Alamo, Budget Top Rental Companies Using Social Media

Engagement Labs, a technology and data company, has released a list of the top U.S. car rental companies based on their social media performance on Facebook and Twitter as well as word of mouth conversations.

The data consists of Engagement Labs' eValue social media measurement tool and TalkTrack, a measurement source of word of mouth (WOM) conversations from the Keller Fay Group, an Engagement Labs company.

According to the eValue data, the top 10 car rental companies on Facebook are: Alamo Rent A Car, Thrifty Car Rental, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, The Hertz Corp., Dollar Rent A Car, E-Z Rent-A-Car, Avis Car Rental, Fox Rent A Car, Budget Car Rental, and National Car Rental.

Twitter’s top 10 car rental companies included: Budget Car Rental, Avis Car Rental, Thrifty Car Rental, Dollar Rent A Car, The Hertz Corp., Payless Car Rental, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, car2go, Fox Rent A Car, and Silvercar.

"With car rental companies so heavily reliant on consumer online research and reviews, response strategies are vital for their online success,” said Bryan Segal, CEO of Engagement Labs. “Social media channels act as a go-to-source for customers to voice their opinions and concerns, thus how these brands respond to these inquiries can be a key factor in driving revenue."

On Facebook, Alamo Rent A Car placed first with the highest overall eValue score and scored the highest Engagement of the group, according to the data. Alamo posts combined vacation tips from professional tour guides and tips on what to pack, as well as videos from customers who have rented from the company, which generated excellent fan engagement. The Hertz Corp., although placing fourth overall, boasted the highest Impact score, while experiencing the largest fan growth over the time period measured.

On Twitter, Budget Car Rental placed first with the highest overall eValue and Engagement score. Avis Car Rental ranked second with the highest number of mentions per 1,000 fans, according to the data.

For offline word of mouth (WOM) conversations, the top car rental companies include Enterprise Rent-A-Car, The Hertz Corp., Budget Car Rental, Avis Car Rental, Alamo Rent A Car, and Thrifty Car Rental. Enterprise earned 41% of the TalkShare data, according to Keller Fay Group.

Additionally, the company found 32% of offline car rental conversations included some type of digital media/marketing reference such as mentions to social media channels and brand websites.

"As we're seeing with car rental companies, online conversations can drive offline conversations and vice versa," said Segal. "The findings in our research indicate that companies must focus on both mediums, online and offline, to continue building the conversation around their brand. By creating a positive customer experience through such factors as excellent response strategies, brands ensure growth of conversation to ultimately amplify sales and bookings."