In the latest installment of the annual Power 300 issue of Auto Remarketing, we go behind the scenes with some of the leading companies in the used-car space and their top executives with a few Q&A features.

Next up in this series is Steve Lind, general manager at Autotrader. The emailed Q&A is below.

Auto Remarketing: You make contact with the consumer well before they decide to visit a dealership; how do you approach delivering a similar level of customer service online?

Steve Lind: Customers are shopping online more than ever before and doing so much of the legwork before they even enter the dealership. You need to meet the customer where they want to shop and that is online and on mobile devices. Furthermore, the data you collect from your customers when they are online will aid you in providing a great customer experience as you inch closer to a deal.

The customer experience online should mirror the type of service they would receive at a dealership. Everything at a dealership — the product, inventory, sales reps, etc. — needs to be reflected online. Anything a customer sees online needs to be in your dealership, and you need salespeople available to chat with customers and answer the questions the same way they would be available at the dealership.

Today, you need to bring your dealership to where your customers are, so anything you can do to start the deal-making process online should be done. That will enhance your customer service capabilities and the overall customer experience.

AR: As dealers navigate today’s crowded advertising landscape, what do you see as key components of any social media strategy?

SL: Before executing on a social media strategy, I would make sure the basics are covered and functioning well, such as a good website, strong SEO with content, quality SEM spend and inclusion of your inventory, new and used, with sites like Autotrader that will capture consumers that are not coming to your sites.

Once that is covered, the social strategy should be to reconnect with customers in contextually relevant ways. Make sure you are getting good reviews and have a strong presence in the community.

AR: With U.S. shoppers looking for advanced technology more and more each year, what should dealer websites have to be the most competitive?

SL: Merchandising the vehicles through detailed descriptions, quality photos and a clean user interface will encourage consumers to engage with your inventory. Likely, this will result in more contacts and appointments. Leverage your website provider to see what content they can develop to further augment your product descriptions, particularly around tech features. Sites like Autotrader have professional car reviews that often talk about the car’s on-board technology that can serve as another differentiator. 

AR: What industry trends are you planning to watch closely this summer?

SL: Summer is a great time to shop for cars because, with the warmer weather, people tend to enjoy the process more. Additionally, peoples’ desire to shop for cars — new and used — is still there. There is a plateau in automotive car sales overall at the moment, so incentive spending is ticking up. This trend is providing an opportunity for dealers to move their used-car inventory, which allows for more deals for consumers who can get almost-new cars at a discounted rate.

Dealers are using their ad money to advertise at the hyper-local level while the OEMs advertise nationally. While an OEM provides exposure for your brand, you need to provide exposure for your dealership and what you are selling. Coupling that with the use of technology to personalize the sales process and generate new revenue opportunities through service and protection products, this will be something to continue to watch, in particular in the used-car market.