Social for automotive

Social media is playing an increasingly important role in automotive. Not only can social media be used to connect with buyers and promote vehicles, it can also be used to manage dealership reputation and interact with customers on a more personal level. As a seller, it’s important to understand the basics of social media marketing and how you can use it to reach buyers. In this post, we’ll discuss some of the ways social media can be used in automotive, as well as provide tips for using social media effectively.

In 2011 I was in a meeting at the dealership I was working for. One of the vendors who marketed our pre-owned inventory in print, was speaking to my Dealer Principle about the “fad” that was Facebook. That wasn’t the last of it either. Soon after GM pulled out of the platform. Ford however was still bullish on the pre- IPO Facebook for marketing. The automaker with it’s 10.2 million likes across it’s brands on the social site was accelerating efforts.

Thankfully my DP believed in my research. We utilized monies saved in our print marketing to add a local promotion “Give a Gal a Gift”, where you tagged a friend who was in need of or deserving of a bouquet of flowers, delivered in our featured vehicle during the manufacturer’s marketing of seasonal product. It was a hit and now not only was the dealership enticing women to the brand, our sales staff needed to be re-trained to attend to female shopping experience that didn’t include ” Do you need to speak to your husband” during the process.

When it comes to automotive, social media is one of the most powerful tools dealerships can use to connect with consumers. It allows them to build relationships and create trust before a customer even steps into the showroom.

Thanks for reading!