8 Tips and Strategies for Mastering Social Media for Car Dealerships.

Why car dealerships should be on social media

According to a survey, social media sites have around 4-6 billion on them, and a large part of these people are car buyers. At least 85 percent of car buyers do a lot of their research online, which is why car dealerships should create a presence on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Having a presence on social media can do the following for you:

If you are convinced that your car dealership should be on social media, here are some strategies you can use to build your social media presence.

1. Choose the Right Platforms for Your Auto Strategies.

If you are on a platform where your target audience is not, all your efforts would be wasted. Hence choosing platforms that will give you the right reach is necessary. You can analyze your competitors' accounts and see what services and car prices they offer.

Research has also shown Instagram and Facebook are good platforms for car dealerships as the latter depend on pictures to showcase their cars. If you want to go the paid marketing way, car ads have a two times higher click-through rate on Facebook when compared to any other product. Instagram is more frequented by millennials, who make up at least 70 percent of the car-buying audience. This is why Instagram is a great platform to share your brand's story and post fun pictures of your car on the beach. Besides these two platforms, Video Marketing on YouTube is excellent for organic visibility, as at least 92% of shoppers look for car videos first when doing their research.

You do not necessarily have to be on every platform. Choose a few that suit you the best and center your social media strategy around those channels.

2. Set Your Goals Ahead of Time

Set your social media goals so you can achieve some growth in a stipulated time frame. Optimizing your strategy according to what's working and what's not is easy when you have measurable goals. Set SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely goals every month and then compare them to your goal. For instance, the ultimate goal for a dealership will be test drives, calls, or physical visits. Hence, the goal could be to get a particular number of calls through social media. Depending on the number you have achieved can help you decide if you need to trim the sails of your social media strategy.

3. Experiment with Different Social Media Content types

Every social media platform has a different style and content type. Images that might work for the millennials on Instagram might not work with the older audience on Facebook. Try to create different social media posts and test what works best on your social media platforms.

Here are some social media content ideas that you can use

4. Utilize Unique Social Media Platform Features

Every social media platform has its unique features. For instance, Stories, reels, and shorts on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Longer videos on Facebook and thought-provoking short form content on Twitter. Make the most of each feature by creating specific content for every platform, which will help you get the most out of the following.

5. User-generated Content for Social Media Marketing

User-generated content is that created by customers in the form of photos, videos, or reviews. You can collect this automotive content and reshare it with a unique hashtag for your social media marketing efforts. This will build credibility and social proof and make your pages stand out!

6. Add that Personal Touch to Your Strategy

Consumers often want to see a personalized experience. They want a brand to value them and understand their needs, especially when they have to make big purchases through them. Whenever you get queries and questions on social media, try to use the customer's name wherever possible and create a connection with potential customers.

7. Create a Schedule for Your Social Media Strategies

Consistency is important on social media . When you post throughout the week, your content shows up on followers' feeds, and you can engage with it. Once you get consistent, your audience will start visiting your pages frequently, anticipating the content you usually post. To stay consistent, you can make a schedule that helps you plan and track your dealership’s social media strategy. For instance, you can post a video on Monday, a reel on Wednesday, and a Twitter update on Friday. Once you have used this schedule, do periodic checks to see what's working and what's not.

8. Make Your Car Dealership Look the Best.

Your image on social media is as important as your reputation in the real world. The first point of contact is your social media profile which is why you must make a good impression with it. Your virtual image should project your dependable and friendly side to your audience. Project yourself in the best manner possible with your posts, bio, and profile pictures.

Wrapping Up

You can do a lot with your social media efforts! It increases the reach, gets new followers and more customers, and helps establish brand loyalty in car dealerships. Your presence across all social media channels can add a human touch to your dealerships and shows people that your business is thriving. Therefore, having a proper social media strategy set in place is extremely important for your dealership business. If you need more help with social media, we are just a phone call away! Book a NO OBLIGATION call with us today!