Facebook has grown from a platform of social connection for college students to a billion-user entity where people of all ages can connect, share videos, shop, sell inventory, send messages, video chat, and more. Of course, it also has become a news source and is slowly transitioning into a search platform with its easy to use search bar. It’s a digital one-stop shop for everyone, and if you aren’t using it to your advantage as a marketer, I suggest you start now before advertising prices skyrocket.

Here at PCG, we’ve found that Facebook has great opportunities for automotive dealers, as well. While I know it’s rare to shop for a new vehicle on Facebook, if consumers can browse your inventory, check out pictures of your customers with their new cars, and read reviews, they will use it as a gateway to possibly buy from you in the future.

Here are some great examples of how PCG dealers are using Facebook ads to connect with their customers:

Lead Generation Objective

These are great if you want to get people to fill out a form directly from your ad. These can go right into your CRM, as long as your CRM is integrated with Facebook. This works well for signing up for a test drive, applying for financing, getting a quote on a new car, and a variety of other things. By putting a budget of only $125 monthly on a lead form campaign, you can see upwards of 50 leads per month. All you need is a good message so that your consumers know exactly why they’re submitting their information.

Product Catalog

These are being utilized more and more every day. Many people have seen these with shoes or other merchandise, but you can do this for cars too! Think of this as a digital catalog of your inventory that people can scroll through and click right through to the VDP pages. This works great for used inventory and new inventory alike. With a budget of only $250 a month, we’ve seen dealers sell up to 8 out of 10 cars in their product catalog.

Brand Awareness

Promoting your brand voice on Facebook is very important—especially since consumers are probably seeing ads from multiple dealerships in their area.  In order for you to stand out, they need to know you have a unique personality and will provide them an experience that others will not. Reach people in your community by getting creative with your ads to entice them to visit your store.

Carousel

In these engaging and inviting ad creatives, you can include up to 10 images for your audience to scroll through and really get the story behind the product. You can make these using pictures of anything—from happy customers to service coupons. Carousels can now also feature videos.

These are only a few examples of great ways to use Facebook ads to connect with your customers. With new objectives and advancements happening regularly, like the most recent Facebook Auto Marketplace Integration, it’s good to always be aware of how social media marketing can help you sell more cars.

Contact PCG to learn how you can have your vehicles displayed on Facebook and Instagram!