Social Media Can Sell Used Cars

Nearly every auto dealership across the country is dealing with low inventories of new vehicles. That means that dealerships need to advertise the used cars for sale to get shoppers in the door.

Since your inventory of used cars for sale can change overnight, traditional marketing methods like mailers and advertisements may not be able to keep up with what’s available on your lot.

To help build a greater sales funnel and more leads, it’s time to turn to social media. While keeping up with social media trends and demand can be taxing, it’s the best way to keep in front of your target audience.

Create a Professional Brand

Some salespeople like to use their personal social media accounts to help promote different sales and projects in their professional lives. While it’s important to include some real, authentic content in your content plan, it’s best to keep your personal life separate. The last thing you want is for a potential customer to see something from your personal life that impacts their decision to visit your showroom.

There’s nothing wrong with having a personal account on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, etc., where you can share pictures of your kids, debate politics in local groups, or showcase your hobbies AND create a second account that is focused on your profession and dealership.

Start your account with some information about yourself. This could be a short video where you introduce yourself, what you do, and how people can get in touch. It helps to write a script to ensure that your message is concise and on-brand.

Make sure everything you do under your professional account stays professional and follows your company’s social media policies.

Create Lots of Content

One of the biggest challenges with social media is that customers eat up content like a starving man at a buffet. Of course, the other challenge is that every post can’t be just about selling cars.

The kinds of content you share depend on which social media platform you’re using, but there are plenty of things you can post without “selling.” Start with posting pictures. These pictures can be of anything from the showroom, car parts, co-workers, the service area, etc. Make sure to include a caption that showcases something positive about the photo.

Videos are probably the biggest thing on social media right now. TikTok made such a splash that apps like Instagram and Facebook are now pushing their own versions of short videos to keep people on their sites. Use videos to inform and entertain.

You could, for example, do a series of what to look for when exploring used cars for sale. This is where you provide simple tips that will help your audience navigate the entire shopping experience. Now, imagine that you’re talking about how to do a quick visual inspection of a used car on the lot. You can use an actual used car for sale and briefly discuss things about it that make it interesting. This method allows you to teach your audience and indirectly sell to them at the same time.

Of course, you can use social media to promote your current sales or specials, show off new additions to your lineup, and work towards selling used cars from your existing inventory. Since social media moves so fast, you can showcase cars for sale as they become available. The point is not to make every post about sales, or viewers may not watch your content.

Interact With Your Audience

People are going to like and comment on your content. Do your best to respond to comments, answer questions, or point viewers to call or stop by when appropriate. You might even be able to get customers to share positive stories from their interactions with your dealership.

When someone does buy one of your cars for sale, take some photos of the happy new driver that you can post. Ask for permission and tag the shopper to help their followers see the deal and earn a little word-of-mouth advertising. You might even offer a referral bonus to clients who post to social and get new customers in the door.

Social Media Your Way To New Customer

Using social media to build your sales funnel is not going to be successful overnight. Consistency is key when it comes to posting content and building a following. Try different kinds of content to see what works and make adjustments as you go.

When inventories are low, social media can be your savior to keep people coming in the doors and keeping an eye on your dealership. Don’t wait to get started; your audience is already out there. They just need you to join the conversation.