Paid social might not be at the top of all marketers’ lists when it comes to pushing sales for new and used cars, but there are loads of great tools and features that can add an extra layer of performance to an automotive marketing strategy. Discover our top five tips for successfully integrating paid social into your ongoing marketing strategy to target a new audience of potential customers who could be ready to convert.
1. Creating buzz in the local area (new and used)
When promoting new and used cars, paid social is a great tool to build buzz and awareness within reachable distance of your dealership. If your dealership is well situated, with a good volume of passing traffic, there is a good chance that people in your local area already know you exist… but do they know what you’ve currently got on offer? Probably not.
With paid social targeting, you can target people in the direct vicinity of your dealership, informing them about all the fantastic new and used car offers you currently have. Interest & behavioural targeting can then be overlaid over your geographic targeting, empowering you to reach those who live nearby and have interests relevant to the stock you’re trying to sell.
2. Video ads for new cars (new)
New cars are exciting. Are static images exciting? No. Are videos exciting? Yes!
A study conducted by HubSpot identified that 54% of social users want to see more video content from brands and businesses they support. These users are then 85% more likely to purchase after viewing a product video.
Why is this?
Using video in paid social activity has the ability to bring the products to life! Video empowers advertisers to share more detail around the cars they are promoting, showcasing all the key selling points of the vehicle. This has the ability to truly excite the user, giving them a higher propensity to make a meaningful enquiry.
3. Automotive inventory re-targeting is key (used)
Searching for a used car is a journey. In the digital age we live in today, users have the digital tools to easily search through hundreds of cars with ease. Studies suggest that 91% use digital channels to search for cars.
Why is this important?
As users are exposed to such a volume of used cars through their journey, they are likely to forget the cars they have seen. Using Automotive Inventory Re-Targeting ads, users can be re-targeted with the exact car that they have previously displayed interest in.
This has 2 benefits: (1) it reminds the user that the car is still available, and (2) it shows the user other similar cars that may be of interest to them. These are key to inspiring the user to reach the next stage of their used car search.
4. Use the facebook pixel to manage your used car stock (used)
The used car market is exceptionally fast moving. Stock comes & goes, prices change, and availability changes. Keeping all of these details updated can cause an absolute headache.
Wrong!
With the Facebook pixel setup correctly, inventory information can be updated in real time. This means that when any detail around the car is changed on your website, it is automatically updated within your Facebook catalogues. As a result you can rest assured that you’ll never be advertising cars that are unavailable, always have the right price, and always have the most up to date product information.
Clever right?
5. Facebook lead-generation can be a game changer (new)
Taking the time to complete an on-site enquiry form can be time consuming. Ultimately, this can put the user off from making their enquiry. Facebook lead-generation ads can make filling out an enquiry form simple and accessible.
How?
Instead of needing to go through the website to complete the form, the user can simply complete the form while still on Facebook, with their personal data auto-populating the form. This empowers the user to make their enquiry quickly and easily, all without needing to leave Facebook.
This works particularly well in the new car market. Facebook lead gen can allow users to easily book consultations, test drives, and bespoke quotations. Based on the data that can be collected, the follow up with the customer can be personalised around their individual needs. This can hugely boost conversion rate.
However, as Facebook lead-gen doesn’t have a comprehensively detailed landing page, the ads and the information on the form need to be detailed enough to spark the users’ interest to make a genuine enquiry.
Dave Archibald
