Sales through Facebook
With improvements in technology and marketing tools, the gap between potential buyers and the car sales industry has narrowed significantly. Dealerships are experiencing improvements, but exactly how does tech serve to facilitate that improvement? Facebook has a lot of options to improve visibility and entice buyers.
Facebook Auto?
Yep, right out of the gate – Facebook auto’s landing page provides information targeted to sellers, not the customer - interesting? Well, yes but it makes sense. The first three icons on this page say “Create demand, Drive consideration, and Close the deal”, all of which are enticement and deal closing elements. Ads are one of the big revenue drivers for Facebook, and this is one of the ways in which they drive revenue.
Facebook for auto
Inventory Ads
Inventory ads provide buyers (sales through Facebook) with a selection of vehicles to increase curiosity in vehicle options. Facebook uses a nice marketing strategy to encourage dealers to buy ads by demonstrating dealer success stories of improving visits to their website - the goal of inventory ads. Dealer web page offer more comprehensive inventory options and details that drive the sale.
Lead Generation
Ok, now we’re talking. Lead generation is the most important aspect of the sales funnel. Ideally, more leads result in more sales. Accessibility to your site and driving curiosity invariably results in the call, text, chat, or form completion for a call back from the dealership. This is another reason why Facebook ads work. They provide exposure in a friendly environment and an easy way to get more information.
People Power
Despite the challenges that Facebook has had over the past year, Facebook users remain heavily embedded. In 2018 Facebook users numbered 214 million in the U.S. alone, and over one billion worldwide. With the U.S. population estimated at 327 million in 2018, it’s safe to estimate that 2 out of every 3 people in the U.S. use Facebook.
Narrowing your search for clients
Facebook user ages, genders, relationship status, pages they follow, their likes, and any host of other information they include in Facebook is tied to individuals and is a robust resource for target marketing. It is unheard of to get 214 million people to respond to a survey to extract the amount of details that Facebook gathers about its users, but Facebook has done exactly that.
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- Reaching interested buyers: With an understanding of their typical client dealers can ask Facebook to target that specific segment of the population with their ads. This can be done by age, geographic region, or any combination of data filtered by Facebook. Narrowing a target audience has the added value of saving a company money.
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- Re-connecting with website visitors: People visit your site for a reason. If at the time that they initiate a search they may simply be evaluating, but not choosing to purchase. Data is gathered when someone searches a website and can be used to revisit the idea of buying a car with that client. You may have experienced this when you searched for an item on Amazon for example, and somehow that same item appeared as an ad on your Facebook page.
Facebook recommendations
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- Sequence: Sequenced ads can include several videos or images in a single ad. Take advantage of the space to show different cars or features but try not to saturate the content with text. If you think you should include text, adjust the color and the size of the text so it is subtle and doesn’t overpower the image.
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- Video: Show your vehicles in action with an attractive video. Highlight your inventory, show the elements that distinguish your company, and give customers a reason to get more information. Your site should be responsive and support viewing your video with handheld devices and desktops similarly.
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- Ad Presentation: Showing different vehicles or several of their features through an attractive format whether video, static images, or written message should be consistent for your audience. For example, directing sales of SUV to mothers should include reinforcing safety and easy access to the vehicle’s interior. Sales to younger audiences generally include consideration for style, and a variety of options and upgrades.
Conclusion
Sales strategies using Facebook may not be as complicated as they appear. The pages that they provide for sellers/dealers are simple to read and have a lot of smart and useful information. It is always good to consult with a marketing expert to ask the right questions, and help tailor campaigns to your audience in as cost-effective a manner possible.
For more information on success strategies for your organization, contact the experts at Advertising Avenue. We’d love to help.
