Every morning I check car dealerships’ social media accounts, and to my disappointment, 90-95% of dealerships are all posting content that is boring and irrelevant. It comes as no surprise that lack of interesting posts has led to silent Facebook pages that see no engagement from fans and followers. As a result, car dealerships’ social media pages have become inactive over time. After not seeing results from the articles and non-native content they’re sharing, these dealerships then revert to hard selling, which on social media never works. There’s better ways to utilize Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to attract both former and future customers.
Recently I came across a post on a luxury dealership’s Facebook page discussing racing technology the brand is using in their race cars, and also adding a link for further reading. That article would be worth sharing on a car magazine’s account that has scores of racing enthusiasts. The question one must ask is, “How many of this dealership’s customers will take their new cars out onto a track?” Not too many is my guess. Similar articles were being shared, not only on that account, but several other dealership’s fan pages as well. There’s a reason why customers don’t engage with the business they bought their car from. The content just isn’t compelling.
It’s rather interesting though, when these companies start sharing news about keeping their new cars looking clean, removing scratches, and posting native content of their dealership and cars in the showroom, all of a sudden the customers start interacting. You’re selling some amazing products that the car brands have spent much time marketing, why not continue marketing them in a way that makes your showroom appealing while also attracting interest by potential car buyers to visit your business? The car buying experience should be exciting, especially if your customers are purchasing a new car. That experience starts on social media.
The dealerships who understand this are posting top quality photos of their best vehicles. Exclusive content, whether that be from your blog, showroom, or pictures on Instagram is how you stand out amongst the crowd. Sure, articles from car magazines and Consumer Reports are great, but don’t make that the main focus of your social media pages. Your business should take center stage, not in terms of selling, but attracting, and you do that by using all the tools social media has given you and sharing interesting content worth reading and engaging with.
I’ve seen far too many dealerships making the mistake of posting content that brings no value to the consumer. In fact, I cringe every morning because I know you’re selling amazing vehicles that should be leaving your dealership’s lots much faster than they really are. Facebook and Instagram are the biggest, and most important platforms in your industry. Stop posting irrelevant articles or news that serves no purpose or doesn’t help customers decide whether to visit your showroom or someone else’s. You have an entire inventory worth sharing. That should be the basis for your content on social media, with articles and news stories from third party sources being the icing on the cake.
