The automotive industry has rapidly changed in recent years, with the current sales model shifting from a more traditional model to the newer, European automotive agency model, lending a greater degree of responsibility of the sales and marketing processes to dealerships. Automotive marketing, in general, has completely changed from what it once was.
Understanding the importance of automotive social media marketing is crucial for those dealers seeking to climb the ladder of their respective locality to become the most well-known and respected in the area.
In this day and age, social media marketing is of utmost importance for car dealerships as it enables them to effectively reach new audiences and increase their online presence. A social media strategy is essential for success in the automotive industry as a well-thought-out strategy allows dealers to provide high-quality content to potential customers while also engaging with them directly through social media platforms.
By creating content on social media that addresses current topics, automotive marketers can ensure that the dealership stays relevant, especially since automotive social media marketing is one of the biggest marketing trends for dealers to latch onto.
Moreover, actively engaging consumers through social networks leads to a more loyal customer base who continue buying from the same dealership time after time. It is therefore no surprise that many car dealerships are now investing in social media management tools in order to make sure they stay competitive in this increasingly digital landscape.
Obviously, you can tell from the above that creating some form of content on social media platforms while simultaneously interacting with your audience is crucial to both maintaining a good reputation as a dealer and getting new customers in the door.
Let’s break these ideas down a bit further to understand what your overall mindset should be when prioritizing social media marketing as an automotive dealer.
As an automotive dealer, it is important to stand out from the competition and be a unique brand that a prospective customer will remember. Telling stories through your social media content helps to build a strong customer relationship and gives them an insight into your brand’s values that will leave your brand at the forefront of their mind when they think about a new car purchase.
Not only can dealerships create marketing posts that reflect their core message, but they should also share stories about customers and staff members to give a more personal touch to their posts. This sets you apart from your competitors who appear as robotic salespeople solely seeking to gain a profit – sharing interesting, unique content gives life to your brand.
Phrased differently, these stories will make your dealership stand apart from all of the others in your area and will keep your customers coming back because they appreciate the message you project. Content that centers around storytelling creates an emotional connection between customer and dealer that can result in life-long relationships, which is in your best interest since retaining customers is much simpler than getting new ones.
This is a core objective of any brand in any industry, and it ties back to our above point about setting your dealership apart from others with storytelling.
Naturally, developing relationships with potential customers should be a top priority for dealerships when it comes to social media marketing. If consumers don’t feel like they have a personal connection to the dealership, then it is unlikely that they will commit to purchasing from them. Therefore, engaging in conversations and replying quickly to messages from prospective and current customers creates an authentic relationship between dealer and customer.
Being active and engaging on social media platforms will also help to build trust with potential customers and increase the overall visibility of the dealership in search engine rankings since, by default, you have a more active presence on the web.
For any auto dealer that wants to grow their customer base and maximize profits, understanding their target audience is key. By leveraging their audience’s interests, dealers can pinpoint the types of content their audience engages with most, which can then be used as a guide for creating promotional content that is interacted with followers at the highest rates possible.
This not only allows them to develop a unique brand presence tailored to the desires and needs of their customers, but maximizes the effectiveness of each social media post which is increasingly important in the digital era. Keeping iterative processes in mind when creating content is important so that it remains fresh and does not become stale – after all, providing customers with what they want is always the end game here.
When it comes to automotive social media marketing, there are quite a few social channels that can be used by someone who is part of the auto industry.
Source: Tesla
Out of all of the social media channels that exist, Facebook is likely the most important one when it comes to having an optimized social strategy. A well-designed Facebook page that frequently interacts with car buyers, posts consistent updates on new inventory, and creates interesting and relevant content will thrive for one main reason: Facebook is the most popular social media platform for people in the car-buying demographic.
95% of vehicle buyers use the web as a source of information during the car buying process, and in 2021, according to a survey by Statista, roughly 70% of car buyers were part of either the Baby Boomer or Gen X generations. So, people who were between about 35 and 75 years old made up the vast majority of people who wanted to purchase a car, and this age group makes up the majority of Facebook users by far.
All of this is to say – Facebook has a massive amount of people that use it, and considering the largest demographic of car shoppers dominates the space, using it to target consumers is an optimal marketing strategy to reach the most people while also putting less marketing dollars into overall efforts.
Source: Toyota
Twitter might not be the first social media channel that comes to mind when you think of automotive marketing, but it can still be a great platform for dealerships to reach potential customers. Twitter is a great way for dealers to engage in conversations with customers, share helpful tips and advice about cars, as well as showcase their dealership.
It’s important to understand the types of content that works best on Twitter when it comes to automotive marketing. People on Twitter are more likely to engage with content that is humorous, entertaining, or informative. That doesn’t mean solely make your content comedy – mix in short Tweets about deals that your dealership has, links to articles that are relevant to you or the automotive industry itself, and just interact with customers in general.
But above all, keep the focus on answering questions and providing a great customer experience, and you’ll draw in a lot of potential customers.
Source: An Ohio automotive dealer’s post for a Ford Mustang GT
Using Pinterest is a great way for automotive dealers to extend their reach to potential customers. They can share helpful visuals, such as car models and features, that capture users’ attention. Additionally, they can use the platform to feature stories about customer experiences or showcase current offers or promotions. Automotive dealers can also create informative infographics or step-by-step instructions on how to use certain products related to their vehicles; this information could be invaluable to those looking for assistance with setup, operation, and more.
Utilizing videos is also a great way for automotive dealers to add visual insight into how people use their cars and what purchasing a vehicle from them looks like. The combination of these useful visuals makes Pinterest an ideal tool for automotive dealers who want to communicate better with current and prospective customers.
Source: Murdock Hyundai of Lindon
YouTube is an amazing platform for automotive dealers to take advantage of in order to reach a larger audience. It allows them to produce content that will attract more potential customers and increase their sales. For example, they can post videos taking viewers on tours of the dealer, highlighting cars they’re currently selling, or offering helpful information on how to maintain and upgrade cars. Automotive dealers can also show short clips of features and benefits of the car models they offer; this will help them stand out from competitors who just list specs and descriptions on their websites. With YouTube, dealerships can easily expand their current customer base thanks to its massive reach worldwide. The primary thing to note here is that YouTube’s platform is very convenient for car buyers to use; in order to learn more about a car and how it drives, they can simply search for that car being test driven and watch a video about it. If you create this sort of content proactively, you can get people to notice your dealership much more easily.
Source: Mark Wahlberg Chevrolet
In the world of automotive marketing, it seems like everyone is talking about Instagram. This trendy platform represents a golden opportunity for brands when it comes to visual storytelling and garnering attention, especially in comparison to more text-heavy channels like Twitter. However, the demographic that makes up Instagram’s users tends to be younger people who may not have quite the same interest in buying cars as their older counterparts. Thus, if car manufacturers are looking for the best return on investment when it comes to automotive marketing efforts, then Instagram should be used sparingly and the focus shifted to other social media platforms – such as Twitter, Pinterest, or Facebook – which offer higher returns due to their demographically diverse users.
Last but not least, while Google My Business (GMB) is not technically a social media platform, it is crucial when it comes to maintaining and upholding a high-level brand presence to have a well-curated GMB profile.
Imagine that you are a car buyer. If you are part of the 93% of people who use online reviews as a litmus for whether a car dealership is a good dealer to shop at, then reading reviews on a Google My Business page will be your first step when researching a specific car dealership.
This means that for an ‘optimal’ digital presence, keeping an eye on the reviews you receive is crucial. We’ll discuss how to react to different types of reviews a bit further down, but all you need to know for now is that reacting positively to all kinds of reviews – both positive and negative – is the way to go.
Now that we have a good understanding of what our goals should be when posting on social media accounts and what the best platforms to reach car buyers are, let’s discuss the different kinds of content that thrive on automotive industry social accounts.
Automotive dealers need to stay competitive and utilize the latest means of marketing in order to attract potential new car buyers. Video marketing is a great asset when it comes to giving customers a peek into what your dealership has to offer, as they provide an exciting and engaging visual experience. Auto dealers can benefit from posting videos that highlight their impressive selection of cars available and walkthroughs of their showrooms, introducing potential customers to the array of automobiles they have on offer. Such videos can also be used to showcase any special deals or services, allowing viewers to easily see exactly what kind of value is being provided. By enticing customers with vivid, entertaining video descriptions and promotions, auto dealers can position themselves for maximum success with those seeking a new set of wheels.
Using pictures can be a great tool for automotive dealers aiming to draw car buyers to their dealership. By highlighting attractive cars or showcasing eye-catching photos of the lot, dealers have a great opportunity to draw potential customers in and make them feel excited about the possibilities at their dealership. Moreover, smaller details like promotional offers or current specials can be included in these photos as well – allowing customers to easily view what’s available.
Pictures create an inviting atmosphere that not only showcases an automotive dealer’s inventory but also projects the desired dealership values, culture, and atmosphere. Visual media is becoming more and more important for businesses to maximize customer engagement. Therefore, integrating pictures into automotive dealerships has become an essential part of boosting the customer experience and drawing people in.
Sharing interesting, auto industry-relevant content can be a great way to draw car buyers to your dealership. It shows that you’re invested in the experience of the automotive community and are knowledgeable about what’s happening in the industry. Blog posts that provide helpful tips, advice, or insight on current topics related to buying/leasing cars will encourage readers to come and explore more at your dealership.
You can also discuss trends that may be developing within the auto industry as an opportunity to connect with potential customers and show them you know where the market is headed and why they should keep their eyes on it. Even simple blog posts about how to diagnose and handle common car repairs can add value for car shoppers when thinking about which dealership to ultimately make their purchase from.
An automotive dealership can reap so many benefits from posting content specific to their business! Not only can they highlight great deals they may have going on at any given time, but also spotlight standout employees. Moreover, such content has the potential to create a sense of community for dealership customers and beyond by disincentivizing autogenerated advertisements and featuring more human faces, like employees or other members of the local community.
Posting dealership-specific content that highlights non-sale events like meet and greets or charity events further encourages connection between the dealership and its customers or visitors in an organic manner. All in all, such content offers mutual benefits for both parties involved as this kind of approach solidifies meaningful relationships with long-term value.
As an automotive dealer, it is essential to handle customer feedback carefully and effectively when dealing with customers on a social media platform. Negative feedback can be difficult to contend with, but being mindful and taking the high road is always the best course of action. When responding to negative feedback on social media, it is important to thank the customer for their contribution while also expressing a willingness to discuss their concerns.
Showing the customer that you take their experiences seriously can help build trust with other prospective customers who may have been thinking of making a purchase from you. Most importantly, make sure to ask the customer to reach out so that you can discuss their experience further, showing your dedication as a dealership and proving that your priority is ensuring each customer receives the highest level of service possible.
Keep in mind – if you don’t have enough hands on deck to deal with all of these different channels, consider outsourcing your business development center (BDC) to free up some time to work on them. In this day and age, it is crucial to optimize the online experience since nearly anyone who wants to buy a car is doing research online.
In the past, customers and dealers merely interacted while selecting a car to purchase. The best of these dealers would thank their clients with a token afterward. However, now there is an amazing chance available for both parties to form an even deeper connection through channels like referrals. Not only will this help lessen expenditure on customer retention but also foster a closer relationship within your local community.
Differentiating your customer experience plan by including handwritten notes, such as holiday cards, thank you cards, service reminder letters and appreciation cards is an outstanding way to set yourself apart from other dealers. This tells customers that not only are we pleased to be their friend but also how much they truly mean to us. Moreover, these mailers have a spectacular 99% open rate! Investing in this strategy can make all the difference when showing clients just how valued they really are.
The indelible impact of handwritten notes is undeniable. Automotive dealerships that convey this level of thoughtful care and attention to their customers are proven to cultivate higher customer satisfaction, retention rates, and referrals than those who use printed cards alone. Writing a few extra words on paper can go a long way in forging meaningful connections with your clients, ensuring they remember you for years to come!
Car dealerships will be thrilled with our platform’s capabilities. We can quickly integrate your DMS to effortlessly dispatch handwritten cards that reach out to potential and current customers alike, something the automotive industry has never seen before! By providing this personalized handwritten automotive direct mail with a personal touch, you’ll gain immense benefit from the customer’s perspective.
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