As a group, overall, marketing hasbeen the key to their success.Particularly their Chesapeake location,due in part to Hall. Hall has his fingeron the pulse of the Internet and the useof social media. In fact, his department(and the dealership as a whole) istaking full advantage of the world ofsocial media.

“ Engaging the customer, givingthem a voice and being acces-sible equals retention.”

When you go to their website (www.vic-torychesapeake.com) you will see aweekly blog, used to introduce staff andeducate future and present customerson various subjects relating to theindustry and the dealership. You willalso see their Facebook icon, whichallows Victory Nissan to tell a story tothe community near and far, every day.Then, there’s Twitter. Twitter allows allstories, blogs, service incentives,rebates, safety tips, etc. to be dissemi-nated to a large number of peopleinstantaneously, as it is all tied directlyto their Facebook and bloggingaccounts. But that’s not all. Hall haseven managed to incorporate a weeklyradio show on blogtalkradio.com. Theweekly show, affectionately dubbedVictory for Life, is used to build aware-ness and is often times tied to theweekly blog. Their site is very user-friendly as Ryan suggests that everydealer’s site should be.

When asked, “Why use social mediaplatforms?”, Hall’s response wassimple: “Engaging the customer, givingthem a voice and being accessible,equals retention. Not to mention, you’reaggressively reducing your advertisingdollars by at least 20% – and it’s all free.You’ll need to pay someone to maintainit all, but again, compared to TV andprint ads, the cost is extremely low.”Ryan Hall also adds, “From a dealershipstandpoint, social media is changing theway we market. You can’t afford not toparticipate, and marketing is so muchmore than sending an e-mail.”

Outside of the social media aspects atVictory Nissan, their website is totallyinteractive, leaving the customer in thedriver’s seat. Victory Nissan allows theircustomers to schedule service appoint-ments on-line, as well as giving themthe freedom to name their own price forcar maintenance, repairs and acces-sories. How is this possible you ask?Try it yourself. Go to www.victorychesa-peake.com/service-bids.aspx , enteryour car’s make and model and theprice you want to pay for your service ormaintenance. Once your bid is accept-ed, Victory honors it and does the work.

“Viral marketing from a dealer level issimple,” says Hall. “It’s the bridgebetween sales and service.”

Victory Automotive Group happens tobe one of the first to market these ideas.

And Hall’s main idea was to centralizeeverything to ensure consistency and tomeasure effectiveness. It’s a processthat appears to be working.

To learn how to increase your retentionnumbers, contact Ryan Hall at VictoryNissan of Chesapeake. He’s willing toassist you in establishing your socialmedia presence – just like he’s done forVictory’s group.

Kelly Buffaloe is thePresident of The KellyCompany. The KellyCompany provides supportto entrepreneurs as well asto small and large business-

es. Kelly's background includes morethan 20 years of customer service, coun-seling, training, college instruction, com-munications and public relations. Sheholds a Masters in Public Relations. !

February 2010 p. 29Fixed Ops Magazine