In a digitally driven world, the automotive industry is swiftly steering towards incorporating social media marketing to elevate sales, enhance customer relationships, and augment brand presence. This paradigm shift is primarily due to changing buying patterns and consumer behaviors. So, having a robust social media marketing strategy in the automotive sector is essential. Here, we will explore 15 designs based on comprehensive research from trusted sources that can improve your automotive social media marketing.
Table of Contents:
- The Automotive Industry’s Social Media Marketing Tactics & Strategies
- Show off your Online Customer Experience
- Grab Attention with Social Video Ads
- Get Back Lost Leads with Social Media Retargeting Ads
- Get More Leads with Facebook Automotive Lead Ads
- Advertise Your Vehicles with Slideshow & Carousel Ads
- Share Customer Success Stories
- Create Social Competitions and Promotions
- YouTube Video Marketing Strategy
- Combine Pinterest with Your Social Media Strategy
- Check Your Social Media for Two-Way Communication
- Don’t Throw Out TikTok
- Utilizing Social Media as a Storytelling Tool
- Get Your Business Noticed on Social Media
- The Importance of Social Reviews
- Be 100% Committed to Your Social Media Marketing Plan
The Automotive Industry’s Social Media Marketing Tactics & Strategies
1: Show off your Online Customer Experience
In automotive social media marketing, showcasing your online customer experience is crucial. Promoting your easy-to-use test drive sign-ups highlights the streamlined processes you’ve integrated for customer ease. Furthermore, if you offer trade-in services, you can target price-conscious customers by underscoring the potential value they could gain.
In the auto sector, selling automobiles is the primary objective. Still, social media advertising allows you to promote some of your additional products and services, or what we refer to as the “customer experience.” Just as crucial as your discounts or low prices are the experiences you provide to your online customers. Most dealerships offer the same services, including financing, scheduling test drives, and even car swapping.
If your dealership, for instance, provides trade-in services, you can use social media to attract budget-conscious customers.
Because of how quickly clients switch between activities on the fast-paced smartphone and tablet landscape, we know that the most effective marketing is visual.
To get a lead, a good image makes all the difference.
Via Facebook Messenger, speak with potential consumers directly to offer that much-needed personal touch. Please send them to your website to finish the buying process or arrange a test drive.
Any of these samples might be used, along with your flair. This flexibility and abundance of alternatives make social media advertising attractive for car dealerships. Look at your analytics to determine which of your website’s pages or services are the most popular if you need help deciding what to provide. Use social media to advertise those well-liked services. Please enjoy it and use your imagination to distinguish yourself from the competition. It’s nearly assured that your side will win if you think outside the box.
I want you to know that the main objective here is to show potential clients that your dealership has services.
2: Grab Attention with Social Video Ads
Social media marketing for car dealerships understands the power of video content. It fosters a closer bond with potential customers in addition to being enjoyable.
Step 1: Identify the right platform for your dealership, considering where most potential customers spend their time. The giants in this space include:
- YouTube
- You can choose from a variety of video formats on YouTube. If you own a car dealership, this is an excellent alternative because you can produce videos from five seconds to three minutes long. Nevertheless, it’s not suggested to continue for more than 2 minutes because individuals nowadays have shorter attention spans and are more prone to boredom.
- Facebook/Instagram
- The field of automotive social media marketing has expanded significantly over time. There are now numerous video alternatives available on Facebook and Instagram. As we all know, you can’t navigate through any of these sites without running across a video or a video ad. Facebook also includes a dedicated watch icon for watching videos on mobile devices. You see advertising in these videos—lots and lots of ads.
This gives your auto dealership plenty of opportunities to sell to audiences across the globe.
The audiences on Facebook and Instagram are entirely different.
It makes sense to target millennials on Instagram. According to Ad Espresso, roughly two out of every three users between 18 and 29 use Instagram. The potential to promote to these audiences is ideal because of this.
Step 2: Next, could you decide which video style will best appeal to your audience? Here are some suggestions:
- About Us Videos: Describe what your car dealership does and why; for example, how you differ from the competition, what makes your product unique, and why a customer should select you over the competition.
- Product Demo Videos: Highlight vehicle features and specifications. This goes without saying. It’s a fantastic approach to showing audiences your merchandise. It is far preferable to show how a part operates in a car than to describe its advantages.
- Promo Videos: Announce offers, discounts, or sales. In essence, promotional films are simply specials or promotions you run. Create a promotional video and sell it, for instance, if you know that your price for a particular automobile is the lowest on the market. Include all the information your audience will need, such as your contact details and the address of your dealership.
- Customer Testimonial Videos: Let satisfied customers speak for you. These movies may contain a variety of customer quotes, a customer’s story, or interviews with happy consumers. The goal is to make these videos accessible to understand. Once you have the customer’s attention, keep your call to action brief and straightforward.
- Event Videos: Any event you put on is an excellent opportunity for your dealership to advertise. You may interview experts, display new vehicle releases, and interact with participants while the event is being live-streamed in real-time. After the event, you should also share highlights and recaps and take the opportunity to promote these videos.
- Car Walkaround Videos: Make a car walkaround film to show prospective buyers the newest features if a new car has just been unveiled. All other models of currently available vehicles can likewise have these videos made.
- many other videos can be made to promote your business.
3: Get Back Lost Leads with Social Media Retargeting Ads
Leveraging social media marketing tactics like retargeting ads can help dealerships re-engage potential customers who might have visited your site but have yet to purchase.
Retargeting is a significant part of your automotive social media marketing strategy. The objective is to send reminders to visitors who came to your website but did not take any action or failed to finish a process, i.e., they never filled out a form or browsed through the pages. It’s a chance to remarket to them on Facebook or Instagram and remind them about your available vehicles. The idea is to stay in the forefront of their minds.
Retarget with:
- Special Offers and Referral Incentives
- Urgency and the latest offers
- Inventory Callouts
4: Get More Leads with Facebook Automotive Lead Ads
A robust social media marketing tactic involves using Facebook’s specialized automotive lead ads. This process comprises three steps that capture user interest and facilitate accessible data collection. And, once you’ve gathered a trove of leads, the possibilities are endless—be it personalized marketing, sales calls, or email campaigns.
There are three steps in lead ads:
Step 1: A user scrolls and spies the advertisement.
Step 2: The user clicks the ad and fills out the form.
Step 3: To provide information, a user submits the form.
Lead ads are great because they let users make purchases without leaving Facebook. Also, Facebook pre-fills form fields with data from a user’s public profile.
What Can You Do with All the Leads You Gather?
The sales funnel can move customers through information from lead ads. You could distribute newsletters. You can target the same people with several offers using personalized email lists. You can send lead emails announcing upcoming launches and special discounts. Numerous options are available.
5: Advertise Your Vehicles with Slideshow & Carousel Ads
While slideshow ads work wonders for brand awareness, carousel ads are perfect for showcasing an inventory of cars, each with unique features and selling points. These ad styles are available on both Facebook and Instagram.
Slideshow Ads for Brand Awareness
Slideshow ads are the solution if you don’t have any videos to use for advertising. Your photographs can be turned into videos using this ad type. Select a few images (up to seven on Facebook and up to ten on Instagram), integrate audio, and add some text overlays. Telling a story in these advertisements is best. For instance, you may demonstrate a car’s interior or exterior characteristics or give viewers a tour of your auto dealership.
Carousel Ads for Inventory
The simplicity and ease of creation of carousel advertisements make them essential for auto dealerships. Your most recent inventory, pre-owned vehicle promotions, interior and exterior characteristics, and even the services you provide might all be highlighted in these advertisements.
6: Share Customer Success Stories
Social media accounts serve many purposes beyond just marketing. Incorporating a personal or human touch into your social media marketing plan will make you stand out from other automobile dealerships.
Numerous methods exist, including sharing success stories (happy customers). A satisfied customer is a gold mine; letting potential consumers know about their happiness is an excellent marketing tactic.
Could you take a photo of the consumer holding the vehicle if they purchase one and upload it to your social media accounts? You can also contact every customer who has purchased a car from your dealership and ask that they provide a selfie with their vehicle. Continue to post these positive customer testimonials on your website. These satisfied clients can also leave a review on your Facebook page. This is priceless information that links a potential consumer with a satisfied one.
7: Create Social Competitions and Promotions
Engaging your audience with competitions or promotions keeps them involved and increases your brand’s visibility.
Now, drawing from another potent source, let’s delve into additional automotive social media strategy elements.
Maintaining customer interest in your dealership’s products and services is essential while highlighting the unique selling points that set your business apart. Please always remember to be creative and enjoy yourself while going through this process; encourage your social media followers with competitions and offers only available through a dealership’s social media accounts.
8: YouTube Video Marketing Strategy
Any internet videos you’ve ever watched were likely hosted on YouTube. Google owns YouTube, which is hugely influential online.
It’s no secret that the top YouTube influencers also earn fairly excellent salaries, with most of their earnings coming from the platform’s enduringly successful advertising.
The video platform on YouTube is a compelling advertising medium for businesses of all sizes. This is because users are active there, and the ad placement has been tried and proven.
Your placement of content when advertising on YouTube is shown in various ways. Some are straightforward text-based pop-ins, while some are video-based.
By developing buyer personas, you have control over who sees your YouTube advertisements. These demographic and interest choices affect how well your advertising campaigns perform. Still, they also give you the flexibility to adjust your approach as you go along to ensure that you’re always reaching the correct audience.
9: Combine Pinterest with Your Social Media Strategy
Pinterest, often overlooked, is a goldmine for automotive social media management. Its visually-driven interface is perfect for showcasing vehicles and reaching a demographic keen on aesthetics and design. Initially known for its recipes and home decor, Pinterest has grown to become a social networking site that can compete for almost any interest. Even if you think there are better platforms for an auto dealership to use, it can still help you improve your SEO visibility.
A great addition to your automotive social media marketing strategy and a great way to gain visibility is Pinterest, a network advertisers underutilize.
The developing platform’s popularity is consistently rising. Using “promoted pin” adverts may also be beneficial, particularly if the rivals are not utilizing the site. You can increase your visibility by considering customer preferences in novel ways.
10: Check Your Social Media for Two-Way Communication
So, let’s say you have a Facebook promotional ad running. It receives a lot of likes and even a few shares, but it also gets something completely unexpected: comments. Social media advertising, in contrast to previous forms of advertising, could call for more frequent communication with people.
The chat is open to others if it isn’t a straight one-on-one exchange using Messenger or another messaging service. You should take that into account as you deal with this.
Digital presence is more than just being present; it also involves acting, sharing stories, and using social media to promote your company.
I want you to know that being a proactive participant in your attempts to humanize auto businesses can make all the difference between you and the auto dealerships that blight your neighborhood.
11: Don’t Throw Out TikTok
With its rapidly growing user base, especially among younger demographics, TikTok offers a unique platform for creative and short-form video content. The content creation game has altered thanks to TikTok and has great viral potential. Using TikTok wisely in your automotive social media marketing plan is crucial because entire generations of new car buyers are active on the network.
12: Utilizing Social Media as a Storytelling Tool
Narratives have always connected deeply with humans. Sharing your brand’s journey, values, and stories can evoke emotional connections, making your dealership more relatable. To truly understand why someone needs a vehicle, you must focus on their lifestyle and beliefs, as automobile buyers aren’t just car consumers. You can connect with your car purchasers so they can buy from you again and recommend you to others.
Being relatable and creating entertaining information on social media can be more successful than just posting content about inventory or individual cars. It demonstrates to your customers that you are more ingrained in their lifestyles than they might have initially believed and that you genuinely understand them.
A social strategy to interact with potential consumers and attract new ones should emphasize meaningful connections.
13: Get Your Business Noticed on Social Media
By creating platform-specific promotions, you cater to each social media platform’s unique user base and functionalities, amplifying your reach.
Have a promotion or noteworthy occasion approaching? Here’s an idea: include a particular social media component in it. Perhaps enter these individuals into a special prize drawing to reward them for “liking” or sharing an event post!
This is a fantastic approach to growing your user base AND organically broadening the internet audience for your content. Everyone likes the idea of winning anything, even something simple like a free cup of coffee, so encouraging user engagement with your content benefits all parties.
14: The Importance of Social Reviews
In the era of social media marketing in the automotive industry, reviews are pivotal in shaping potential customers’ perceptions. Please make sure you acknowledge positive reviews and address negative ones promptly.
One of the most crucial things to maintain for a business is its reputation, particularly as more engagements become available online for public viewing. Managing their social media profiles is a way dealers can make a difference.
Although it is only sometimes visible, dealership social media company profiles reveal much about the services one might anticipate. How would you feel about a company if you noticed its remarks were brief, occasionally grammatically, or misspelled? If they downplayed client concerns?
Customers read reviews, so pay attention to them.
These little faults need to be corrected for prospective clients considering doing business with you, even though they don’t indicate quality problems at the dealership. Even if some of the remarks don’t represent your company, customers have a solid first impression and tend to be skeptics.
15: Be 100% Committed to Your Social Media Marketing Plan
Lastly, consistency is critical. Your automotive social media strategy should be sustainable, adaptable, and consistently executed. I’d appreciate it if you could dedicate resources, time, and effort to ensure your strategy’s success.
Remember, the automotive industry’s essence is not just about vehicles—it’s about the people who drive them. By aligning your social media marketing strategy with consumer needs and emotions, you pave the way for enduring success.
