Car buyers usually conduct research via the internet before deciding which auto dealership to visit, and they come almost with a purchase decision made, hence the importance of designing a social media plan to establish a conversation with them and develop a relationship of trust that takes them to your door. Given the new reality of buying habits, it is an obligation that your automotive agency has a presence in social networks, but your effort cannot stop there, in creating an account and publishing content.
First, this content has to be really interesting and relevant to the audience you want to target and, second, social networks are made for socializing, so they are the perfect channel to connect with your customers and prospects. But they are also a platform to drive traffic to your website and develop a deeper and more personalized relationship with your visitors.
7 Tools and Platforms for Car Dealerships
Anyone who decides to actively pursue online car dealership marketing is faced with the question: where to start? In this guide, we show different types of social media and give tips on preparation and implementation. In compact chapters explain possibilities and procedures that are indispensable when starting a social media strategy are. In the beginning, there is an overview of which channels it is and how to use them.
- Blog/Personal Website
Your own homepage is always referred to as the “center” of online activities. Basically: ALL important information about a car dealership or workshop must be found on the homepage. A blog, or maybe a weblog, can be part of the homepage or an independent addition to it. Through the “diary” – or the logbook form of a blog is constantly updated on a daily basis with information about the car dealership or workshop. Regardless of whether the blog is integrated into the homepage or not, even if the homepage is created by an agency, a CMS (Content Management System) should be chosen, which enables simple and uncomplicated updating of the content allowed.
2.8 billion people are on the largest social network logged in to the world. So of course the platform is too relevant a channel for customer acquisition. But Facebook is more! It offers multiple ways of interacting with customers and potential car buyers, fast communication, and with the right strategy a great one range. But of course, there are a few things to consider, you don’t want to break the rules of Facebook nor international laws: The imprint obligation, for example, also applies here, you need a company page, not a personal profile, and any special regulations. You can find more about the legal situation on page 16 in the interview with lawyer Dr. Carsten Ulbricht. All in all, however, Facebook is the epitome of social media and an ideal online marketing platform at the moment. Also for car dealers and workshops.
Twitter is a minimalist, with only 140 characters per message was quickly christened “Short Message Service”. Twitter is more, it’s a social network as opposed to that of Facebook which is “asynchronous”. That means you don’t have to “make friends”, but can simply “follow” others and read their news. Dialogues are also present on Twitter, making it possible to create your own Content. And one shouldn’t say “If you follow me, I’ll follow you” insist, but you should rely more on good content.
In spite of the short messages, valuable contacts can be established on Twitter and your own content can also be transported quickly. Hashtags (#) in particular play a big role on a Twitter role for the dissemination of the content. You can find everything written about things with hashtags quicker.
- YouTube
According to Google, test drive videos could replace the need to see the car in person. 64% of buyers who watch online videos to learn about the purchase say that new formats such as 360 video would convince them to buy a car without the need for a test drive. The creation of video content for automotive marketing is undoubtedly going to continue to be a trend in 2021.
Youtube is the epitome of video platforms that’s best for video marketing and brand promotion. And it, of course, also has the “social” component which is comments and ratings. It is often underestimated, but if you devote yourself to the network and actively participate in it, the effect can be enormous.
Instagram is here mainly because selling is easier compared to Facebook. It certainly offers opportunities for quick range gain and building a network. As with Twitter, Instagram hashtags (#) play a major role in the dissemination of the content. There is also the option of Images that are visible only to selected users or user groups. This also opens up opportunities for companies to build or strengthen customer relationships.
Pinterest was the newcomer among social networks in 2013 and made a rapid ascent. More and more users Pin and repin photos and graphics from the web on their pin boards. Pinterest has had a reputation as a women’s network since many share recipes and fashion tips here, but you can find all the content on the photo network and cars, and their target audience can also be found here. In addition to your own pin boards, there are also public ones, accessible to all users so that they can pin what you invite them to do so.
- Removal.AI
Images are gaining ground on the main social networks, content goes viral more quickly with a good image and it is also essential that a digital publication is accompanied by an audiovisual aid. The importance of optimizing images on the internet and in networks is undoubted, our brain processes them much faster than texts, posts with images or videos are shared and made viral more than those without.
Although we cannot ignore the fact that we need to have good content, we must also take one thing into account: the optimal size and formats of images on different social networks. This is why Removal.AI is a good online remove bg tool to have when you’re using social media as a means to market. Removing the background to give your cars the smart, professional backgrounds they need may be better than the open road, or fancy setup that looks fake on most car ads.
Car Dealership Marketing Strategies & Tips on Social Media
- Companies should speak the native language
Each channel has its own language and the better companies speak it, the better the content will be received. Facebook, for example, is a platform on which users read longer texts and watch three-minute videos. At TikTok, 15-30 second funny dynamic clips are expected instead. On Youtube, users like to watch explanatory videos and interviews, on Instagram they prefer to see an impression captured in short videos or pictures. When users open TikTok because they want to laugh, others open LinkedIn because they want to network. A company has to know this and align its content accordingly in order to be able to reach the users on the respective social media channel.
- Companies should create incentives
Hundreds of thousands of new accounts are opened every day in social networks and provided with content. Companies need to find out how they can get people to follow their company on social media – and not others. The fact that one’s own social media channel is seen as a digital business card in addition to the website and can also be found via Google is one aspect. The far more important aspect for companies is to have more effective and more opportunities to acquire and retain new customers, to have customer contact.
People want to be entertained, love gaming or pre-sales. Incentives can be many. But ultimately it is always about creating and strengthening trust. Companies should answer the question of what added value people get from their content. If problems are solved and ideas for a solution are given, the company builds an essential bond with the person and remains in the memory.
- Companies should be braver, social media forgiving
Nothing is as dependent on trends like the social network algorithm, because it is all about relevance. A topic that is experiencing real hype today can be totally out in two weeks. That’s why it’s all the more important to try out yourself as a company. Even if something does not work or succeed, it is not a broken leg. Social media has a short-term memory – compared to the internet.
So why not record a dance to Britney Spears’s “Oops I did it again” with the management or take part in the #SMILEYCHALLENGE when it is going viral on TikTok. It is important that no long-term damage is caused or that the values of the company’s own corporate philosophy are not violated. On social media, the saying “if you don’t dare, you won’t win” applies.
