Choosing the Right Social Media Channels to Attract Qualified Buyers

Social media marketing can be a significant game-changer for your dealership. It can boost sales, enhance customer engagement and build brand loyalty. But with so many platforms to choose from, it's crucial to invest your time and resources strategically. 

In general, most of our dealer partners find Facebook, Instagram and YouTube to be the most impactful social media channels for their specific marketing strategies. But that doesn’t mean others can’t work, too. The right social media channels for your dealership will depend on your specific goals and target audience.

In this blog post, you’ll discover the benefits and limitations of marketing on various social media platforms and find practical advice for creating a robust social media presence without overextending your capabilities. You’ll learn: 

• Scaling Your Social Media Marketing Strategy
• Overview of Popular Social Media Platforms
• Choosing the Right Social Media Channels
• Achieve Social Media Marketing Success

Scaling Your Social Media Marketing Strategy

When it comes to marketing, more usually means more. The more you advertise, the more customers you get. The more you promote your brand, the better recognition you get in the marketplace. But traditional marketing conventions don’t necessarily hold true for social media, where less can mean more for your dealership. 

In other words, spreading your resources too thin across too many platforms can dilute your efforts, leading to subpar content and a lackluster online presence. Instead of trying to do too much with your social media marketing, focus on channels that you can manage effectively and that will drive the best results for your dealership.

Overview of Popular Social Media Platforms

Each social media platform serves a unique audience and purpose. Each has its advantages and a few important considerations to keep in mind. 

Facebook

Benefits of Marketing on Facebook

• Large User Base: Facebook has the largest user base of any social media platform, with an estimated 246.3 million users in the United States alone.
• Fantastic Targeting Capabilities: Facebook’s wealth of user data makes it easy to laser-focus on a specific audience group, which makes it a versatile tool for connecting with different age groups and interests. Facebook is excellent for community building and targeted advertising. 
• Direct Communication with Consumers: In addition to your social posts, Facebook facilitates direct communication with your customers via chat and comments on posts. This allows for back-and-forth personalized communication to discuss product or inventory details, answer questions or just say thanks for a purchase. 

Challenges of Marketing on Facebook

• Competition: Due to the vast user base on Facebook, it can sometimes be challenging to cut through the noise and reach your desired audience. In order to stand out to your followers, you may need to boost your posts (that is, pay a small fee to make your post for visible for a certain amount of time).
• Pay to Play: Facebook’s algorithm prioritizes ads over organic content. In order to stand out to your followers on their Facebook feeds, your business may need to employ a pay-to-play strategy. This comes in the form of Facebook ads. 

X (formerly Twitter)

Benefits of Marketing on X

• Large User Base: X, formerly known as Twitter, has 245 million daily active users.
• Direct Communication: X is the go-to platform for real-time updates and conversations. It's ideal for sharing news, quick updates and joining trending topics. 
• Less Advertising Noise: You will see fewer businesses advertising on X, which means if your audience is largely comprised of X users, you have a better chance of reaching them.

Challenges of Marketing on X

• Character Limits: X has a character limit of 280 characters for organic and paid posts. Links to your website and inventory listings are counted as characters, further limiting the length of your message. It’s certainly possible to create an effective marketing message within these parameters; it just takes some critical planning.
• Ad Expenses: Advertising on X is more expensive than other social media platforms like Facebook. However, the extra expense can be worth the money if you’re trying to reach a fast-moving audience who wants to receive the latest industry news and offerings.
• Fast Moving: Because of the fast-moving nature of X feeds, your advertising may require more frequent updates to remain visible to your audience. X users want to keep up with the latest news and conversations, which means ads need to be optimized and refreshed more often to stay current with your audience’s interests.

Instagram

Benefits of Marketing on Instagram

• Visual Appeal: Instagram is a visually oriented platform that lets you showcase the sleek design and high-performance features of your inventory. It’s a great way to get your audience to picture themselves with your products and inventory.
• Instagram Shopping: Internal data from Instagram reveals that 70% of shoppers use the platform to find their next purchase. You can choose from a variety of ad formats to promote your inventory, including photo ads, Instagram stories, videos and more.
• Discover Page: Instagram’s discover page, as well as its hashtags and location tools, make it easier for your dealership’s profile to be discovered and gain an organic following.

Challenges of Marketing on Instagram

• Necessity of Visuals: High-quality images and stories can significantly boost engagement, but success on Instagram typically demands creativity and high-quality photography.
• Links Only Available on Ads: Clickable links can’t be included in organic posts. If you’re using Instagram to drive users directly to your website and/or specific inventory listings, you’ll need to add a link in your bio page or (better yet) launch some paid ads.
• Younger Audience: This is not necessarily a challenge of marketing on Instagram, but it’s important to keep in mind that Instagram’s user base largely consists of millennials and Gen Z.

YouTube

Benefits of Marketing on YouTube

• High Traffic:YouTube is the second most visited website in the world, after Google. You can get in front of its large audience in two ways – by posting videos on your dealership’s YouTube channel and/or running paid video ads that run before or during other organic videos.
• Audience Engagement: Video is a highly engaging medium. Your dealership can benefit immensely from YouTube's video-based format—providing product demonstrations, tutorials or thrilling test drive experiences. 
• SEO Benefits: YouTube videos are indexed on Google and can appear in relevant search results. While video production can be resource-intensive, the payoff in customer engagement and SEO can justify the investment.

Challenges of Marketing on YouTube

• Maintenance: In order for your YouTube channel to remain effective, you need to keep creating new content that your audience finds helpful. You also need to monitor your channel and respond to comments posted on your videos.
• Skippable Ads: YouTube ads can be skipped after the first few seconds, which means you only have a brief window to hook your audience and convince them to watch the full advertisement. You can also run non-skippable ads, but your content needs to effectively engage your audience and keep them hooked, else you risk frustrating your viewers.

LinkedIn

Benefits of Marketing on LinkedIn

• Showcase Expertise: LinkedIn helps you establish your brand as an industry thought leader and build your brand awareness by sharing your blog articles and industry news. It also encourages interactions and dialogue among users, which can help your dealership gain notoriety in your industry.
• Network Building: LinkedIn is a networking platform designed to help you engage with industry professionals and potential customers.

Challenges of Marketing on LinkedIn

• B2B Audience: LinkedIn’s user base is mainly industry professionals and career-oriented individuals and is best suited for B2B companies. Your average customer may not be on LinkedIn, but you could potentially connect with industry enthusiasts who are following professionals in your industry. 
• Limited Ad Formats: LinkedIn has great targeted capabilities that can help you focus on a specific audience, but it offers limited ad formatting. In addition to running ads on LinkedIn, you may find it beneficial for your brand awareness to also look for opportunities to join relevant industry discussions and engage with posts from other industry professionals.

TikTok

Benefits of Marketing on TikTok

• Quick, Engaging Videos: Creating content for TikTok is as simple as pulling out your phone and recording a quick video about your dealership. You can gain followers by hopping on the latest fun trends and including relevant hashtags.
• Virality: TikTok’s algorithm prioritizes “viral” content – videos that have gained a lot of views and comments – further promoting its views. If a video of yours takes off, it can reach thousands more people in a short time.

Challenges of Marketing on TikTok

• Staying on Trend: TikTok’s creative challenges and music-laden clips can be particularly engaging, but staying on top of trends and producing regular content is necessary for success. What’s trending one week may be old news the next.
• Younger Audience: If your target audience includes younger, trend-savvy consumers, TikTok's short-form video content can be a hit. However, if your target audience is over the age of thirty, you may not have much success reaching them on TikTok.
• Heavy Competition: TikTok has become inundated with ads for TikTok Shop, making it harder to stand out in users’ feeds.

Snapchat

Benefits of Marketing on Snapchat

• Quick Engagement: Like TikTok and YouTube, Snapchat marketing is largely comprised of video content. However, Snapchat’s time-sensitive content means you can be more casual and low-production while still reaching your audience. Behind-the-scenes looks at your dealership are a good fit for Snapchat.
• Direct Messaging Ads: Your ads can be sent directly to your audience in their message inboxes, making it easier to get in front of consumers with time-sensitive offers and promotions.

Challenges of Marketing on Snapchat

• Younger Audience: Snapchat is another platform that caters to audiences in their mid-thirties and younger.
• Limited Engagement: Unfortunately, there is no way to tell if your audience really watches your Snaps, as they may have opened the video and then immediately skipped it without watching. Direct message responses are the best way to gauge if your audience is enjoying your content.
• No Re-sharing: Another setback is that Snaps can’t be re-shared easily. While other platforms include a re-sharing or re-posting feature, the only way to re-share a Snap is to take a screenshot and upload it to another platform. This makes it difficult to grow your audience beyond your existing followers.

Pinterest

Benefits of Marketing on Pinterest

• Industry Enthusiasm: Pinterest is interest-based, meaning it’s designed to help its users collect ideas and inspiration around their specific interests and hobbies.
• Multiple Ad Formats: If you’re advertising on Pinterest, you can choose from a variety of ad formats, from promoted pins to one-tap pins that take the user directly to a specific webpage or inventory listing.
• Aesthetic Appeal: For dealerships with aesthetically appealing products and the potential for lifestyle branding, Pinterest serves as a visual search engine. It's particularly useful for reaching users in the planning phase of their purchases, as they’re often browsing for inspiration.

Challenges of Marketing on Pinterest

• High-Quality Photography: Like Instagram, Pinterest is 100% image-based. However, it’s much harder to be personable on Pinterest and show the behind-the-scenes of your dealership. There’s a lot of expectation for professional-level images in order to catch the eye of your audience.
• Reputation: Pinterest is typically associated with industries such as fashion, interior design and travel. It may not be the first platform your prospects think to look for their next unit purchase.
• Small Usage: Despite being a large platform, Pinterest is very niche. It’s a great platform for businesses in creative industries with lots of visual content to share, but it doesn’t receive the level of foot traffic that popular channels like Facebook and YouTube do.

Choosing the Right Social Media Channels

With so many social media channels, picking the right ones can be crucial to your social media marketing success. Now that you know more about each option, it’s time to get strategic and choose the right channels for your dealership. 

Understand Your Audience 

The key to finding the right social media fit lies in knowing your audience. Understand where they spend their time and how they use social media. Different platforms attract different demographics and age groups. If your dealership caters to a younger audience, platforms like Instagram and TikTok may be more suitable. On the other hand, if your target market is older individuals with higher incomes, LinkedIn and Facebook may be better options.

By analyzing your current customer base, you can identify their interests, behaviors and preferences, which can guide your social media strategy. It’s also a good idea to analyze your competitors' social media efforts to determine what could work for your dealership, as you’re trying to engage the same consumer base. 

Consider Your Content Strategy

Before choosing a social media channel, it's important to consider your content strategy. Different platforms have different content formats and restrictions. For instance, Instagram is a highly visual platform, so if you are looking to drum up excitement around your latest inventory arrivals and have high-quality images or videos to share, you may find Instagram is ideal for your dealership.

On the other hand, X has a character limit per post, which can be challenging if your business wants to share detailed information about your products and services. Think about what type of content you plan to share and which platforms will allow you to showcase it best. You can also repurpose your content for different platforms to reach a wider audience.

Research Different Platforms

Once you have a clear idea of your target audience and content strategy, it's time to research the different social media platforms available. Start with the above list of benefits and challenges of each channel, then expand your search into specific options that might be right for your strategy. 

While Facebook and Instagram may be the most popular choices, there are many other platforms that could be a good fit for your dealership. Many dealerships find success marketing on X, YouTube, Pinterest and Snapchat. Research each platform's features, demographics and engagement rates to determine which ones align with your target audience and business goals. You can also look at what your competitors are doing on these platforms for inspiration.

Engage with Your Audience

Remember that social media is all about building relationships. It's not enough to just post content; you also need to engage with your audience. Respond to comments, ask for feedback and interact with other accounts in your industry. This will help strengthen your online presence and build a loyal following. Prioritize platforms where you can genuinely interact with potential customers without overburdening your resources.

Set Clear Goals for Social Media Marketing

Set clear and achievable social media marketing goals, whether they're about increasing followers, generating leads or boosting sales. Employ tools to track your engagement, reach and conversions. This data will help you understand which channels are driving the most traffic and sales for your dealership. You can also experiment with different strategies and content types to see what works best for each platform.

Achieve Social Media Marketing Success

It might be possible to throw content at every social media channel available, but it’s probably not in the best interest of your business. By choosing the right channels that align with your audience's preferences and your dealership's capacity, you can leverage the power of social media to reach the right consumers and make your marketing more effective. Keep in mind that each platforms' landscape is ever-evolving, so don't be afraid to try new channels or pivot your approach if necessary. 

Because social media marketing involves so much nuance, you may want to consider outsourcing to a marketing vendor with experience in your industry. Your social media marketing partner can help you identify which platforms are most frequented by your target audience and which will be most effective for your dealership. This will help you focus your efforts and resources on the right channels, instead of spreading yourself too thin across multiple platforms. Partnering with a social media marketing vendor will also save you time, money, and effort, while helping you achieve better results. 

Whatever channels you choose, social media marketing can help you expand your audience, build your brand and boost your sales. Just remember, it’s not about being on every platform; it's about being on the right ones for your dealership.