How Facebook has Become The Key Player in Automotive Digital Marketing

It's a well-known fact that Facebook is the world's most popular social media site and the second most visited site. What started as a simple socializing platform has grown into becoming the most sought after, well connected and the best digital platform for advertising and marketing products or services.

As the world's most popular social media website, it has now 2.07 billion monthly users active worldwide - offering a promising marketplace for automotive advertising.

A study conducted by Dealer.com reveals that almost twenty percent of buying population feels that social media greatly influences the narrowing of their brand or model consideration. Twenty-seven percent said social media greatly influences their identification of a dealership from which to purchase.

Though Facebook offers great opportunities for auto dealers, leveraging its benefits to the maximum extent is elusive. Its important to keep pace with the latest updates, trends and learn how to use them in your favor to reap maximum benefits!

Let's look at the ways with which you can leverage the benefits of Facebook.

Make your auto advertisements more appealing with Video Marketing

Videos have the ability to influence and convince people as it gives the car buyers an opportunity to take a look at the car they fancy without actually visiting a car dealership. Data from AutoTrader.com also shows that shoppers are 20% more likely to click on a specific vehicle listing if it has video.

With features like geo-targeting and audience data on Facebook, car dealers can make a real impact. FB is not only helpful in reaching out to customers, but it also gives an opportunity to build a relationship with them. By including customer testimonials, feedback, "know us" clips and walk around videos, dealers can make automotive advertising a reciprocal association.

Detailed Behavioral Targeting

In today's world where online website visits are more than showroom visits, finding and inbounding the right audience has never been more important for marketers. FB provides a more nuanced way to do this through behavioral targeting. With this feature you can narrow down your audience by adding several layers of behavioral categories, thus, making it easier to target new and existing customers alike. For instance, if your dealership has an extensive collection of new SUVs for sale, you can target those people who are looking to buy a new SUV. Similarly, all the people who visit your site and look at the SUVs, you can re-target these people through auto advertisements, offering a special offer.

Reaching out to Millennial shoppers

Millennials are far more likely to turn to social media and ask their friend's advice before heading into a dealership or finalizing a car. More than 9 out of 10 Millennials now turn to the Internet when shopping for a new car or truck, according to research conducted on behalf of eBay Motors.

Here's where customer reviews on Facebook play a crucial role. Since, Millennials are greatly influenced by the reviews given by the social peer's, dealerships must encourage their customers to post reviews and formulate an independent customer review strategy for FB. On an average, a Facebook user has approximately 350 friends, so even if one out of ten customers post a positive testimonial on his feed, this can add up to a lot of great testimonials for your dealership.

2018 is just around the corner and Facebook is already working on new ways to boost FB Ads. Hence, this is a good time to work with your automotive marketing agency, take a fresh look at your FB marketing strategies and make the most of this dynamic platform!

Automotive Digital Marketing Trends to Watch Out In 2017

It is time to look ahead to the New Year with new hopes and fresh ideas. As 2016 is in the rear view mirror, we need to turn our focus towards the marketing trends that are likely to dominate in 2017. Automotive industry is one of the largest industry spenders on digital advertising and 2017 won’t be any exception. If the reports are to be believed, the industry is expecting to spend a whopping amount of $14.14 billion on automotive digital marketing services by the year 2020. As the modern age customers turn more and more internet savvy, both the dealerships and independent automobile shops should shift their focus on boosting digital presence. If you are wondering about the top marketing trends to watch out in 2017, then let us offer you some insights.

Video marketing: Thanks to the ubiquity of video-driven social media platforms and online channels, the popularity of video marketing has been exploding like never before. Considered as the highly sought after marketing method in the recent years, video marketing plays a key role in connecting with the customers, engaging with them and converting them into potential customers. According to the statistics and reports published by the leading automotive marketing agencies, online video Ad spending has increased nearly 30% from 2015 to 2016. Over 60% of the businesses plan to increase their online video spending and 70% of brands plan to invest in social video ad in 2017. High quality video with informative and engaging content can build trust and authority in a brand which further generates sales and revenue streams.

Integration of sales and marketing channels: Gone are the days when potential buyers sought the guidance and tips of car salespeople before making a purchase. With the digital revolution, more and more people are turning towards word of mouth recommendations and online reviews. In short, automotive digital marketing services and sales concepts should be integrated to lure in the customers and generate profits. According to a report by Marketing Profs, companies with tightly aligned sales and marketing functions attained 36% higher customer retention rates and 38% higher sales win rates. Introducing new analytic tools and digital solutions can help in integrating the marketing efforts and sales channels seamlessly.

Social media advertising: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram and many more social networking sites have brought revolutionary change in the way we used to live and interact. Billions of people are registered on these social networking sites and billions are active users. So it is no surprise that business organizations can leverage the potential of social media platforms to get connected with the targeted audience.

Advanced targeting options, reliable conversion tracking and prevalence on mobile devices are some of the main factors that contribute to the exploding popularity of social media advertising. As per the forecasts, advertising spend on social networks will reach $36 billion in 2017. So, if you wish to stand out and gain edge, it is essential to consider social media advertising as a boost to your existing marketing strategies.