5 Car Dealership Marketing Ideas For Instagram

car dealership marketing ideas

Use Instagram to your dealership’s advantage with these car dealership marketing ideas

You revamped your dealership website, invested in a high-quality automotive CRM, and are finally sending out regular email newsletters to your customers. You’re proud of how you’ve brought the company into the digital age and brainstormed innovative car dealership marketing ideas—and you should be!

But how is your social media strategy looking? Do you have one? And no, finally making a business Facebook page last year and randomly posting deals doesn’t count.

If you’re only on Facebook or Twitter, you may want to look into joining another social platform that has risen among the ranks of social media power players: Instagram.

In the early years, people didn’t know what to do with Instagram other than put filters on photos and post them. Today, there are 8 million registered businesses on Instagram taking advantage of this direct connection to a younger demographic; approximately 59% of online adults ages 18-29 have Instagram accounts. If you want to tap into the Millennial market, you have to understand their car-buying habits and be where they are.

Don’t just make an Instagram account, though, and post sporadically without any strategy. If you can create a list of different car dealership marketing ideas for Instagram before getting started, you’ll already have a road map to guide you through the coming months as you work to establish a presence.

Break onto the Instagram scene with these car dealership marketing ideascar dealership marketing ideas

1. Make a good first impression

Your dealership’s profile picture is going to be the first thing most Instagram users see, so don’t underestimate the importance of making a good impression.

Your profile picture isn’t for pictures of vehicles or your staff or anything like that—ideally, you’ll keep it the same for as long as possible, so users will get accustomed to seeing your picture and automatically know it’s your dealership. For businesses, the best profile picture is often your logo so that you’re always on-brand.

2. Post slideshows when you share vehicles

You’re a car dealership, so naturally, you’re going to post photos of vehicles for sale on your Instagram page. What you may not realize, though, is that there’s a cool feature that lets you post a slideshow of up to ten photos. This is great news, as before, you could only choose the best photo of the vehicle and post it all alone. Now, you can give your Instagram followers a more in-depth look at a specific car without posting a million separate photos.

3. Have fun with Instagram Storiescar dealership marketing ideas

Instagram has a “Stories” feature that allows you to post multiple photos and videos that appear in a slideshow format at the top of the app. IG Stories disappear after 24 hours and won’t be on your profile at all. Use the Stories feature to create fun content that will make customers feel like insiders. For example, if you’re hosting a big event at the dealership, you can share pictures and videos all day long instead of oversharing and annoying your followers.

4. Put Instagram ads in your budget

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, your dealership gets lost in the Instagram shuffle, and you aren’t reaching as many users as you’d like. Luckily, there are plenty of targeted advertising options for brands like yours on the platform that can help you attract more followers, customers, and get more eyes on your dealership.

Instagram offers photo ads, video ads, carousel ads, and Stories ads, so when you’re coming up with car dealership marketing ideas, think about how they may be best received.

5. Add location and hashtagscar dealership marketing ideas

Instagram has an “Explore” feature where users can search for hashtags, people, or places. Anytime you post, when possible, include a few relevant hashtags (don’t go nuts—keep it around five or so) and tag your location. This will ensure you’re attracting users that are interested in what you’re selling and located close enough to buy from your dealership.

As you explore the world of Instagram, remind yourself that Instagram is different from other social media platforms because it is all about the visuals. Focus on taking high-quality photos and videos that are worth sharing and talking about, and you’ll begin to see your follower based (and customer base) grow in time.

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Patrick H.
Patrick H.