When you’re on social media sites as much as I am, you see a lot of negative brand messaging. Take, for example, the ongoing Progressive case in which a lone blogger has rallied millions of angry Americans to voice their outrage on the insurance company’s Facebook wall. We know by now that social media can lead to a PR disaster – but it’s great to read about an exemplary social success story. One comment on Publix Supermarket’s profile, praising the grocery store for its signature customer care, grabbed almost 70,000 likes in just a few days.

That’s 70,000 likes. Seventy thousand people – and that’s just those users who had enough energy to click the “like” button. Who knows how many actually read this story and thought better of Publix. How many people read this user-submitted story about customer service and decided that they would stop by their local Publix today instead of Walmart? It’s no coincidence that, just one day after this post went viral, Publix got it’s one-millionth Facebook fan.This kind of social action generatesvery real ROI for Publix – and it can work for your dealership, too.

I used to work for Publix, bagging groceries and standing in the cashier line for 3 years. I can say from countless training sessions that all of this is a cohesive strategy; every “Can I help you outside with that?” is a coordinated tactic to elicit responses exactly like Britney’s. But the supermarket matches its famed customer service with a vibrant and active social media community, and as a result, positive word of mouth can spread to hundreds of thousands of people – instantaneously.

Is someone impressed with service at your dealership? Ask them to share it online. Follow up with these requests – continue to maintain your online brand by being active. Post, share, and comment regularly to build up your audience and give your message (and your compliments) greater reach.