Manufacturers have not improved the amount of guidance and inspiration they provide to their dealer partners when it comes to social media.

In AM’s poll the majority of 85.7% believe they are leading the charge with social media in their businesses.

AM asked the same question a year ago and the results are similar, with 85.6% of dealers agreeing that manufacturers were not leading the way with social media in 2011.

Comments from the poll

“Manufacturers have been banging the drum regarding the importance of social media but have not provided adequate support.

"They need to pull away from an obsession with CSI questionnaires and empower dealers to provide great CSI without having to manage questionnaires by manipulating customer responses.

"If they must have questionnaires they need to keep them focused, simple and

relevant to what actually adds value for a customer.”
“Manufacturers leading the way with social media translates to a misguided focus on sales pitches rather than customer engagement.”

“We don’t want them to lead. The whole point of social media is to be ‘yourself’ and to communicate openly, freely and individually."

"Social media from a blueprint would be the antithesis of what it was meant to be.”

“Manufacturers are out of touch with customers local to the dealership.”

“Most manufacturers are failing to recognise what tomorrow’s customers will want and how they will want to access it.”