Chrysler, Toyota top auto dealer social network activity

GOSO, a Web and social media company headquartered in Washington, D.C., has released an independent study that indicates dealerships in the United States have aggressively pursued social media strategies.

The report claims that 25.5 percent of all dealerships have a Facebook page and 10.9 percent have a Twitter account. This does not include the large amount of dealers that have created user accounts for their dealerships. This report was based on the National Automobile Dealers Association's (NADA's) report in late 2009, which indicated that there were 20,010 automotive dealerships that sold new and used vehicles.

In the report, GOSO contacted several companies that had made claims that social media played a large role in their overall growth and sales strategy for 2009. The top brand on Facebook was Chrysler, followed by Buick, Chevrolet, Mazda and then Jeep. The top brand on Twitter was Toyota, followed by Chevrolet, Honda, Nissan and then Ford.

The total dealerships on Facebook amounted to 5,155, whereas the total dealerships on Twitter amounted to 2,195. On the Web, the most popular searched brand is BMW, followed by Ford, Honda, Lincoln and Mini Cooper.

"Through GOSO and our aggressive marketing efforts, I plan on doubling these numbers by the end of 2010," says Adam Boalt, founder of GOSO. "We've already had hundreds of dealerships inquire about our social media suite."

To download the full report, please visit www.goso.com.