10 Social Media Marketing Strategies for Car Dealerships

Now, everything begins online. Most buyers now scour the internet for information about the car they want, much before they come to your dealership.

In fact, a recent social media trends study revealed that car buyers chose social media platforms as their preferred way of reaching a dealer, compared to their website. And, 75% of car buyers say that social media is the most helpful medium for buying a car.

The stats say it all.

A survey conducted by Google stated that a car buyer referred to 900 touch points digitally before buying a car model!

Consider this recent data -

If these stats made you rethink your social media game, here are 10 social media strategies for car dealerships that will help improve your brand value across social media websites and give you more sales.

1. Target Millennials on Instagram For Automotive Social Media

Millennials love Instagram! They have also become the most prominent auto buyer group in the USA. So, it isn't surprising that most millennials whip up their phones and reach out to Instagram for any shopping. Therefore, if you want to be on top of your automotive social media game, making viral Instagram content will show a decrease in your vehicle inventory!

2. Offer Car Specific Contests and Promotions on Social Media

An excellent social media strategy includes engaging and value-based promotions, events and offers. Every now and then, you can reward your followers with promotions and contests that will keep them hooked to your page. The best mediums to run these contests are Instagram and Facebook.

These are a few contest ideas specifically designed for social media:

-Sweepstakes

Users enter their emails for a draw that gives them a chance to win a prize.

-Photo Contests

Give participants a photo theme for instant pictures with the car of a particular brand. Then they upload a picture and the winner is chosen.

-Vote Contests

Participants are allowed to vote for a number of questions in exchange for their email addresses. This gives your audience a prize and you will also get a  chance to know their opinion on something specific that may help your business.

3. Reviews Matter For Car Social Media Strategy

Did you know? Before buying a car, 90 percent of car shoppers look for reviews about your business. They are more likely to visit your dealership if they find positive thoughts about you.

The most frequent source of review is usually your Facebook Recommendation section and as it can't be tampered with and is most trusted by customers. Encourage your happy customers to share reviews about their experience with you. However, any negative reviews can break your business and hence should be handled properly. Make sure you monitor your social media on a regular basis, especially on weekends. Surveys have revealed that most reviews are written on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.

4. Add Pinterest to Your Social Strategy

Pinterest is way past its recipes DIY and home decor stage. It now features visually appealing media post ideas from all niches. Undervalued and undermined, Pinterest has high content sharing and is a great platform to gain exposure from.

Here are some tips -

5. Storytelling Through Social Media Content

Digital storytelling can prove to be beneficial for the automotive industry to market products and build relationships with their buyers. For many years, popular automakers have been leveraging the art of storytelling to characterize their brand’s representation and personality. Here are some examples of social media content they have used -

You can create value-based, visually appealing content for your social media pages that will be enjoyable to your audience. Creating gripping social media post content is a great way to capture long-term business and increase customer loyalty.‍

6.Video Marketing With YouTube

There is no other platform which can interest your audience like YouTube. With millions frequenting on YouTube, it is a highly effective platform for advertising.

The ads placements are tested and refined on this platform and are displayed before every content piece in a variety of ways.

With YouTube Marketing, you will be able to ensure that your ads reach the right people. These selections of demographics will make your campaign even more effective and targeted. You can also tweak your strategy as you advance through the campaign so that you can reach the right audience.

7. Be 100% Committed to your Social Media Content Marketing Efforts

Nothing is built in a day! Neither was Rome nor is your social media account. In building your social media presence, plan for the long term across all your social media channels as nothing happens overnight. Many dealerships are looking for shortcuts to achieve their monthly targets, but that's not how social media works.

Consistent money and effort will eventually give permanent results. Things may be a little slow at first but once you consistently work on your social media posts and they start picking up, there is no looking back. Higher sales are guaranteed!

This is why you should give your social media plan consistent commitment by changing where and when needed. ‍

8. Lead the Way on LinkedIn With This Social Media Strategy

A survey states that senior management can strengthen brand values by being active on professional social media networks such as LinkedIn.

You need to convince them to be consistent and active on LinkedIn, as it is a result oriented platform for your auto dealership.

If your content keeps the audience hooked, it will give your brand more credibility.

Senior professionals can also write and post  their own content to spread their knowledge and impress the target audience.

9.Use Twitter to Drive Sales Conversions

Twitter is also immensely popular among car shoppers. While it isn't as popular as Facebook, there is something about the tweets that keep users hooked. While Twitter was all about the words earlier, it has branched out to more visual content like videos and images.

Auto dealers can take advantage of Twitter by producing short snippets. Regular shares and entertaining tweets can also give you quality engagement here. Finding a sweet spot between you and your users requires some trial and error but will help you in the long run.

Twitter also offers a gamut of business-oriented services that includes advertising, targeting, campaign management, and analytics. You can also promote tweets, videos or get more users to engage with your brand!

10. Facebook Marketplace and Ads Social Media Strategy

Your digital marketing strategy is incomplete without Facebook, as it is an excellent lead-generation channel for auto dealerships.To start with, Facebook Marketplace, a free feature on the social media platform to sell your product, can help you list stunning pictures of your cars. Once all your listings are up, your buyers can look at what you have. It's an excellent opportunity for car dealers because it doesn't cost anything  unless you advertise your listing.

Now that we’ve spoken about Marketplace, let’s quickly take a look at Facebook Ads -

Research shows that auto ads have 2 times higher click-through rates than the average Facebook ad.  You can run video ads, lead ads, and dynamic inventory ads to showcase your vehicles.

Wrapping Up

The dealership social media strategies mentioned above are the best ways to advertise your car dealership business on social media. You can use these to attract audiences, but consistency is important here if you follow these strategies. However, doing this will take a lot of your time and effort. The best way to save that is by hiring a digital marketing expert. Contact us today for a free demo view so that we can help you devise the perfect social media marketing plan for you.