What the 2026 Social Media Benchmarks Say About Car Dealer Content Strategy

The latest numbers are in, and they should change how your dealership thinks about social posting this year. The 2026 Emplifi Social Media Benchmarks report paints a clear picture. TikTok is the growth engine, Instagram is coasting, and the old playbook of dumping inventory photos into a grid and hoping for reach no longer holds up.

• TikTok brand follower counts jumped more than 200% year over year in 2025
• Instagram organic reach fell 30 to 40 percent across every post format, including Reels
• Shares, not likes, are now the engagement signal that actually moves content

TikTok Is Where Dealer Audiences Are Actually Growing

If you’ve been treating TikTok like a side project, the data says it’s time to stop. Emplifi released its 2026 Social Media Benchmark Report in February, and according to the data, TikTok saw median follower counts for brands increase 200% year over year in 2025, generating the highest levels of follower growth and engagement for brands.

Engagement is the bigger story for dealers. TikTok generated twice the median interactions of Instagram and 20 times the median interactions on Facebook. That means a walkaround of a new truck or a service bay tip video has far more chance of actually reaching people on TikTok than on the platforms most dealers have leaned on for years. TikTok delivered the highest median engagement rates, reaching 27.6% in Q4 2025, while Instagram’s median engagement rates dropped from 16.9% in Q1 2024 to 9.7% in Q4 2025.

Instagram Reach Is Drying Up, Even on Reels

Instagram isn’t dead, but it’s definitely changed. Organic reach on Instagram fell by 30% to 40% across all post formats in 2025, including carousels, images, and Reels, with the decline affecting Reels, the platform’s highest-reach format, through the second half of the year. Instagram video engagement declined by roughly 18% year over year in 2025, reflecting what Emplifi characterizes as intensified competition and a more saturated Reels ecosystem.

So if your posts feel quieter than last year, it isn’t your creative. It’s the algorithm. The more useful pivot is understanding what Instagram now rewards. While likes per reach remained flat and comments stayed minimal across the period, shares per reach increased by more than 150%, making shares the fastest-growing engagement action on Instagram in 2025.

Rethinking How Dealers Post Vehicle Content

For auto retailers, the practical takeaway is that content built to be shared beats content built to be liked. A shopper browsing a GMC Yukon for sale isn’t going to tap a like on a static inventory photo, but they might send a 20-second TikTok walkaround to a spouse or group chat because it answers a real question about third-row legroom or cargo space.

Full-size SUVs and trucks are especially well suited to short vertical video. Buyers want to see scale, interior storage, tow hooks, and infotainment screens in motion. Instagram carousels still have a role too. Carousels and Reels delivered the strongest median interactions, generating approximately 44% more engagement than image-based posts. Six-frame carousels that walk through a trim comparison or a certified pre-owned checklist give followers something worth saving.

Where Paid Spend Still Makes Sense

Paid continues to matter, but the mix is shifting. TikTok commanded the highest median ad spend per account, reaching $14.9K per account in Q4 2025, while Facebook ranged between $8.5K and $11.2K per account, and Instagram earned the lowest overall spend per account at $5.1K in Q4 2025. Instagram Reels ad spend tripled between Q1 2024 and Q4 2025.

For most rooftops, that suggests a simple rebalance. Keep Facebook running for local reach and inventory retargeting, but start redirecting a slice of your video ad budget toward TikTok and Instagram Reels placements. As one Emplifi leader put it, Facebook and Instagram remain essential for steady reach, creating an opportunity for marketers to drive impact on each platform and align strategy accordingly.

Putting the Benchmarks to Work on Your Lot

The dealers who win in 2026 won’t be the ones posting the most photos. They’ll be the ones producing a steady cadence of short vertical videos built around real questions buyers ask, plus carousels and behind-the-scenes content worth sending to a friend. Treat TikTok as a core channel, not a test. Use Instagram for polished, saveable content. And measure the right signal, which is now shares and saves, not hearts.