down the road to GM or Ford.

One of the best (and most cost-effective ways) for local dealers to do this is to open up the lines of communication and effectively engage their past and prospective customers through social media and blogging.

Through the dealership blog, Twitter or Facebook pages, local dealers can provide real-time updates on the situation, answer questions about the recalls and what vehicles it pertains to, explain the safety of Toyota vehicles not currently affected by the recall (which is important as local stores will need to concentrate on pre-owned sales during this time) and make it easy to schedule a service appointment to repair the problem once a plan is put in place.

And while past and prospective customers may feel angry and not trust the Toyota brand right now—they’ll come to trust the STORE as an informational hub and hopefully choose to do business there in the future.

So if you’re operating a Toyota Dealership and haven’t gotten serious about implementing a social media or blogging plan in your store—it’s time to get started! Get a video camera, set up a blog, look into email marketing and start engaging with local residents on Twitter and Facebook. It may be the difference between operating in the red or black this year.

Of course if you have no idea how to get started with the strategies listed above, please email  ring@yeschant.com for a quote on social media and internet marketing implementation at your store.

About Robert Ring, Auto Dealer Marketing Strategist

Robert Ring is an experienced car dealer marketing strategist and consultant for auto dealers seeking to increase brand awareness, generate more leads and increase their bottom line with the power of online dealership marketing,  To accomplish this, Robert helps dealers set up websites that work (and outrank the competition in search), install CRM and email marketing systems designed to generate fresh leads or sales of aftermarket products, social media strategies to reach prospective buyers on their own turf and holistic inventories of the effectiveness of each dealership he manages.  For more information on Robert’s services or to contact him directly, please email ring@yeschant.com