WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. -

Social media gives automakers and dealerships just one more opportunity to engage and interact with potential customers as well as drive consumer purchase and service decisions.

And J.D. Power’s 2014 Social Media Benchmark Study shows just which brands are most successful at reaching their client base through social media.

Toyota ranks highest among automotive brands, with a score of 845 on a 1,000-point scale. Ford ranks second with a score of 842, followed by Chevrolet at 838.

Rounding out the top five are Lincoln (836) and BMW (831).

The social media benchmark auto industry average is 824.

The 2014 Social Media Benchmark Study — Auto is based on responses from more than 9,800 U.S. online consumers who have interacted with a company via that company’s social media channel. The study was fielded from Nov. 18 through February 9.

And results show automakers might not be doing enough to reach all generations of consumers — perhaps mistakenly focusing on younger social media users.

“Auto manufacturers that focus just on reaching Millennials through social media are missing a tremendous opportunity, as social media is a channel that reaches all generations of consumers,” said Arianne Walker, senior director, automotive media and marketing at J.D. Power. “Today for the first time, we have an in-depth understanding of what helps drive satisfaction in social media interactions across generations, and not just among consumers who are highly engaged in social media, but also those who are more casually engaged with a brand through this channel.

“It is important to provide a satisfying social media experience for all consumers because it helps drive current and future business.”

The study, which is in its second year, showed 20 percent of consumers use social media as their primary source of information about automotive brands.

That means one fifth of  franchised dealerships' potential customers aren’t even making it to a dealership direct website, but rather have already made their car-purchase decisions while researching on one of the corresponding automaker's social media site.

And according to a new infographic from Kenshoo based on the results of a recent FordDirect and Research Now study, 56 percent of car buyers who contacted a dealer because of social media advertising made a purchase.

“As social loyalty and sharing grows, expect the number to grow and more automotive purchases to be impacted by social channels,” the infographic reads.

According to the J.D Power study,  the most frequently used social media marketing channel is Facebook (29 percent), followed by YouTube (19) percent and Twitter (11 percent).

Interestingly, it’s not just the automaker’s social media sites these social-savvy consumers are checking.

The study showed that nearly one-third (29 percent) of social media users get recommendations about a product or service from friends and family exclusively through social media.

Though this may seem out of dealership and automaker control, many dealerships are now using referral and review tools that encourage customers to post about their experience on their social media channel — which may create a domino effect, if the study results are any indicator.

The study also showed consumers are much more likely to buy if they are satisfied with their social media experience while searching for a car.

According to the study, consumers who are happy with their servicing and marketing experiencing “have a positive impression of the automotive brand and an increased likelihood to repurchase from the same brand in the future.”