Ditch the weather balloons, confetti streamers, and searchlights. Marketing for car dealerships doesn’t have to be gimmicky to work – the digital marketplace has changed the game forever.

In the current market, buyers of commodities like cars are more likely to do their research before shopping or buying – and that research is primarily an online activity. Consumers are more educated than ever, and your brand could be one of the places they turn for information.

True, you’re in the car business, not the education business, but check this out:

The more people trust you as an unbiased source of information about cars and the automobile industry, the more they trust you as a car dealer. Trust is a big deal in all industries, but in the car business, it’s pure gold. How often have you heard people talk about sleazy car salesman, or say that they picked a dealership because they had a good feeling about it?

Exactly.

On top of that, the kind of people who are looking for information about a car are probably also looking to buy a car.

So now, you’ve got people who are likely car buyers coming to you for information, building a trusting relationship with you, and probably learning about your brand in the meantime.

Implementing a social media campaign will give you the online presence you’d better have when your customers come looking. After all, you can’t afford to miss the boat—er—car, can you?

What Should Car Dealerships Share On Social Media?

Once you’ve got your branded profiles, it’s time to start building your audience. They need to hear from you every once in awhile, so you’re going to have to learn how to write a good post.

Here are 3 things that work well for car dealerships on social media:

Pictures

You have cars. People like looking at cars. It’s an easy connection to make.

When you post pictures of the cars in your lot, take shots from an interesting angle, and make sure your photo quality is good. A quick cell phone snap might look okay, but taking some good photos with a real camera in good light can really set you apart.

As for the actual post, you’ll probably want to say something more interesting than “This Camry has 30K miles and costs $25K.”

Think about what people want to know when they’re shopping for a car, and give them answers before they ask.

Success Stories

It’s the reality of our culture – you almost need a car to survive.

Have you helped a single mom find a reliable car for her family at a great price? Did you have a great time helping a teen choose his first set of wheels?

Get permission from your customers to share these great experiences, snap a photo of their smiling face, and tell a great story to your followers on social media.

Targeted Ads

On Facebook especially, few people are going to read all of your posts. The real power is in the highly targeted advertising you can do from social platforms.

When you connect what makes you special, what people want in a car buying experience, and the incredible data available to you through Facebook’s ad platform, that’s a recipe to make your advertising more effective than ever.

Running social media ads takes some practice to get right. We’ve been doing it for years and we’re still honing our skills…although, we’re pretty darned good if we do say so ourselves.

Don’t miss out on the power of social media for your dealership! It’s not going away, and in an industry as competitive as the car business, you can’t afford to let any tool go unused.