Because you’re reading this on the internet right now, you’re probably aware of Facebook and Instagram advertising. It’s virtually everywhere, and that’s why it’s so important.

Facebook advertising is integral to your dealership’s digital strategy, but how to do you explain that to a skeptical manager?

Starting with Stats

At this point, it’s silly to deny the power of Facebook advertising, and because dealerships are a relatively stressful place to work, our first instinct as marketers in the face of this challenge is to simply ramble off statistics. We’re hoping to cause some blunt-force perception trauma with broad facts, such as:

• Facebook has more than 10 million active advertisers in 2023.
• More than two-thirds of adults in America are exposed to Facebook ads.
• On average, US adult users spend 33 minutes a day on Facebook
• 78% of U.S. consumers have discovered products on Facebook

But even if you rattle off these statistics to your manager, you might still be faced with stubborn skepticism.

Why is it Still so Tough?

Even if you convincing someone that Facebook ads are a big deal, Facebook still has a reputation for damaging its own brand.

The company has had its share of bad press in the past few years, and we don’t blame anyone for being skeptical. Facebook’s own gaffes and missteps have resulted in some targeting changes that automotive advertisers have had to overcome.

Kick the Traditional Media Habit

As your dealership gets barraged by promises from marketing and media vendors of all stripes, accountability and ROI are in short supply.

When we first started working with auto dealers, our monthly meetings always started with “What are we doing on TV?” It was the largest part of the marketing budget, and it had the least amount of accountability.

Dealership advertising has been fueling local TV and radio stations for decades – and with virtually no accountability for results.

That thirty-second primetime TV spot? Tens of thousands of dollars. Measurable results? None.

But now, digital media – including Facebook – has become the priority. Why? Because, unlike your quarter-page newspaper ad or classic rock radio spot, it tells you exactly how many people saw it before purchasing.

This isn’t so say that traditional media is dead. In fact, we believe digital media can complement what your dealership is already doing on TV, radio, and print.

Luckily for us marketers, dealership managers now value accountability and ROI amongst their teams. Those are the two key things you’ll need to persuade your luddite overlords.

1. Build Accountability for Automotive Facebook Ads

You’re going to need some goals and data to convince your digital-skeptic dealership manager that Facebook Ads are worthwhile.

When it’s time to set your goals for Facebook Ads, there are two areas where you, the marketer, can reference:

• Facebook Offline Events, which measure the amount of people who saw your Facebook ad before converting as a lead or buying a vehicle. This shows real action and offers a fantastic amount of insight compared to traditional ad placements.
• Your Google Analytics data, which offers an impartial source of insights. With Google Analytics installed, your boss can rest assured that your Facebook ads are actually bringing people to the website, and getting their eyes on your inventory.

Both of these sources of data will allow you to build trust with your leadership. After your ads are up and running, they’ll also allow you to optimize your audience targeting and the content of your ads on Facebook.

2. Prove ROI from Your Facebook Ads

Everyone loves a good spreadsheet, and you can build a compelling one with Facebook Ads.

With your Facebook Pixel installed, and with Offline Events tagged on your Facebook Ads, you have the powerful data you’ll need to convince even the most uncertain general manager that Facebook ads offer real-world results.

Within Facebook Ads Manager, you have immediate access to valuable financial metrics. These are columns that appear alongside the performance data that you might already be using. These columns include:

• Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): The amount of money you get in return for spending $1 on Facebook Ads.
• Cost Per Impression (CPM): The cost of showing your ads to 1,000 people in your audience.
• Cost Per Landing Page View: With your Pixel installed, this metric divides your total campaign spend by the number of landing page views (which includes product pages).
• Custom Conversions: If you want to get really specific with your data, you can use Facebook’s custom conversions to measure specific actions on your site – and attribute their value. For example, if you run an F-150 campaign, you can measure the cost per F-150 VDP view.
• Cost Per Lead: With Offline Events data, Ads Manager will divide your ad spend by the number of leads who saw your ad before converting.
• Cost Per Sale: Also with Offline Events installed, you’ll be able to measure the average cost per sale. In this context, a “sale” is any person who purchased a vehicle within 28 days of seeing your ad on Facebook.

These are all metrics with which you can set (and achieve) goals for your campaign. And, when you set and achieve these goals in front of your general manager, you might even get a raise or a promotion. You’ve been warned.

Build Trust With Data. Always.

9 Clouds has always used data to make important decisions. It’s in our manifesto. You can use data to persuade your dealership’s skeptical manager that Facebook ads are worthwhile.

Many self-labeled luddites have come to us for Facebook advertising. Dealership marketers, managers, and owners trust us with their campaigns.

You have resources for this sort of thing, and Facebook wants more dealerships to advertise. They’ve built a marketing hub just for dealership marketers like you.

With these resources at our fingertips, we can continually earn that trust by providing management with all the data and insights they need to rest assured that they’re getting real return from their digital ad spend.

Get the Benchmarks

At 9 Clouds, we’re familiar with the challenges of persuading stubborn people in a friendly way.

These things take patience, and they take data. That’s why our team has put together an incredibly insightful guide for automotive marketers.

Our Benchmarks for Automotive Digital Marketing Report provides specific data points which you can use to set your own goals for Facebook ads, Google ads, email marketing, and search engine optimization. We update it every year.

The best part? It’s free. Download your copy today and contact us with any questions. We’re here to help!

CONVINCE YOUR MANAGER WITH REAL DATA