Making social media work for your dealership

So, you have social media accounts set-up for your dealership, you know how to post content, but remain frustrated because what you post never seems to get any comments, likes, or generates interest in your stock. It’s hardly surprising that dealers look to their competitors, or friends in the trade, who use these social media platforms successfully in a bid to emulate that success but have no idea where to start.

How do they do it, and why don’t I get similar results?

In the motor trade, we are usually focused on what we are selling, how we are going to sell it, and who we are going to sell it to. Customers generally don’t like being sold to; they want to be engaged with. If you have ever recorded anything on series link on your TV, do you watch the adverts or do you reach for the remote and fast forward through them?

Look at your own dealership’s Facebook profile and other social media pages, and if your pages and posts, are just adverts for the stock you have for sale your customers could be skipping your adverts too! It can be easy to get lost in the jungle of social media and there are many pitfalls too. That is the reason we have compiled this simple guide, to help you increase engagement, likes, and sales.

The rule of 3 – Inform, Educate, and Entertain

People like to be informed, educated, and entertained. If you can do these three things in posts on your social media pages, you are more likely to gain engagement from potential customers and increase your number of followers. Posting on your social media with this rule in mind will also increase your dealership’s visibility, and when a customer is ready to buy a new vehicle, they will be more likely to inquire about what you have for sale.

Rule 1 - Inform

If you post about what’s going on at your dealership, customers may feel more of a connection with your business. You can post about new arrivals of stock, how you source vehicles for customers, the fact that you offer finance, and other services you offer such as MOTs and servicing.

You can also take this opportunity to update people on how the business is going. Has a member of staff recently got married? Is your Sales Manager’s tenth work anniversary coming up? Have you been in business for 20 years? These are all worth posting about on social media!

You should also let your potential customers know what your existing customers think of your dealership by reposting reviews customers have written about you. Ask customers to like and follow your page when they visit the pitch and take pictures of customers with their new cars and tag them in the post – make sure to get the customer’s permission to do this.

If potential customers see that a relative or friend of theirs has just bought a vehicle from you – it’s more likely that they will ask their friend about their experience and possibly give you a call!

Rule 2 - Educate

When customers are looking to buy a car, they need advice, guidance, and help during their buying process – which if given, may reduce their anxiety when financially committing to the second largest purchase they will ever make.

Post on your social media channels the different types of vehicles you sell and consider posting the answers to questions that customers typically ask you in person. This may reduce any potential anxiety that customers have before they have even set foot on your forecourt.

Maybe even consider posting common faults, or faults that occur with vehicles when they are not looked after. How customers can avoid hefty bills in the future by following a few simple maintenance steps. You can change the type of content you post as the year progresses, tell customers how to look after their vehicle as the seasons change.

Consider posting when you have new deliveries of stock, as there could be something that catches the eye of a potential customer. Post what cars sell well too; video walkarounds of your best sellers, with a running commentary on the features and specifications – just as you might if the customer was with you in person.

Don’t be scared to share information from the trade as well, post talking points that may affect customers, like the increases in fuel or uptake in electric vehicles and ask customers what they think! Consider telling customers what you do in terms of your sales process, advise what you do with your cars, how you source them, how you treat and talk to customers, how you prepare your cars for sale, and what your aftersales looks like.

Post examples of how you have helped other customers who had problems before, where possible. This could be the simplest of quick fixes, like a bulb that needed changing to something that was more serious. This may feel like a big no-no, but it gives out the message of honesty and builds your credibility as a dealership.

Rule 3 - Entertain

You can build rapport with people you have never met by posting entertaining content, such as pictures of the dealership cat or dog and chronicling their adventures. This could be something funny or silly, or maybe just odd observations you make during the day.

There are a lot of people that won’t feel comfortable in front of the camera, and there is nothing wrong with that. You don’t have to be a comedian or a larger than life personality, just be yourself! If there is someone at the dealership that is naturally and genuinely funny, then get them involved.

You could even try posting competitions and quizzes to get people interacting with your page. You need to ensure that the feeling you give on social media, truly reflects the reality of your business, or customers may expect one thing when they arrive and find the reality is very different.

Partner with us

If you want to work with one of the best sub-prime finance companies in the UK, First Response Finance is here for you. Our flexible criteria, award-winning service, and consistent recognition from the industry, we are the go-to sub-prime finance company in the motor trade that you can trust.

Partner with us and experience the difference of working with the best subprime finance lenders, dedicated to helping you and your dealership get more deals over the line. If you don’t currently work with First Response Finance and would like to discuss how we can help you and your sub-prime customers, click the relevant button below, and Brad from our team will be in touch to discuss how we can help you sell more cars on finance.

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