How to use social media to grow your auto business faster than 120 mph

When your customers’ cars leave your workshop, they are fit to speed off into the sunset. Or if you have a car detailing business, your consumers’ vehicles leave looking shiny and attractive, catching the eye of even the most unenthusiastic bystanders.

But does the growth of your business accelerate in the same manner? Does your business turn heads? Are you able to attract the kind of attention you need and deserve?

If you answered no to any of these questions, you’re in a bit of a pickle. Because if you can’t attract customers, there will no vehicles to work your magic on.

But there’s an easy fix – revolutionizing your social media strategy to meet your needs!

Does my auto business really need social media?

There was a time when you could let your work do the talking and rely on word of mouth to get customers.

That time is long gone. While those are still perfectly good strategies, they are not good enough on their own. You need a digital presence – a social media presence, in particular.

Let us tell you exactly why:

According to LSA Insights, twice the number of automotive consumers take to the web when it comes to doing their research, as opposed to going to a dealer first.

That’s the first step in their journey to becoming a customer.

And if you have that presence, you will become the end destination.

So, how do you use social media to your advantage?

Here are some tips to grow an auto business that you can follow to up your game.

Social media marketing for your auto business – Top hacks

There are many ways to promote your auto business through social media – we’ll discuss some of the top ones in this blog post!

Determine which social media platforms to use

The first and most important thing for you to do is to determine where your consumers are most active. In other words, you need to determine which platform is the most effective to reach them.

Defining your target demographic immaculately will assist you in this process. If you deal in luxury cars, for example, you are looking to reach an older demographic that can afford the vehicles – platforms like Google+, Facebook, and Twitter will likely be your best bet in such a case.

If you deal in upgrades, detailing, and enhancements, on the other hand, you are targeting a younger demographic who is all about the look. Younger people will usually be more active on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat so these should be at the core of your strategy.

You can also conduct a small survey to determine where your consumers are more active – there’s nothing better than getting your information directly from your audience.

Provide value to your consumers

If an individual has narrowed their decision down to two cars and is struggling to choose the perfect one for them, a comparison video on your Facebook page can solve their dilemma. After all, 95% of people who are looking to buy a car make use of digital media in an attempt to get more information, according to Google.

Similarly, if a young person has just become a first-time car owner, they will be looking for maintenance tips and tricks among other things. Coming across a blog post with useful hacks will make their life easier.

These are just two examples but it comes down to this:

You need to know what your consumers want from you.

Only when you know your audience’s requirements can you provide them with value. Your content is the first they should see and it should help them in one way or the other.

To make sure you are creating useful content:

• Ask the audience what they want.
• ‘Borrow’ ideas from your competitors whose content gains traction.
• Analyze the performance of your content regularly to see what works and what doesn’t.

Want to know how you can create an effective content marketing plan? Find out here!

Create an engaging online community

With traditional marketing, communication was mostly one-way – you sent out the message but it took a while for the response to get back to you.

Social media has turned that around completely – once you post something on social media, you will start to see people interacting with it almost instantly. Some will Like, some with Comment and Discuss, others will Share.

And that is JUST what you want.

One of your main aims with social media marketing for an auto business is to bring together like-minded individuals. You can connect potential consumers with happy customers, experts with amateurs, the audience with you.

People need to see your platform as one where their problems get solved through healthy, engaging, and useful discourse, whether the content is about changing a tire or deciding which audio enhancements are all the rage at any given time.

Respond to and interact with consumers online

Did you know that when a consumer sends you a message on social media, they expect a response within 30 minutes?

A total of 96% want a response within four hours at the most.

This means two things for you:

1. You absolutely have to respond to all the people reaching out to you.
2. You have to do it at the speed of light!

As we have already established, the consumer journey starts online. As they research, they will come up with questions regarding your products or services or even general information.

When they get in touch with you, you should respond in the best way possible – and quick! This may, eventually, lead to a conversion or at least a referral.

Establish yourself as an expert in the niche

When it comes to their vehicles, people don’t usually settle for second-best – they want to go the best person for the job.

And that is why you need to create an image for yourself that is nothing less than top-tier!

There are a number of ways you can do that.

• Talk in depth about relevant topics, sharing knowledge that isn’t all that common.
• Share industry hacks and secrets that may prove to be game-changers for your audience.
• Don’t use too much jargon – you are talking to a layperson and if they don’t understand you, there is no point.
• Always be on top of all updates in the industry – you should be the first to share the news of all recent happenings.
• Create evergreen content that provides your consumers value years after you have created it.

Summing up…

The benefits of social media for an auto business are not too different from those for any other kind of business.

You get to

• Build a positive brand image.
• Provide value to your audience.
• Gain customers.
• Interact with and engage your consumers.

All these things ultimately help you drive more conversions and accelerate your growth like never before!

Have you tried any of these tips in your strategy yet? Let us know how it went!