WASHINGTON, D.C. — GOSO, a Web and social media marketing suite, shared research it conducted about how many dealers use Facebook and Twitter.

Company executives believe 25.5 percent of all dealerships have a page on Facebook. They calculated the exact figure at 5,155 dealerships.

GOSO also contends that 10.9 percent of dealers, or 2,195, have a Twitter account. The company said it based its findings on a National Automobile Dealers Association report from late last year that stated 20,010 used- and new-vehicle dealerships operate nationwide.

Delving deeper into its analysis, GOSO's research also determined that the top brand on Facebook was Chrysler, followed by Buick, Chevrolet, Mazda and Jeep.

When looking further into Twitter traffic, GOSO asserts that Toyota is the top trending brand, with Chevrolet, Honda, Nissan and Ford rounding out the other top manufacturers.

GOSO set out to find this information to boost the position of its Web solution that's geared toward leveraging the popularity of Facebook. Early last month, the company released what it called an industry-first platform that would push a dealer's inventory onto a Facebook page.

While acknowledging that dealers might be apprehensive about jumping into a broad campaign using Facebook or Twitter, GOSO talked about various companies' successes using social media and offered the opinions of executives who used online social media as a business development tool.

For example, GOSO mentioned that Dell attributed $6.5 million in earnings last year to Twitter. The company also noted how Gary Vanynerchuck of WineLibrary.com used social media to build his business to $60 million in just a few years.

Furthermore, GOSO shared the thoughts of Aaron Magness, director of brand marketing and business of Zappos.com, a Web site that was sold to Amazon.com reportedly for $1.1 billion.

"We believe that every industry, be it retail, real estate, automotive, etc., has the ability to focus on forming personal connections with the end user," Magness pointed out.

"This helps build trust, loyalty and respect with the customer," he added.

Adam Boalt, founder of GOSO, has aggressive goals for his suite platform to increase the number of dealers utilizing Facebook and Twitter.

"Through GOSO and our aggressive marketing efforts, I plan on doubling these numbers by the end of 2010," noted Boalt, who plans to be on hand at the upcoming National Automobile Dealers Convention and Expo in Orlando, Fla.

"We've already had hundreds of dealerships inquire about our social media suite," he asserted.

GOSO offered a full account of its research and reporting about social media penetration among dealerships at its Web site, GOSO.com.