When someone considers buying a new vehicle, they are probably not very concerned about advertising gimmicks. Consumers are generally aware that manufacturers will say positive things about their models. Most consumers are therefore more likely to listen to what friends and family or even other reviewers have to say about a model. Word-of-mouth is more powerful than an advertisement. If an uncle says that a mechanic is reliable and trustworthy, the consumer is more likely to go there. The same principle holds in social media. The reviews that consumers leave on Facebook will define a dealership's Internet presence. But it does not merely have one review but a catalog of reviews, allowing the consumer to make an informed decision about buying a vehicle.

Social Media ROI for Auto Dealers

Any entrepreneur who is considering an approach to business will have to assess their return on investment (ROI). Social media is the central and defining element of advertising. It provides an opportunity to develop a relationship with consumers and to establish credibility.

Dealerships will typically assess the demographics of users of each platform and define their advertisements based on that. Since most Twitter users are between the ages 18 and 29, advertisements should specifically target them. A dealership's applied knowledge of what vehicles each demographic prefers will be helpful. 

Reaching different demographics will involve producing content that they think is valuable. Users might appreciate a list article, a helpful video, or a deep analysis of a model. As a dealership, you should begin to see and track clicks, likes, shares, retweets, which means that the customers are sharing the content with their friends. However, ROI can sometimes take a few months to develop, especially for a new dealership that does not have an established base yet. It will depend on what investments your dealership makes.

What Social Networks Should You Focus On?

Different outlets will have different strengths. Facebook will allow advertisers to customize their audience so that they can select a particular demographic. There are even tools to allow dealerships to target those who are in the market. However, it will have to be balanced with other sites because Facebook has limited the organic growth of advertisements. 

YouTube will be a good resource because people are more likely to watch a video than to read an article. The downside of YouTube, though, is that it is incredibility competitive. With so many videos vying for attention, a good video could go unnoticed.

Furthermore, when users come across your social profile, they will need to see a few things: Firstly, you will have to precisely, succinctly and clearly state what your company does. Secondly, it will need to exude professionalism, a poorly constructed social profile could deter consumers.

Engaging with Your Audience

Consumers need to feel that the dealership cares about their concerns. This can be accomplished by using your inventory to target certain customers. If you know that a man likes to work with his hands, then he will probably like your new truck. He will also appreciate updates to the automobile industry, including relevant news or events. Note that this will need to be done in moderation, as consumers do not want to be overloaded with content.

Another aspect of engaging with the audience will be responding to negative comments. If there is a recurring negative comment, release a short video explaining how it has been addressed. Short videos will generally be a powerful resource. People have a short attention span, but will watch a short video with good content.

Build Relationships

Social media will also allow the opportunity to develop a relationship with the customer that transcends the business-to-customer paradigm, primarily by sharing content. When you post good content, your audience will repost it, hence becoming salespeople for your company. It is, therefore, critical that corporations let their audience know the name of the employee responding and to develop a profile. 

Breaking that impersonal barrier will also involve asking questions and starting a dialogue. Ask about what people look for in an automobile or even how your service could be improved. All of this will be part of the process of building trust. But it does not happen overnight. People will give you their trust, but it will take time.

Useful and Time-Saving Tools

Some automation tools will allow you to schedule your posts. While this could save time, if this is not handled properly, it could leave the impression that you are distant. You will need to keep track of your responses. TweetDeck can help with that, as it will notify you when you receive a new reply.

Other social media tools have several benefits that can be integrated into your schedule:

• Buffer allows you to share content with all of your social media accounts with a single click.
• Chime is another outlet that will allow monetization through advertisements.
• IFTTT will integrate several different apps.
• Triberr will share content about advertising with you.
• Feedly will allow you to organize relevant posts so that you can stay up to date on what people are saying.
• Savepublishing will save time by creating a tweetable sentence for you.

All of these apps will make it easier for you to integrate social media into your routine by scheduling posts and keeping track of responses.

In summary, investing in relationships will be an investment in your own dealership. It opens the proverbial door of opportunity. There is a sense in which social media needs to be thoroughly imbedded into every philosophy of business. 

Have you used any strategies to sell cars online? How has social media impacted your dealership?

About the author

Matthew Young is an automotive reporter from Boston. As a freelance journalist with a passion for vehicles Matthew writes about everything on 4 wheels, be it racecars, SUVs, vintage cars, you name it. When he is not at his desk writing, he can be usually found helping his dad in the garage. You can reach Matthew @mattbeardyoung.