CASE STUDIES
Dealer World is a Pennsylvania-based automotive marketing agency run by former dealership leaders. Their goal? To help their dealer clients spark real conversations with customers—whether that’s in person, over the phone, or online—while strengthening trust in the brand at every step.
Coming out of the COVID-driven sales boom, Dealer World noticed many clients were hesitant to reinvest in marketing, especially around reputation management. Review volume was low, service departments were underrepresented online, and leadership across rooftops worried that sending more review requests might hurt their scores.
“Dealers are afraid that turning on review requests will tank their rating. But in my experience, not once has that happened, and especially not with Widewail.”
— Mark Ferguson, VP of Business Development, Dealer World
Most clients were stuck using OEM-approved vendors or legacy platforms, such as Reputation.com. Responses were automated (at best), and many rooftops were handling reviews manually, or not at all.
“The president of one of our dealer groups was responding to reviews himself before Widewail. He runs five rooftops and a collision center. That’s not sustainable.”
— Ferguson
The result? Time-consuming, inconsistent workflows and no clear path forward.
With Widewail in place, Dealer World scaled review generation and response across 11 rooftops with ease, replacing manual effort with expert human-written responses, high-volume SMS review request invites, and fast onboarding that simplified activation.
In just 90 days after launching with Widewail (May 1 – August 1, 2023), Dealer World clients saw:
89% increase in total review volume (859 → 1,624 reviews)
32% decrease in negative reviews (12% → 8%)
One year into launching Widewail (May 2023 – May 2024), the review growth results were even more compelling:
273% increase in total reviews (2,525 → 9,419)
31% reduction in negative reviews
“Widewail’s team does a really, really good job, and their system works perfectly. Of all the reputation platforms I’ve worked with, Widewail is the only one I don’t get complaints about… If I were going to build a reputation management platform, it would look like this: 100% human response, SMS requests. No-brainer.”
— Ferguson
Product: Engage (Review Response Managed Services)
The Widewail-Dealer World partnership started with a cold call. Mark Ferguson, VP of Business Development, took the call and quickly found that Widewail’s philosophy aligned with his own. He saw an opportunity to bring a new kind of solution to his dealer clients: modern, thoughtful, and built on trust.
Widewail’s Engage review response service stood out not just for what it offered, but for what it removed—complex onboarding, clunky systems, and client complaints.
“We’ve had Podium as a partner in the past, and there were always complaints. Widewail is the only platform I’ve worked with where I don’t hear complaints from my clients.”
— Ferguson
This dealer group was one of the first to sign on, enrolling three locations. Their Subaru store quickly emerged as a reputation leader, supported by consistent, professional responses that made an immediate impression.
374% increase in review volume (192 → 910)
Google rating: 4.9 with 900+ reviews
100% response rate
With Engage handling response, Dealer World’s team could focus on bigger-picture conversations around reputation, and dealers could see the value without the friction. What started as a cold call became a partnership grounded in results, trust, and execution.
Product: Invite (SMS-Powered Automated Review Generation)
Despite already ranking among the top Toyota dealers on Reputation.com, this dealer saw untapped potential. After switching to Widewail Invite in February 2024, it drove:
709% increase in total reviews (Feb 1, 2024 – Feb 1, 2025)
Reviews on their service listing increased to 1,077 with a 4.8 average star rating.
“[This dealer] had one of Reputation.com’s highest scores, especially for Toyota dealers. Since switching to Widewail, we’ve almost doubled the reviews on their sales listing, and their service listing—which had just a handful before—now has over a thousand reviews.”
— Ferguson
Product: Invite
With Widewail Invite, this dealer group saw rapid improvements across its five rooftops—more reviews, higher ratings, and fewer negative experiences.
90-Day Results (May 23 – Aug 23, 2023):
470% growth in review volume (210 → 1,202)
10% increase in star rating (4.2 → 4.7)
54% reduction in negative reviews
645% increase in Google reviews (108 → 805)
Year-One Results (May 2023 – May 2024):
1,511% increase in total reviews (299 → 4,816)
55% decrease in negative review volume
Review volume rose 1,538% in the first year (128 → 2,097)
Negative reviews cut by 50%
Reviews increased by 1,087% in the first year
Negative review percentage decreased by 50%
Service listing rating rose by 0.7 stars
Widewail has also supported Dealer World beyond the numbers, acting as a strategic partner and client acquisition tool.
“We actually used Widewail as a closing tool for one of our clients. They’d had a good experience with Widewail previously, so we included it in the proposal—at no additional cost—and closed the deal on the spot.”
— Ferguson
With consistent gains in review volume and sentiment, Dealer World has embedded Widewail into its offering across 11 rooftops, streamlining operations and strengthening client trust.
The formula is simple: real people responding to reviews, reliable performance tools, and ongoing support. Together, we've helped Dealer World create a system that delivers fast impact and long-term value.
“Once we got clients enrolled, it was easy. Widewail made onboarding smooth, and the platform made an impact fast. It also gave my team a way to tell better stories to clients—to show them where they stand and why it matters.”
— Ferguson
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