Considering the amount of time that prospective car buyers spend searching online, it’s important to have an online presence that distinguishes you from the competition. The digital age isn’t slowing down anytime soon, so you must make sure you find ways to establish personal connections with consumers. One of the best ways to do this is by having a strong social media presence.
While your independent dealership may be small, social media has the power to level the playing field and attract potential buyers to your business. Many smaller dealerships don’t have much of a social media presence at all.
This is a mistake in today’s environment because social media is one of the ways potential customers establish trust with a brand. Kelly Blue Book notes that in recent years, car buyers spent anywhere from 7 to 9 hours researching online before making a purchase.
A part of this research process includes looking at social media to see what other people are saying about the business.
- Promoted advertisements – Social platforms like Instagram allow you to run an ad to a targeted group of people.
- Customer reviews – While your team members can vouch for the service your dealership provides, honest reviews from people you’ve done business with can have a bigger impact.
- Company culture – People enjoy doing business with entities that are familiar and inviting. Consider ways you can show this through socials.
- Inventory – while your website should serve as the main database for your current inventory, it can be beneficial to highlight your inventory on socials as well. Consider posting videos of your inventory or highlighting vehicles that are unique.
- Tips and Insight – people are always looking for simpler ways to do things. This is a large part of the reason why giant online used car retailers have so much power within the current market. They are offering ways to simplify the car buying process. How does the process at your dealership compare? Could you display this somehow through social media?
Although social media integration may sound daunting at first, remember that you have options. Between Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok, and Facebook, you don’t have to be present on every single platform when starting out. Compare the platforms and see which would serve you and your target audience the best. Most of all, have fun! Social media is the way of the world, and excitement is great when coupled with strategy.
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