How To Use Social Media To Sell Cars

10 Social Media Strategies for Automobile Dealerships

The recent Social Media Trends report by Digital Air Strike revealed that machine shoppers, for the tertiary consecutive twelvemonth in a row, ranked social networks as more than of import than a dealer'south website when choosing which dealership to visit. The study, which was based on research findings from 2,000 motorcar buyers and 2,000 service customers, establish that:

75% of car buyers and 68% of service customers say cyberspace research, including social media and review sites, was the about helpful medium when selecting a car dealership.
83% of service customers surveyed say online review sites substantially helped them in their dealership selection process.
66% of car buyers or owners who have seen a Facebook ad say they accept clicked on information technology, up from 33% in 2014.
Consumers looking to purchase or service a vehicle are doing their research primarily online, with 50% of recent automobile buyers and 69% percent of service customers saying they only visited one dealership before ownership/servicing.

The 2014 CMO Council written report on social media within the auto industry revealed similar findings.

23% or one out of four car buyers apply social media to hash out or communicate a recent purchase experience.
38% of consumers report they'll consult social media next time they purchase a car.
84% of all automotive shoppers are on Facebook and 24% used Facebook as a resource for purchasing their last vehicle.

When information technology comes to car shopping, social media sites are clearly a major influencer in a buyer's decision making process. At this point, most marketers understand that social sites should exist integrated in some way into a marketing strategy. For some, this may be only having a Facebook page and posting content or pictures, while other brands have a fully integrated social marketing approach to generate leads and engage with customers. Notwithstanding, with more and more than consumers turning to social, the automotive manufacture needs to get fully engaged with social selling.

Here are tenSocial Media Strategies for Car Dealerships:

Target Consumers on FacebookThis is a must, specially with 84% of your consumers on Facebook. Place ads to reach people who have indicated they are in the market for a car. Y'all can narrow down these selects to geographic areas almost your dealership, by vehicle type, gender, consumer interests, and more. The investment is well worth information technology. Research by Unified shows that automobile ads have 2 times college click-through rates than the average Facebook ad.
Use Twitter to Drive SalesMarketshare enquiry discovered that in 2013, Twitter drove $716 million in car sales. Twitter continues to exist a popular choice amidst machine consumers. Recent research past Canvs institute that more 327,000 auto-related tweets are sent out daily, and 75% of these are directly related to owning or shopping. Using keyword targeting, these signals tin can be picked upward and direct messages and advertizing can be sent to those consumers who take displayed purchase intent.
Market place to Millennials on InstagramA survey past Facebook discovered that millennials are leaving Facebook and are turning more of their attention to Instagram. Instagram, primarily used on mobile devices, is all about taking, sharing, and uploading pictures and videos. Instagram provides a great platform to creatively share your brand's story. For example, share pictures that allow consumers to imagine themselves in the moment – a motion-picture show of one of your vehicles at the embankment, tailgating at a sporting event, camping, near a lake, or any artistic style yous tin imagine to showcase the lifestyle your vehicle represents.
Video Marketing with YouTubeCo-ordinate to Force Marketing, 84% of car shoppers plan to watch auto video the next fourth dimension they are in market for a auto. Machine consumers are seeking information on model comparisons, safety features, connected devices, walkarounds, and other content to assist them make a decision. While videos should be embedded into your website, they should exist hosted on a channel such equally YouTube for more organic visibility.
Add Pinterest to Your Social StrategyWell-nigh marketers call back of some of the more popular social sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube as channels for social marketing. Pinterest is known for having a larger female person base, with recipes, beauty tips, and decorating ideas. However, Pinterest is keen for the automotive industry in several ways. One, considering it has such a large female audience, what better manner to appeal to female person shoppers? Pinterest is also great for building your SEO presence past sharing landing pages, pictures of your inventory, or pinning weblog posts. This creates social signals which will in turn drive more traffic to your site.
Story Telling through Social MediaIt is no longer just plenty to post and circulate content, social media is about the human connection. Storytelling on social sites is a perfect way to interact with your audience to develop relationships and brand loyalty. Use social platforms as a chat channel rather than an advertising channel. Share experiences and humanize your brand. For example, post videos of staff members – the face of your business. Share pictures showcasing your support for local charities.

Starbucks has done an excellent job of storytelling on social. Coffee is more just a caffeinated experience; it is about time with friends, relaxing, and indulgence. And the automotive industry tin can do the aforementioned. The company Regal featured a keen web log, "How Storytelling is Shaping the Automotive Industry," which showcases seven examples of fantabulous storytelling campaigns by motorcar brands.

Remember that Social is a 2-Way Chat
You have posted great content, are telling stories, sharing fun pictures and more. Simply are you interacting with your social fans? Be sure you are responding to tweets, thanking those who share your content, answer questions, and respond to and answer complaints. Social media is fast-paced – an in-the-moment medium. Don't wait a calendar week to respond. Consumers await quick responses to their questions on social media. If you aren't monitoring continuously, you may exist losing out on valuable opportunities.
Offer Social-Specific Contests and Promotions
As we discussed, social media is not about blatantly ad how great you lot are but rather should exist geared towards creating content to engage consumers. Withal, that doesn't hateful yous shouldn't promote your sales and promotions. Anybody loves a deal and discounts so promote away. Be creative and reward your social followers with promotions and contests only available on your Facebook page or other social accounts.
Social Reviews Matter
Encourage your customers to share reviews on your social sites. Car shoppers are xc% more likely to visit your website and 5.3 more likely to visit your dealership if you have positive reviews according to a report by DealerRater and Dataium. Beyond the traditional third-party review sites, consumers are too checking reviews on social media so encourage your satisfied customers to share their smashing experience. But every bit important, respond to negative reviews. Consumers who have had a bad feel want to exist heard and prompt and swift attention volition mitigate damage. Exist sure you lot are monitoring review sites and social channels, specially during weekend hours. Negative reviews are 19% more than likely to be written on a Sat, Sun, or Monday after a bad weekend experience and you lot don't want these complaints to slip through the cracks.
Be 100% Committed
Social media marketing clearly offers huge benefits to the automotive industry – more than brand visibility, more than leads, and ultimately, more sales. But you must be 100% committed to maintaining a social media strategy. In one case you start edifice up a fan base of social followers, yous must continually engage and interact. If you go several days without posting or responding to comments, you will rapidly lose your social credibility. When it comes to your digital presence, you only take a small window of opportunity to engage with online car buyers. If y'all don't, you tin be sure your competition will do so.

When done correctly, maintaining a social presence will become you more appointments, help y'all sell more services and vehicles, and boost your brand's revenues. What other social tips exercise you lot recommend for marketers in the automotive industry?

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