Widewail

Welcome to the team, AJ!

AJ grew up in Burlington, VT, then moved to New Hampshire to study Marketing and play baseball at Southern New Hampshire University. After graduating, he came back to the BTV area and coached baseball for a year at Saint Michael’s College. Now, AJ is excited to join Widewail’s sales team after 10 years in the digital automotive industry.

Outside of work, AJ enjoys staying active by golfing, playing basketball and exploring with his dog Finn and his wife Hannah. The three of them love trying new restaurants, breweries and traveling to new places.

Higher review response rates → Higher star rating and volume

We looked at how review volume per month and monthly average ratings trend upward with review response percentage.

We found the benchmark performance for every dealer at each review response percentage, from 0% to 100%.

(Find this in the Widewail Automotive Reputation Index by Grouping by Response Percentage)

The black bars represent the volume of dealerships that occupy each response rate. We can see the majority are above 50%.

As we would expect, higher response percentage represents an increased commitment to digital customer engagement, and, as a result, review volume and rating trend up as response rate approaches 100%.

Comparing dealers that respond to 20% of reviews to those that respond to 80% of reviews, we see that volume jumps up 64% and rating goes up 2%.

It is evident that responding to reviews indicates to your customer base that their opinions are valued and as a result they are more likely to leave you a review -- and as we've discussed in the past, increased review volume tends to bring higher average ratings.

For more data and insights like this, subscribe to The REV -- a newsletter that digs into a few review data insights every 3 weeks. Subscribe on LinkedIn: https://hubs.ly/Q02lddHX0

A Valentine’s Day match made in heaven: Widewail + Automotive News 💕

Here’s Chris Bouchard, our first sales hire back when Widewail had less than 50 clients, finding our ad in a recent issue of Auto News.

Along with consistent growth comes the resources to spread the word about Widewail to a broader audience.

Chris, having spent 12 years in the auto industry, first at Burlington Hyundai, then at DDC and now Widewail, is beyond proud to see that reflected in print.

For the whole team, it’s symbolic of our growth, great products and even better clients. !

Welcome to the team, Claire!

Claire is originally from Long Island, New York, but she has lived in Vermont for the past 6 years. Before Widewail, she worked in the insurance industry where she was a Corporate Benefits consultant.

Claire loves getting outside, whether that be by kayaking, running, walking her rescue dog, or keeping up with her child. Claire can often be found trying new restaurants or enjoying an IPA at one of Burlington's many breweries. She is excited to join the BDR team at Widewail.

Auto dealers, use this chart to optimize your reputation on Google.

Here’s how:

☝️ Maximize reviews discussing the topics on the left.

👇 Minimize reviews discussing the topics on the right.

To do this most effectively, you will need to automate review generation and use targeted campaigns get a high volume of high quality reviews.

[Data via Widewail Voice of the Customer Report: https://hubs.ly/Q02kHkJJ0 ]

Welcome to the team, Dustin!

Dustin grew up in Vermont and is proud to have lived here ever since. He has worked in the digital automotive space since 2016, when he started at https://hubs.ly/Q02kmQzc0. In late 2018, he moved to EBlock, where he was the Inside Sales Manager for 5 years. He spent a brief period of time in the retail side of the business, as a sales rep at NuCar CDJR and Ford, but he’s happy to have found himself back on the digital side here at Widewail.

Dustin loves his 10-year-old and 7-year-old kids, who keep him very busy with sports practices. Dustin is also a personal trainer, training one-on-one clients and leading group fitness classes at Align. When he’s not working, wrangling his kids or at the gym, Dustin’s favorite thing on the planet is seeing live music, so he tries to see as many shows as he can.

Widewail has finally unveiled The Brand Scorecard Report. After analyzing over 4 million Google reviews for dealerships across the US, 32 automotive OEM brands have received reputation scores and been ranked.

What goes into a brand’s online reputation score?

👉 Monthly review volume, lifetime review volume, average star rating, and review response rate

What can a reputation scorecard tell you about your brand?

👉 What topics customers are mentioning most online, what regions your reputation is winning or struggling in, how you stack up head-to-head against a rival, and more key takeaways

Which brands rank at the top?
👉 Find out here: https://hubs.ly/Q02jK7T70

P.S. Catch us at before it ends! We’re in booth 6306N (North Hall).

Out of 32 OEMs, Lexus earns the #1 spot for online reputation in the 2024 Brand Scorecard Report.

We analyzed over 4 Million Google reviews and ranked automotive brands based on 4 core reputation metrics:

👉 Monthly review volume
👉 Lifetime review volume
👉 Average star rating
👉 Review response rate

Lexus dominates in 3 of those 4 categories.

The full report has all the details: https://hubs.ly/Q02jKct-0

If you’re at come find us at Booth 6306N (in the north hall) to talk more!

The 2024 Brand Scorecard Report ranks the online reputations of the leading 32 automotive brands from best to worst.

See what they score and why: https://hubs.ly/Q02jK89n0

If you’re at this weekend, come find us at Booth 6306N (in the north hall) to discuss!

🎉 We just released a new report, ranking the top 32 automotive OEMs based on review data.

What we found in the 2024 Brand Scorecard Report:

▶️ Toyota Motor Corporation and BMW are ranked #2 and #3 in the country. Who is ranked #1?

▶️ INFINITI Motor Company dealers have near-perfect review response rates. Why is it ranked #13?

▶️ Toyota is ranked the best dealer in 11/50 states. Where is this brand most popular?

▶️ Genesis is ranked lowest of all brands. Which reputation metrics drag them down?

Find the answers in the full report here: https://hubs.ly/Q02jK80j0

If you’re at come find us at Booth 6306N (in the north hall) to talk more! 👋

2024 Brand Scorecard Report | Widewail Automotive Reputation Index In the 2024 Brand Scorecard Report, Widewail assesses the reputation of 32 of the most popular automakers to determine which OEM brand has the best online reputation.

Welcome to the team, Ian!

Originally from New Hampshire, Ian has lived in Vermont for 10 years. He previously worked as a sales rep in the beer and wine industry, but he’s excited about transitioning to the world of tech, especially because he recently completed a software development bootcamp. Joining Widewail as a Business Development Representative, Ian looks forward to merging his sales and tech experience.

When he’s not working, Ian enjoys getting outside: snowboarding, playing golf (or any sport), and walking in the woods with Spruce (his Australian Shepard). Ian also loves exploring the world with his wife, Kim, and playing and seeing music with friends.

Tesla and Rivian are paving the way for direct-to-consumer sales models in automotive, but why are their customers so unhappy? Engineering .com referenced Widewail’s 2023 Voice of the Customer Report in their recent video to answer this question.

Watch it here and make sure to check out our full report for more insights on automotive customer sentiment based on over 800,000 Google reviews.

Why are so many EV Owners Unhappy? One-star ratings from EV owners are much higher than the industry average. Why?

Welcome to the team, Samiel!

Originally from the Dominican Republic, Samiel has been living in New York for the past decade. She has worked as a QA Automation Engineer for 7 years and is excited to be joining Widewail in that role. She loves coffee and the TV show Friends, but what makes Samiel happiest is traveling around the world or spending time with her 1-year-old nephew.

Welcome to the team, Austin!

Austin is a recent graduate from the University of Florida, based in Tampa and passionate about any kind of projects that help his community. His hobbies include swimming, rock climbing, and collecting vinyl records and board games. While he loves to cook all types of food, he especially enjoys making hispanic food. You can often find Austin out on a walk with his girlfriend and his cat, headed to explore a new local restaurant.

The #1 reason car dealership customers leave positive reviews, backed by 800,000 reviews 👉 Dealership staff.

Staff-related topics are mentioned in 80% of all reviews. And 57% of positive reviews mention specific personnel by name.

The characteristics of helpfulness and friendliness often surface in positive reviews, most often in the sales department.

On the other hand…

Just 17% of negative reviews mention individual personnel.

While staff are the top driver of positive reviews, customers leave negative reviews for different reasons (see here -> https://hubs.ly/Q02dnhCm0)

Domestic dealers are generating far fewer Google reviews than Import dealerships. Why?

We looked at the sentiment of 719,000 reviews and the results were…inconclusive.

The sentiment associated with topics mentioned by both Import and Domestic dealerships is remarkably similar, not varying by more than 1%.

Overall, the ratings of the two groups are very similar. Domestic at 4.4 stars, Imports at 4.42.

When looking at specific brand performance, the Import list accounts for many of the top-performing brands.

Lexus: 20.9 reviews/month

Toyota: 18.3

BMW: 16.2

Nissan: 15.8

Kia: 15.7

Honda: 15.0

National Average: 9.6

As expected, high-sales-volume economy brands make sense at the top of the list, but luxury brands BMW and Lexus break the trend. It seems it isn’t as simple as more sales = more reviews.

What’s your theory?

For more automotive reputation data and insights like this, subscribe to The REV. New articles every 3 weeks: https://hubs.ly/Q02b_VXf0

Welcome to the team, Nick Ciufo!

Nick is from Ludlow, Vermont, and recently moved to the Burlington area. Nick has a BA in political science from Union College and a background of working at startups in finance and SaaS. He is joining the team as a Review Response Specialist.

In his free time, Nick enjoys skiing, biking, reading, and being around water— anything from sailing, water-skiing, or just floating! He loves music and going to concerts, especially hip-hop and rock & roll.

Welcome to the team, Kara!

Originally from New Jersey, Kara went to Saint Michael’s College and is still living full-time in Burlington. She just joined the team as a Review Response Specialist.

In her free time, Kara enjoys baking and cooking. She loves trying new recipes, most recently trying a lot of gluten-free desserts. She also enjoys traveling and visiting new places. Her favorite place she’s been to is Ireland after living there for four months while studying. Kara is also an avid puzzler. Catch her getting comfy and drinking coffee while working on a puzzle!

Welcome to the team, Luisana!

Originally from Venezuela and currently based in Burlington, VT, Luisana holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from her home country. From a young age, Luisana knew she wanted to pursue a career in writing, making her new role as a Review Response Specialist an accomplished goal. She’s eager to connect with coworkers and continue growing her career.

In her free time, Luisana enjoys reading, music, and exploring local cafes. Family and close friends hold a special place in her heart, even from miles away, and she aims to build a sense of community here through books, TikTok recipes, and local activities.

Welcome to the team, Casey! 👋🎉

Originally from Yonkers, NY, Casey has been living in the Burlington area for nearly 25 years. As Senior Frontend Engineer, he will be building and enhancing user interfaces and experiences across Widewail's entire product line.

When not at his keyboard, Casey splits his time between riding one of his various bicycles, playing games that don't involve computers, and perfecting his chocolate chip cookie recipe. He has a shy Corgi named Gabe who likes cheese and belly rubs.

This is the distribution of all Google ratings across 16,644 new car dealerships in the US over the first half of 2023 (That’s over 1.6 million reviews).

Breaking ratings down further, we can look at Widewail Invite clients (shown in yellow) and compare them to the overall auto industry (shown in black).

Widewail clients get a greater percentage of 5-star reviews and less 1 to 4-star reviews.
It is clear that using an automated review generation software like Invite is an advantage in reputation management.

The more customers businesses ask for reviews, the higher their ratings tend to be.

We looked at over 1 million Google reviews from 17,000 dealers. 👀 🔎 🚗

Here’s what we found:

👉 The automotive industry average is a 4.44 star rating on Google.

How do dealerships using Widewail stack up to that benchmark? We ran that calculation too and saw:

🏆 The average Widewail Invite client has a 4.67 star rating.

(We got a little precise with our numbers but it’s worth noting that Google rounds ratings to one decimal place, so these actually show up on Google as 4.7 and 4.4 - an even more impressive gap.)

How does your star rating compare?

Collecting video testimonials from your customers has never been easier. But making sure they are high quality is the challenge.

📹 Here are a few insider tips on getting the best videos possible:

✅ Send SMS and Email Requests
✅ Use QR Codes
✅ Run Social Media Campaigns
✅ Utilize Incentive Programs
✅ Provide Clear Guidelines

Check out the full article that goes over how to implement these tricks and have a winning video review strategy:

Unlocking the Best Video Review Secrets How to successfully collect video reviews. These strategies will help you gather authentic and persuasive testimonials for your brand.

Welcome to the team, Dan Mackay!

Dan grew up in New England but now calls Colorado home. He enjoys skiing and golfing in his spare time. On the odd chance there is a rainy day, he also enjoys binging a good crime documentary with his fiancée and his dog, Autumn.

Katie and Matt did a great job on this multifamily video series. 👏💪

10 short episodes, diving deep into how building a reputation management strategy that is focused on property performance is the ultimate way to go.

This miniseries on centralizing reputation management quickly covers key lessons like:

💡 Why reputation management should be framed as performance marketing, not PR
💡 How to add value and cut costs by centralizing reputation management tools and tactics
💡 Why a proactive strategy is more valuable than a passive one (AKA why you shouldn’t be afraid to ask for reviews)
💡 When is the best time to ask for resident reviews

Watch the Centralized Reputation Management video series here: 👇🎥

Video | Centralized Reputation Management: Modern Multifamily Playbook Discover the benefits of centralizing reputation management activities across your portfolio. Think: cost savings, higher-quality lead generation, and performance improvements. Plus, get your corporate and onsite teams moving in sync with our implementation toolkit. 

💰🚨 The $36 million mistake you can’t afford to make…

The FTC recently cracked down on fraudulent review activity, permanently banning the online apartment listings site Roomster from buying or incentivizing reviews.

Here’s what multifamily marketers can learn from Roomster’s mistakes:

👉Don't buy reviews
👉Don't gate reviews
👉Don't participate in deceptive review practices

We advise reading up on the FTC’s new rules for online reviews and making sure any third party reputation management services you consider are compliant with these guidelines.

If you’re unsure if your strategies are above board, we’re always happy to discuss.

Roomster Settlement: The FTC Cracks Down on Apartment Reviews Breaking down the FTC rules on reviews and what the Roomster case means for multifamily marketing professionals.

Welcome to the team, Matt Wicks!

Originally born in Long Island, NY, Matt lived most of his life in Vermont and now lives in Boston. Outside of the office, Matt loves watching college football and the NFL. He goes to as many Patriots and Red Sox games as he can. On the weekends, you can usually find Matt either at the driving range or on the golf course, more than likely listening to Reggaeton. His favorite artists are Myke Towers, Ozuna, Fied, Lunay and Annita.

16 emails you’ll actually read.

We combed through the major marketing newsletters out there to pick the ones worth subscribing to in 2023.

Even if you find just one new one from this list, it’ll be sure to level-up your marketing game.

Check the full list here:

16 Best Free Marketing Newsletters in 2023 16 of the best free newsletters we recommend local marketers and business owners subscribe to for great marketing ideas delivered regularly to your inbox.

What do receipts, text messages, and your website have in common? 🧾💬🖥️
They are all one of the 30 best places to put a Google review link.

Every business has a Google review link — one URL you can share with customers that takes them directly to leave a review on Google.

You can put this link anywhere to encourage customers to leave reviews. Provide a link or a QR code and you’ve done everything for them except write the actual review.

Here's the full list of 30 best ways to use a Google review link:

30 Best Ways to Use Your Google Review Link Creative places to include your Google review link to ask all of your customers for reviews, increase positive volume and improve your online reputation.

Google reviews going missing?

Here are a few reasons this might have happened and what you can do about it:

Reasons why you are losing Google reviews - and what to do about it There are a number of reasons Google reviews may suddenly disappear from your Google Business Profile. Here are a few along with ways to get them back.