Since it’s advent, social media marketing has effectively changed the landscape of marketing and advertising across the automotive industry. There are many advantages for automotive dealers in utilizing social media to promote sales, including:

1: Targeting and Reach

Social media platforms have millions of users, providing a massive audience for dealerships. Coupled with the ability to target ads to specific demographics, regions, and interests, these platforms have the potential to get your messaging to potential customers based on age, gender, location, and more. This type of targeted advertising is more efficient and can be a more cost-effective method than what are considered traditional marketing methods.

2: Engagement Opportunities

It’s an interactive experience. Dealerships can actually engage with their customers in real time, answering questions, resolving customer-service issues, and even showcasing their vehicles through videos and live-stream events from the dealership.

3: Driving Brand Awareness

Again, with an audience of potentially millions of users and a strategy that includes consistent posting and engaging with followers, social media can be an excellent platform for creating brand awareness.

4: Reputation Management

Through social media platforms, you can manage your dealership’s reputation by cultivating a positive image and building strong relationships with your customers. A chat bot can also help further these efforts. Remember, it’s a two-way street, and you will need to be responsive to inquiries and showcase your positive approach to working with customers.

5: Cost-effectiveness

Social media advertising can be less expensive than traditional forms of advertising, such as TV, radio and print. It is even possible to propagate an effective social experience without paying for advertisements. These platforms also provide analytics that allow for tracking your return on investment and effectiveness of campaigns with the ability to adjust and optimize them as needed.

6: Building Loyalty

Consistent posting focused on customer service, including a mix of automotive tips, sharing of important information, and demonstrating how your dealership differentiates itself, can help you earn loyalty and referrals.

Social Media versus Alternative Marketing Options

Social media platforms can offer you certain advantages that other, more traditional and even digital, verticals cannot.

1: Two-way Conversation

Offers the possibility for two-way communication. Consumers can comment, like, share and directly message, or “DM,” your dealership. You will have the ability to interact with your audience in real time if you wish to do so.

2: Offer Real-Time Promotions

You can offer scheduled or spontaneous promotions in real time on social media, whereas traditional media, including print, radio and TV, require significant lead time for changes or new campaigns.

3: Testimonials, Reviews Customer Content

You can solicit and post customer-generated content, including reviews, testimonials and pictures and/or videos of customers with their new vehicles. We know testimonials and authentic reviews can be incredibly valuable in building trust and credibility for the dealership.

4: Data and Analytics

These platforms typically provide access to analytics about the audience responding to the content, and the performance of your content. You can further utilize this data to refine or reinvent your marketing strategies and hyper-target potential customers.

Turbo-Charge Your Social Media Strategy

By implementing a consistent stream of organic posts, and potentially the addition of some ads on social platforms that are targeted to your prospective customers, you can further awareness of your dealership’s brand and reputation. Test and measure the effectiveness of your posts and give your potential customers more of what they respond to. Encourage and gather customer-generated content. Always cross-promote channels, include your social media channel information on other marketing platforms, such as your website, email, physical locations and on the social channels themselves, to drive traffic and grow your social media following.

Keep in mind that there is no one-size-fits-all approach, and it’s important to continue to experiment, test and learn from the data, then refine or update your strategy to achieve optimal results. Contact us today to learn more about the best ways to utilize social media in the automotive world.