[vc_row pix_particles_check=””][vc_column][heading title_color=”body-default” title_size=”h2″ animation=”fade-in-down” title=”Increase Automotive Sales With Social Media” delay=”800″ max_width=”600″ css=”.vc_custom_1655915148643{padding-bottom: 30px !important;}”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row pix_particles_check=””][vc_column][vc_column_text]Although some early marketing strategies may still be successful, It is imperative to have a powerful online presence that attracts customers especially in today’s business environment.
According to recent estimates 82 percent of the population in the United States have a social networking profile which is up 2% from 2021. However, nearly 100% of prospective car buyers are active online. If you aren’t using your Social Media Platforms effectively, sadly, most of your competitors will be a few steps ahead of you.
In this post, We’ll be looking at a few actionable techniques you can use to level up your Social Media sales performance.
Create and Target a Detailed Persona
According to Dan Shewan, “The better you know your customers, the more likely they are to respond to carefully crafted messaging specifically for their lives.”
Your buyer personas must include detailed demographic information such as their name, age, occupation, location, and credit score. Creating detailed buyer personas helps you decide what types of social media content to create, what topic your next blog post should be, and to whom to send newsletter promotions.
Create Quality Content
In this digital age, consumers have already researched online before walking into dealerships, and they have almost all the information they need. In some cases they might even know more than the salesman about options and features of their future new car. You must be able to bridge and fill the gaps between what they know and what you know. You must be ahead of the game, and offer all the information they need and information they don’t know they need.
Quality Content helps you get more visitors and higher conversions. You should figure out what your audience wants to know or perhaps doesn’t know and get that data to your Social media platforms. Remember that your content should focus on your readers, and consider what users want to read about or what they want to watch in video content. Your information should be credible, trustworthy and up to date. Make your Content readable, engaging, and organized. Yes, we are talking about how to increase sales on social media, but you shouldn’t be selling on every post. Entertain, educate, and entice your audience. Make your social media page relaxing, inspiring, and motivating.
It will take time but if you can accomplish this you will have genuine high-quality content your guests will appreciate and the search engines will love.
Engage with prospective buyers
Engaging with prospective buyers includes talking to them on social media, answering their queries, and addressing every objection in your copy. Most of us don’t see active engagement with prospects via social media as a potential tool because it is believed to have a minor impact on actual sales. But it can increase awareness of your dealership and customer satisfaction. When you connect to them at a time when they were just “shopping” they will remember you when they are looking for a car to purchase. When you respond as a company to your prospective buyers personally what effect will it have on their perception of the brand? Certainly, this will let them know that your dealership is engaging and ready to offer 100% customer satisfaction – especially when they are finally ready to buy.
Choose only a few social media platforms to focus on first
It is true that in today’s business environment, social media is one of the best places to generate more leads. However, it is also important that you know which social media platforms to use. Having too much on your plate can be fruitless in the end (considering all that you need to do to effectively market your dealership out there).
Below are the top Social Media Platforms on which you should focus based on consumer engagement/active users.
- Tiktok (689 million active users)
- Instagram (1.221 billion active users)
- Facebook (2.74 billion active users)
- Youtube (2.291 billion active users)
With this large audience, these four social media platforms need to be on the top of your list when deciding on which platform to focus on. Remember to use the Social media networks your audience uses. Meet them there! (Note that Twitter has roughly 330 million users but requires high interaction and is not nearly as visual as these other platforms).
Show off customer testimonials
Customer feedback is invaluable and huge numbers of consumers read testimonials and reviews before deciding to make a purchase. Always strive to get a review or testimonial following a deal. This customer content is social media gold. Indeed some franchise dealerships actually require salesmen to get “surveys” but this is not the same as the “customer testimonial” and not nearly as critical to social media. The public won’t even see your customer’s survey.
Do not overlook your website
Your online presence is your frontline lead generation source. This includes all social media platforms AND your dealer website. Don’t think for a minute that your customer hasn’t visited your dealer website before their walk-in visit. Be mindful that if you don’t have a dealer website people may be skeptical about your legitimacy as a business. It makes a great first impression and gives people comfort in knowing you are accessible online. It is important that you establish who you are, what your dealership represents, and what you stand for. It is especially helpful if you have an accurate online inventory displayed. Dealer websites are getting better but they have historically been considered poor in delivering a stellar customer experience. Be careful about adding an online chat feature on your website if it is not going to really be an online chat experience. Consumers are very much aware now that these chat features are either a) not really monitored, b) monitored by someone that can’t really help them in real-time or c) are just chatbots leading to a form that is going to waste their time.
Use Remarketing
Remarketing is among the most effective ways to increase sales online. It could be many months before a customer is ready to pull the trigger and buy that car. Remarketing keeps your dealership visible. It gives you another opportunity to turn a shopper into a buyer. There is an investment here as you will be serving ads to potential customers who have visited your website whether on their own or in response to an email marketing campaign.
Make follow-up emails
As stated in the previous technique, the customer experience should not end after purchasing at your dealership. Make sure to have a thoughtful, considerate, and genuine follow-up procedure for new customers. You can send them a detailed summary of their car purchase, customer service information, and all sorts of resources. You can prompt them to leave reviews about their experience, and encourage them to contact a real person if they have further questions. When you give more attention to them after a car purchase, the more likely they are to become repeat customers and will tell their friends about your dealership.
Provide as many Financing options as possible
With sudden changes in the economy due to global events it is vital that you offer multiple financing options, especially to those prospective buyers with less than perfect credit. This is the special finance or subprime buyer. Without offering special finance options, we lose a large number of potential car buyers. Consumer debt grew by $800 billion during the pandemic from which most of us are still recovering. Car buyers are also facing sticker-shock on added value for almost all products and services. It is to your benefit to consider people that fall into the subprime market in your detailed social media persona and offer financing options to generate more sales.
If your dealership offers subprime lending options to consumers, partnering with a company like AppleConnect can help with these functions and increase your sales.
AppleConnect is one of the most innovative lead generation providers and Marketing Agencies across several verticals. We are among the most reliable and flexible lead providers in the Automotive, Insurance, and Credit Repair Industries. We utilize a strong network of search-engine-optimized domains that provide valuable subprime leads. AppleConnect has multiple lead-generating websites serving all markets across the United States and, as an added benefit, AppleConnect works with you throughout the entire process! This includes calling any leads with whom you have not connected. In addition, we guarantee that every lead is a prospect looking for a vehicle or we will replace that lead with a new one.
If your dealership markets to subprime customers or wants to, call AppleConnect for some of the best automotive special finance leads at (888) 64-APPLE or visit our website GOAPPLECONNECT[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
