Social Media Marketing 101

Learn the why and how

Read this article in French.

In this article, we explain why dealerships should invest in social media marketing and some of the basic steps to get you started. Join us next week for Part Two to learn best practices and how our Certified Partner, Miranda Pyette, can help you build your social brand. 

Social media is one of the best ways to promote your business with both organic and promoted content. With the shifting desires of auto shoppers to the digital experience, it makes sense to provide the best tools to give them the best user experience that will lead to a sale. 

But what about the experience you’re providing shoppers before they visit your website or discover your business? Many users now rely on social media to learn more about a business—or to even discover it. It’s become a viable platform for businesses to build trust and loyalty. Roughly 80% of Instagram users follow a business on the platform. Internet users spent an average of 1300 hours on social media last year, or 3.5 hours a day, a considerable chunk of a day and a great opportunity to advertise on social platforms in both organic and paid formats.

Miranda Pyette has a savvy position on social media: As business owners and marketers, we are not changing the message, we are just changing the media. There are a considerable number of eyeballs on social media, so why not concentrate your efforts on platforms where it counts? Another good reason to be on social media: your competitors are already there, building their brand and customer relationships.

Get started 

1. Decide which social platforms you want to use. Focus on quality, not quantity. Instead of signing up for every social networking site under the sun and spreading yourself thin, it’s better to stick to 2-3 platforms—like Instagram and Facebook, which do best for local businesses. Commit to daily content creation and community engagement.
2. Create profile pictures, a cover photo and highlight covers that are relevant and sized to specifications (more on that with the next point). Provide the most up-to-date information in your profile bios.
3. Optimize content photos for social channels. Here’s a handy guide that tells you the sizes to use for each type of photo and platform.
4. Share stories daily of what’s going on behind the scenes, your community, and fun facts about your dealership and the automotive industry.

Join us next week to learn more about social media best practices and our Certified Partner, Miranda Pyette, a digital marketing firm that specializes in the auto industry.

Eager to get started? Contact us to customize your social marketing solution today.