The days of advertising car dealerships with shouting television ads are over. If you want eyes on your ads, your car dealership must embrace social media.
Social media is such a large part of our everyday lives it’s hard to imagine anyone that isn’t participating in some way. Even those who claim to be entirely disconnected from social media often utilize YouTube videos for tips and information desired. If you want your car dealership to stand out, you’ve got to regularly post and engage with followers and users via various channels. Here are some of the most successful posting strategies used by dealers around the country.
1. Share the dealership blog via social
Sharing your blog posts via social media seems like a no-brainer, but you’ve got to put a little thought and action into these posts. Some blogs won’t instantly link to channels such as Instagram, and you’ll want to utilize a few hashtags to help boost your post to the right audience. A short excerpt to help the audience know what to expect could be perfect for bringing more attention to your dealership via your blog posts across various channels.
2. Showcase your team
Your followers can learn about the new cars at your dealership without connecting you’re your social media channels, but they can’t learn about your team this way. When new members join your team, it’s a good idea to introduce them to your followers via your various social channels. You could also create an employee spotlight section that you regularly utilize to post some of the cool things your team does when not at work. These are the people that interact with your customers; let them get to know your staff through social posts prior to visiting your car dealership.
3. Make your social media posts fun with trivia
The automotive industry dates back more than 100 years, which means you’ve got over a century of trivia to work with that can keep your followers engaged. Either present the trivia with questions that are answered immediately after or offer follow-up posts with answers to a few questions and statistics on how many followers answered the questions correctly. This is a fun and engaging way to keep your audience connected with your dealership.
4. Offer live question and answer sessions
This particular social media post is also known as “Going Live,” and it can work great for promoting your car dealership. Allow your audience to present questions that you’ll answer to help educate them regarding the car buying process, features of specific models, and maintenance issues. Pick a subject, ask for questions ahead of time, and be ready for more follow-up questions to be offered once you Go Live online. This is also a great way to offer a candid peek into your dealership.
5. Share industry news on your channels
Do you want your car dealership team to seem well-informed with the latest information? If so, it’s easy to repost some of the latest industry news in the automotive industry across the social media channels that support your car dealership. This is a great way to provide new information to your audience that can keep them engaged. It’s certainly effective when a new model or generation arrives with the latest tech and driving features. What will you share with your followers that will get them talking about your dealership?
6. Sharing car information is a foundational topic
Every social media channel attached to your company should have some car information for your audience. Posting about your team, the industry, and trivia is great, but without the foundational elements of the vehicles that you have in stock, you’re not offering your audience the most important information via social media. It’s not necessary to have your entire inventory on your channels, but some of the most popular models, those that are on sale, or some that many customers ask about make sense.
7. Deals, specials, sales, promotions
Another group of posts that serve as foundational elements to your social strategy is the promotions running at your car dealership. Most social posts have short lives online, which means this is the perfect place to put your current specials. In addition to sharing all of your promotions through various channels, you could offer something special for followers on various channels. This could be as small as an oil change or a discount on their next new car purchase.
These seven social media strategies are tried and true methods for promoting your car dealership and bringing more information to a wider audience. Which strategies will make it onto your channels this month?
