Building an authentic social media presence

Social media ROI is a hot topic for auto dealers — and today’s tools make it easier than ever to track meaningful metrics tied to a dealership’s social media accounts. When clients sign on for social media management with our team, we always start with the big picture: Why do dealerships need social media, anyway?  

 Because cultivating a strong social media presence is the best way to grow your dealership’s reputation for being present, responsive and involved in your community. It’s a longer game than using direct sales tactics, but it builds trust, expands your reach, differentiates your brand and increases customer loyalty — all of which have a direct influence on your bottom line. 

4 strategies for building your brand on social media 

For the greatest impact, focus your dealership’s social media accounts on strategies that show off your inventory and offerings while building connection with your community. Here’s how: 

1. Feature people. Create natural opportunities for engagement by showing how real people, like your customers and employees, are already interacting with your business. Here are a few ideas:

• Pick a staff member to feature each month, ask them five questions, and share their photo and answers.
• Post pictures of your customers posing with their sales person and their new vehicle.
• Repurpose a positive customer review. Paste the text by itself, or use it to create a graphic to share. (Canva makes this quick and easy!) 

2. Experiment with ads. Social media algorithms are fickle. Putting even a little bit of money into advertising on Facebook or Instagram can deliver much better results, even if you’re doing everything else “right.” 

You can start with boosting your existing content to get it seen by more people. Once you have that down, try running some basic ads with Meta’s Ads Manager — like promoting a sale or a community event at your dealership. 

3. Invite conversation about inventory. Think about your vehicle inventory in terms of community engagement. Show the vehicles you want to sell, of course — but don’t miss opportunities to get people talking about them: 

• Post a side-by-side photo — like the same vehicle in two colors — and ask your community to vote for their favorite. 
• Feature a popular “starter” vehicle and ask people to chime in with stories about their first car. 
• Find ways to ask questions about your brand: How many Kias have you owned? When did you get your first Honda? What’s the longest road trip you’ve taken with your VW? 

4. Find your favorite platform (and show up there). The best social media strategy is a consistent one, and a big part of consistency is staying true to your brand. Things to keep in mind:

• More accounts ≠ more influence. There’s no single platform you need to be on if it feels like a chore. Do you like interacting on Facebook, but hate using Instagram? Then go all in on Facebook! It’s better to use one platform well than to make half the effort in two places.  
• Don’t overanalyze a competitor’s social channel — even if they’re crushing it. Trying to replicate someone else’s success won’t feel natural to you or your community, and it easily starts to feel like a chore. 
• Keep it fun. Approach your social media communities in a way that feels enjoyable for you. This makes it easier to stay consistent and be an active participant. 

Social media ROI is measurable 

When it comes to organic social media content, assessing progress can be tricky. Algorithms and platforms change, and month-over-month or year-over-year growth might not look perfect (or even steady). That doesn’t mean you’re not making an impact — and as technology advances, that impact is becoming more and more provable. 

At Adpearance, our MarketAI software helps us track client success by analyzing your market outlook and identifying sales opportunities based on your own inventory and audience segments. This information helps us source content for clients’ social media feeds, automatically generate relevant ads, and track sales back to individual customer journeys. 

Find social media success 

Is your dealership team ready to show up more effectively on social media? We’d love to hear what you’re most excited about, and we can provide a free digital analysis and social media audit to get you going. 

Plus, if you need extra bandwidth, we offer social media marketing support from content development to community management. 

Schedule your digital analysis to get started!