I keep my eye out for studies that give us some indication of what small and medium sized businesses are doing on the internet.
This chart is from the BIA/Kelsey Local Monitor study and gives me the feeling that companies just like your independent dealers understand the value of how much time consumers are spending online.
Also, it has to be in part a function of the economy, when times get tough you re-evaluate everything you do and are more willing to try the new things. The internet takes time to learn but it is a lot less expensive to use than the old way of doing things. Setting up a Facebook page only costs some time and effort, no money.
The item that surprised me the most is the interest in customer ratings and reviews. Again, it doesn’t cost anything to encourage your customers to write a good review, it’s just good news that SMBs are paying attention to what is going on online and are willing to put time into making sure their image is maintained.
So, one good thing that may come out of this recession is that it encouraged dealers to focus on the way they advertise and it became clear to them that the internet has value.