Most likely they would say "Huh; what are you talking about?" They know “word-of-mouth” or referral advertising is the most powerful form of advertising a company can get. But it’s also something their media buyer can’t purchase for you today.

Shoppers are always asking friends, family members and co-workers for their advice. That advice is often a strong influencer of where the consumer will buy a product or service. That's the power of "word of mouth" advertising. And yes you can't buy that in the same way you buy a television commercial.

That type of advertising is earned on every sales or service transaction, one transaction at a time. Traditionally it took years to build a great referral base, but like everything else today, the Internet has accelerated that process. With social networks and websites where products and services are rated shoppers can now tap into advice from a broad network of consumers posting feedback on how they were treated at local retailers.

While there are no shortcuts to "instant brand and reputation building" companies offering great service can now be more visible to the online community. CarFolks.com, a new automotive social network and rating service helps consumers find the best dealers in the market, based on the opinions of consumers who have interacted with those dealerships. Auto retailers can now be part of the conversation and play a pro-active role in building their online reputations. And, since CarFolks.com pages are indexed by search engines, all our pages including the free profile pages for sales and service personnel create an even greater presence for auto retailers on the Internet. Call today to start building your “word-of-mouth” advertising.