Social media is a very important part of any marketing strategy, regardless of the size of your business or industry. It's a great way to keep in contact with customers and handle complaints.

Monitor brand mentions

Every so often you should search social media (namely, Twitter) for mentions of your brand. Customers might not always include your user-name in these posts so they won't show up in your feed.

From here you can gage whether customers are happy. Do bear in mind that unhappy customers are more likely to talk about their experience on social media than those who have had a good experience.

Any customers who aren't happy, get in touch with them offering to resolve their problems. Remember, these communications won't be private.

A simpler resolution process

You should offer social media as a means of getting in touch with your business should a customer have a complaint. Ask them to Tweet or post on your Facebook wall. From here you can get more information from them or propose a solution. This is a great first step but the rest of the complaint should be handled via email or over the phone.

Q&A sessions

If you hold regular Q&A sessions with your following, it'll give past, present and potential customers the chance to ask anything they want. This may uncover a few complaints but it gives people the chance to clarify anything about your business, cars or services.

A simple answer to a question may be enough to get that person into your showroom.

Show off your expertise

Social media is a great place to remind people that you know what you're talking about. Talk about cars, remind people about new releases and get technical when you need to. Customers are going to be more receptive to dealerships that can demonstrate knowledge and passion.

Communicate important information

If the entire team is going to be in a staff meeting for an hour on Monday morning, let customers know via social media. This will stop people disturbing you during this time and will also act as an explanation if anyone does try to call and can't get through.

The same goes for events, sales and promotions. These are things customers will want to know about but don't be too salesy when you're communicating them. Don't go on the hard sell on social media as it'll turn customers off.

Remember, social media is about the conversation so interact with your customers.