Social media is a cornerstone of any inbound marketing strategy or integrated advertising campaign. The question now isn’t whether social media is right for your business, but rather how you should be using it for your dealership.

Sure, not every social media strategy will suit every dealer. But, social media is an excellent platform for your marketing messages because it’s completely customizable and measurable. 

Social media helps make auto dealers visible, transparent, and accessible; however, many misconceptions still surround managing your social media presence. Let’s bust a few social media myths today and get our facts straight.

Myth 1: The More Followers You Have, The More Successful You Are

Not quite. The number of Facebook fans or Twitter followers your dealership boasts is not an accurate indication of your success or relevant to how well your dealership will sell cars. 

Likes, comments, and shares are great, but the main focus of inbound marketing efforts will always be conversions. Focus on quality versus quantity. Think of who your ideal target market is, and reach those people by creating content that will appeal to them.

How can you reach the right folks with the right message? Facebook advertising for auto dealers is an excellent way to reach your best potential customers. Facebook Ads Manager has a fantastic built-in targeting service that allows American dealers to hone in on interested leads and even conquest your competitors’ leads by selecting the specific demographics, interests, and behaviors you’d like to reach.

Take your targeting a step further by setting up a custom audience or lookalike campaign—all possible with Facebook ads.

Myth 2: Social Media Doesn’t Generate A Clear ROI

Nope, not true either. Social media marketing is no different than other inbound marketing strategies. The ultimate goal is to convert leads to sales and grow revenue. 

So how do you calculate ROI for social media? Compare the revenue accumulated through social media leads to the cost of your efforts. Integrate your CRM with your social channels to gather the most precise data possible. 

Facebook already has metrics like clicks, comments, and shares available for business pages. To access this data, simply visit the Insights tab at the top of your Facebook page. You’re able to set a time frame for your data if you’d like to view results month to month, and you may export your numbers.

If you aren’t seeing results from your social media outreach, rethink your strategy.

In fact, Facebook is one of the most inexpensive and effective forms of digital advertising available. You can reach automotive shoppers at every stage of the marketing funnel. Have you heard of carousel ads on Facebook? If not, it’s time to familiarize yourself with them. Carousel ads showcase three to five images, all with different landing page links within a single ad unit. The ads direct people to specific locations on your website. Here are five different ways to employ carousel ads and see results. 

Myth 3: Social Media Only Reaches Young People

False! The youths aren’t the only ones on social media. There are “800 million people on Facebook, and the fastest growing group is women in their 50s,” according to this source. This is especially interesting since figures show women play a leading role in 85 percent of auto purchases.

Instead of focusing marketing efforts on showcasing cars with traditional advertisements, share stories and content on social media. 

“At Ford, social media is bigger than advertising,” Matt VanDyke, U.S. director for marketing communications at Ford Motor Co., said. “We just as easily could have had a product development person up here, or from HR, which is using social media for recruiting, or for labor affairs.”

Myth 4: If It Doesn’t Go Viral It’s Not Worth My Time

This is a complete myth. Your sole objective shouldn’t be to make every post go viral. Focus on attracting a steady stream of quality leads as your nurture them along the path to purchase. By creating valuable content you attract quality leads.

Creating and schedule social media content doesn’t require that much time and effort anyway. Meaning, you shouldn’t feel like social media marketing is robbing you of time better spent elsewhere. Establishing a steady presence is the first step. Stay with posting and sharing resources as you build up customer loyalty and gather a community around your business.

Post engaging content, survey questions, fresh ideas, and eye-catching imagery. Eventually, interest will build and people will respond. Work on automating your posting to reduce time spent on coming up with new content.

Going viral isn’t critically important. Attract a stream of visitors due to the value you offer them, one post at a time. If you keep at it, your pool of potential customers will surely grow. 

Look at the Facts, Ignore the Myths

I hope we cleared up any misconceptions on social media marketing you were hesitant about. Another reason social media works for your auto dealership is the fact that consumers want to connect with people. They want to know that behind your brand is a living, breathing person with similar struggles and passions. People will be more inclined to do business with you if they feel they can relate or connect with you in some way. 

At 9 Clouds, we have many resources to help you get started or develop a new social media strategy for your automotive dealership. Head on over to our resources page to find a smattering of content aimed to improve your digital marketing efforts, like free eBooks and case studies. 

*Photo Credit: Jason A. Howie