ORLANDO, Fla. — ActivEngage, a provider of live chat services for dealer Websites, today launched a custom Facebook application to help dealers increase online engagement and connect with consumers.

The new ActivEngage application provides significant advancements to merely having a dealership Facebook page; dealers can now connect with consumers in real-time via ActivEngage live chat, even if they are not logged in to the dealership Facebook account. The new application offers dealers a single location to manage chat interactions with consumers, no matter where the communication takes place online: the dealership Website, microsites, Facebook, email, newsletters and more. 

In addition, dealers can now use ActivEngage's "shop with me" technology on Facebook to share videos and other dealership and vehicle information, creating a virtual sales experience via live chat. With consumers' permission, dealers can even post content directly on users' profile pages from the new chat application.

This means that vehicle and dealership content can now be consumed by "friends of friends" on Facebook, creating a viral platform for dealership content. Users can also add comments on dealership profile postings, providing even more exposure by encouraging their network members to comment on postings, even if they are not in the dealership's Facebook network. The new application can expand dealership reach to hundreds, or even thousands, more Facebook users through sharing content on friends' and fans' profiles. 

According to Facebook, the site now has more than 300 million active users and more than 120 million users log on to Facebook on a daily basis. In addition, more than two-thirds of Facebook users are outside of college and the fastest growing demographic is users who are 35 years of age and older.    

"We constantly monitor automotive consumer behavior and trends to make sure that our dealers can engage with shoppers, no matter where they are online," commented Ted Rubin, ActivEngage co-founder. "And consumers of all ages now spend more and more time on Facebook, in greatly increasing numbers. We developed this easy to use application to help dealers reach more consumers through this vital channel."

ActivEngage will be demonstrating the new FaceBook application at the upcoming DrivingSales Executive Summit in Las Vegas on October 13-14.