It takes more than a nice business sign and a fleet of sales personnel to run a successful car dealership. Especially since the goal is to keep the lights on.
To survive in today’s market, you’re going to have to ramp up your marketing game if you want to sell more cars.
How do you grow like this? Using social promotions that give small dealerships a larger presence in the market.
A study proved 75% percent of car buyers chose a car dealership based off internet research. Online reviews, social media adds, and dealer websites swayed their decisions.
You can become a part of this effective trend. Consider these five social marketing ideas for small car dealerships.
1. Facebook Marketplace
Facebook allows dealerships to list and sell used vehicles through the Facebook Marketplace.
Millions of consumers shop on Facebook every day. Here are some of the benefits of the marketplace:
- Expand your potential customer base
- Interact with customers in real-time through messenger
- Catalog vehicle information like make, model, price, and mileage
- Target prospective buyers through the mobile-friendly version of the app
Facebook offers this social marketing space in five different countries–The US, Canada, France, Mexico, and the UK.
The best part about it is convenience. You can sign up in three easy steps and start selling cars right away.
2. Do It for the Gram
Men are not the only consumers who love to look at pretty cars. Women do too. Doing It for the Gram is an urban marketing strategy for users on the Instagram app.
It’s a creative technique where people and businesses use pictures with hashtags to promote who they are and what they have.
Car dealerships can set up business accounts and boost their sales by showing off great photography and videos of their fleet.
An added bonus is the Instagram story feature, IGTV, and a live option. Through IG Story, dealerships can post interactive photos and videos. Like Snapchat, they disappear in 24 hours.
They can rev up their marketing strategies by going live on location or uploading commercials and videos to IGTV.
Vides on IGTV can run up to an hour long. Plus, like tv, you get your own channel. Potential customers can stream you products right over their smartphones.
3. Twitter for Marketing Ideas for Small Car Dealerships
In a 2013 partnership, Marketshare measured the effects of Twitter on auto sales. These sales included midsize and compact cars.
The end result was $716 million in sales–auto sales driven by Twitter’s influence. Automakers and dealerships used ads, mentions (@’s and hashtags), and basic Twitter activity.
Twitter for business helps small companies expand their customer catalog. Make use of promotion through brand tweeting, video ads, and effective marketing.
Choose your audience, boost your marketing message, and set your own budget.
4. Pinterest
Pinterest has the largest female user base compared to other social media platforms.
What better way to best the competition than by using this app to appeal to the majority. Contrary to popular belief, women aren’t hard to sell cars to.
You don’t need to figure them out to market to them. Acknowledge them as potential consumers and put forth the effort.
Through Pinterest, businesses can share photos the lead back to the landing page of their websites.
They can also showcase their inventory and pin blog posts from their listed websites.
5. Set up a Blog
Blogging for your dealership is one the best ways to get your business noticed online.
Business blogs are channels for marketing that help expand growth. With proper knowledge and use of SEO in your blogs, you can drive a lot of traffic to your website.
This targeted traffic is likely to turn into leads–consumers who respond to a call to action on your website.
More traffic means more potential customers and car sales.
Use Social Media
Small car dealerships have a unique history for being inventive promoters. Expand on that trend by using creative marketing ideas for small car dealerships.
Turn up the dial by engaging in the Marketplace and Twitter. And, give your dealership character and voice through Instagram and blogging.
Check out more of our SEO strategies to establish a better online presence.
