Facebook and the Auto Industry a Brief Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped a wide range of businesses, with the car industry at the top of the list. The transition to digital is the future of auto, and it's more crucial than ever for advertisers to have solid marketing plans in place so that resources can be allocated to the most successful and efficient techniques.
Several factors in the automobile sector will have an impact on the industry's destiny in 2022 and beyond. These developments affect how automobiles are fueled, driven, searched for, and purchased.
What’s Old is New Again
The selling of used autos is on the rise. According to industry experts, used automobile sales are predicted to grow at a 9% yearly rate between 2019 and 2025. The used car industry is strong and expanding, particularly for vehicles four years old or newer. These vehicles are outfitted with a range of cutting-edge automotive innovations while being less expensive than new vehicles.This category includes both pre-owned electric and hybrid automobiles. Certified pre-owned vehicles, which look, feel, and perform like new cars but cost a fraction of the price, are now available at dealerships. Low APR financing adds to the appeal of pre-owned vehicles.
It’s Electric
With the use of digital technology, the production of electric cars has increased. Automobile manufacturers are continuing to incorporate more digital technologies into their products. Furthermore, tech giants such as Google and Tesla are developing electrified and self-driving vehicles. As a result, vehicles developed in 2022 and beyond will undoubtedly be packed with technology to handle digital touch points. Great competitiveness exists in the creation of software and digital and electronic operating systems to power and control the new, revolutionary zero-emission electric automobiles. Innovative digital tech will be integrated into these new automobiles.
Introducing the Fuel Cell
Fuel cell electric vehicles are expected to make their global debut in 2022. Fuel cell electric vehicles are gaining popularity since A great deal of competitiveness exists in the creation of software and digital and electronic operating systems to power and control the upcoming, revolutionary zero-emission electric automobiles. In 2022, an increasing number of car, truck, and SUV manufacturers have invested in the research and growth of fuel cell electric vehicles. Furthermore, fuel cell electric vehicles are supported by China, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and the United States. As a result, 2022 could be the year they finally succeed.
Going Digital
Digital sales of automobiles are on the rise. Automobile manufacturers in North America and Europe have begun to offer customers the option of shopping for cars online rather than going to a showroom. Buyers can shop at their leisure, explore, select the amenities they desire on a vehicle, and obtain the financing they require using a computer or smartphone. Furthermore, dealerships now offer online sales, virtual walk-around technologies for internet buyers, at-home road tests, and home delivery of automobiles they sell. In 2022, more dealers will do so.
More Connected Than Ever
Vehicles that are wirelessly connected to the Internet of Things are known as connected cars, by utilizing on-demand technologies that allow you to do anything you want on the web while in your vehicle, these vehicles deliver a secure, pleasant, and convenient multimedia experience.
Outside of their local area network, connected automobiles can communicate bidirectionally with a variety of other technologies. Vehicles can exchange data and internet connection with devices both inside and outside the car. Connected automobiles are now able to provide the driver with digital data and telematics, engine performance reports, data-only diagnostics, access 4G LTE Wi-Fi Hotspots, get turn-by-turn instructions, warn of car health risks, and intervene immediately to avoid failures. By 2022, connected automobile technology will be used in a variety of ways, including anticipatory intelligence and maintenance technology.
New Partnerships
It's not unexpected to see automakers and technology businesses creating alliances, given the rapid rate at which new technical breakthroughs are being incorporated into cars and other sorts of vehicles. To operate safely and correctly, electric, connected, and autonomous vehicles require specialized software and modern technologies. Automobile, truck, and SUV makers must either begin investing significantly in their technology divisions or form partnerships with tech firms that can design and construct the new operating systems that the next generation of technologically advanced vehicles will require. Experts expect that the number of car manufacturers and technology companies working together will more than double by 2022.
Mobility Sharing
Shared mobility is a fresh business concept that is gaining traction as a viable alternative to traditional car ownership. In shared mobility, two or more persons share the same car for a limited time. It's similar to Uber or renting a car on a personal basis. In recent years, this demand-driven vehicle-sharing arrangement has grown in popularity. Every day, new firms offering shared mobility choices emerge, providing a creative, economical, and convenient alternative to vehicle ownership's high prices and numerous obligations. In 2022, shared transportation is predicted to skyrocket.
Automated Chauffeurs
Self-driving cars are nowhere to stay and are predicted to become increasingly common in 2022 and beyond. Driverless cars are safer, minimize downtime, broaden the last-mile delivery scope, reduce driver tiredness and malfeasance accidents, improve fuel efficiency by 10%, and reduce CO2 emissions by 42 million metric tons per year, according to research. Several transport businesses have installed and tested self-driving technology at various locations across the country. By the end of 2022, a fleet of autonomous self-driving commercial vehicles or a self-driving Tesla could become ubiquitous in the lane next to you.
Marketing Remade
Automobile dealers in China market cars, organize visits, and book test-drives via third-party e-commerce networks. Influencers on social media will play a bigger role in engaging with customers and driving interest in the new automobiles that will come to market in 2022. Roadster, G Forces, Digital Motors, Sophus3, and CitNow are technology enablers that fuel the automotive industry and engage customers digitally through attractive images, fascinating presentations, and powerful pitches. In 2022, car purchasers should expect a lot more of it.
Facebook and the Auto Industry
Let us focus on that last one for a moment. According to some estimates, the average social media user spends 2 hours and 22 minutes every day on social media. This means that if employed correctly, those 2 hours and 22 minutes each day can help your firm increase brand awareness, attract more traffic, drive revenue, and enhance overall conversion rates.
Social media and Facebook, in particular, have been on the rise as a tool for the modern marketer. According to a recent study, 75% of consumers now utilize social media before making significant purchasing decisions. On a variety of platforms, both paid, and unpaid Social Media advertisements are available for your business. With over 221.6 million members in the United States alone, Facebook is one of the greatest sites to utilize.
Facebook is wonderful because it offers both organic and paid marketing possibilities for your business. Advertisers can use Facebook advertising to achieve a range of marketing objectives, such as increasing brand awareness and driving on-site transactions. There are choices for both free and paid advertising. However, like with any sort of digital marketing, your ability to meet your goals is mostly determined by your advertising budget as well as the amount of time and attention you devote to it.
Benefits of Using Facebook as an Auto Dealer
Capabilities for Generating Leads
For car dealerships, one of the most common purposes of Facebook advertising is to create quality leads for the sales team. Because most clients already have a broad concept of the make and model they want, Facebook lead advertisements can simply persuade them to take the next step in the buying process.
Instead of relying on ineffective sales approaches like cold calling, harness the power of Facebook to send quality leads to your dealership! In addition, by focusing your lead generation efforts on Facebook, your sales staff or Business Development Center can devote more time and energy to creating client connections and closing deals rather than prospecting.
Many people want to hear from you, but filling out forms on a mobile device might be tricky. The technique of generating leads with Facebook lead ads is simple. People can just tap your ad to bring up a form that has already been pre-populated with their Facebook contact information and is ready to be delivered to you. They may acquire the information they need with only a few taps, and you get a qualified lead for your firm. Furthermore, newly produced leads from Facebook may be linked immediately with your CRM, allowing your sales staff to take fast action.
Instagram Integration
Despite not having the same reach as Facebook, Instagram has over 100 million users in the United States. After Facebook and YouTube, Instagram is the third most popular social media network in the United States.
Instagram's user base is increasing at a higher rate than Facebook's, just like Facebook's. The pool of automobile shoppers to prospect and offer advertising on Instagram will grow as the platform matures.
In terms of Instagram usage, 62 percent of users visit the platform on a daily basis, with 42 percent visiting multiple times a day. The site is particularly popular among young adults between the ages of 18 and 24.
Due to Facebook's ownership of Instagram, dealerships may easily advertise their Facebook advertisements on both platforms without having to develop two distinct ad campaigns. You may take advantage of the combined audience from both Facebook and Instagram by running the same ad on both platforms.
Online Search is Fueled by Facebook Ads
Facebook ads also promote online search and complement your paid search marketing efforts, which is why they should be in every dealership's marketing arsenal.
According to a 2017 cross-channel study, persons who saw Facebook advertisements had 19 percent more organic search-referred site visits, and 10% more paid search-referred site visits than people who didn't see Facebook advertising. People who viewed Facebook advertising were also more inclined to take action on a website during their visit, according to the study.
To put it another way, Facebook advertisements add value to your overall marketing approach. By raising the quantity of purchasing intent in your dealer's targeted audience, that value might potentially help boost the efficiency of other digital marketing channels, such as sponsored search.
Facebook also discovered that mobile-heavy Facebook advertisements resulted in higher-paid search traffic volume and quality. People who viewed Facebook advertising were also more inclined to seek an advertiser's website and click through. Campaigns in the study had an average rise of 6.3 percent in mobile search traffic compared to a.9 percent increase on desktop.
So, what does this indicate for you and your business? Your dealership can raise awareness of its automobile offers by employing Facebook Ads. Your paid search campaigns benefit from the awareness generated by your Facebook and Instagram ads by driving more relevant paid search traffic.
Machine Learning and Automation Can Assist You in Reaching Out to More Buyers
Machine learning in Facebook Ads AI and automation technology can assist your dealership by making it easier and faster to locate new and existing in-market buyers.
Facebook launched a separate auto-specific ad type called Automotive Inventory Ads to assist vehicle businesses. These adverts display users' real-time vehicle availability and pricing depending on the automobiles they have expressed an interest in purchasing.
Depending on the link your dealership includes in your vehicle offers, you can direct in-market buyers to vehicle detail pages or search results sites from these advertising. Furthermore, Facebook Ads Automotive Inventory Ads are simple to create. Without having to develop each ad independently, you only need to build up your campaign once to promote all of your inventory. Your dealership's campaigns are automatically set up to reach customers depending on their behaviors on your website or Facebook once they've been set up.
When compared to previous prospecting campaigns with the same budget, one dealership that used Automotive Inventory Ads to prospect for new consumers noticed 3.2 times more vehicle detail page visits. They also noticed a threefold reduction in the cost per vehicle detail page view.
This is just one example of how Facebook Ads and Automotive Inventory Ads can help your dealership's marketing efforts.
In terms of automation, Facebook Ads offers a variety of alternatives for automatic optimization geared toward your dealership's objectives. You can, for example, have Facebook distribute your ad set's budget among several ad placements (places where advertising might appear throughout Facebook and Instagram) based on where your ads are most likely to perform well.
This saves you time by eliminating the need to manually select ad places while also automatically optimizing your ad placements to produce the greatest results for your dealership. Dealers can also use digital marketing solutions to automate Facebook Ads, making them much handier for them.
Full-Funnel Targeting with a Variety of Engagement Options
Facebook is likely the only digital network that successfully caters to users at all points of their engagement journey. Any marketing approach can benefit from Facebook's ad formats, targeting possibilities, and measurement features.
It's useful whether a consumer is in the upper funnel, leisurely browsing and just getting started with their research, or in the mood to buy. Facebook's sponsored stories, video advertisements, and carousel ads are wonderful ways to stimulate someone's curiosity without being too blatant during the awareness stage.
Users will not interact with or evaluate your material if they are not in the appropriate state of mind to do so.If they are, this is your moment to surprise and please them with something that is extremely visual, distinctive, and demonstrates how your service or product might be useful. In this case, the automobiles or automobile service options you provide.
The purpose isn't to demonstrate a lot of advantages. The goal is to show something that will pique a user's interest and encourage them to do more research when the time is right. If you want to reach users in the middle of the funnel (i.e., in the consideration stage), Facebook has six potential options.
To be clear, they not only allow you to engage consumers on Facebook, but they also allow you to drive off-Facebook behaviors, such as users interacting with content on your website. If getting people to think about your business is your primary goal, Facebook can be an excellent source of highly qualified traffic. Conversion campaign choices will help transaction-oriented marketers.
Transparency with the Audience
While some programmatic platforms have audience targeting performance comparable to Facebook's, Facebook's audience reach is very visible. Your firm has a great level of control and transparency over the audiences it targets, thanks to self-selecting audience targeting.
Making the Most of Your Budget
Some advertising on Facebook does come at a price, but marketing there does not have to break the bank. Any budget can be used to run ads on Facebook, Instagram, and Audience Network. Some businesses spend more money on lattes than they do on their advertising campaigns each day. In Facebook's ad auction, the actual cost of your ad being shown to someone is established. Advertising Manager, Facebook's ad management tool, is the most popular way to buy ads for Facebook, Instagram, and Audience Network.
Create an ad and submit it to their ad auction to purchase ads. You tell Facebook how much money you'd like to spend on ads. Then, for that amount, Facebook will try to get you as many results as possible. You can spend $5 per week if you want to. You can also spend $50,000 every week if you want to.
If you have automatic payments, you will not immediately pay for your advertisements. Instead, you'll accrue ad charges while your advertisements run, and Facebook will charge you automatically on your monthly bill date and when you reach a particular spending level. Charges will be made to your primary payment method, which you can edit, add, or remove at any time. If you buy ads with PayPal or most credit or debit cards, this is how you'll pay.
If you choose manual payments, you'll deposit money into your account before your advertisements run, and Facebook removes money from it up to once a day while they're running. If you use either of these manual payment methods to buy advertisements, this is how you'll pay; however, most manual payment methods also allow you to add deposit funds with a credit or debit card.
Getting Started With Facebook
Facebook Pages
Before you can start to sell cars on Facebook, your company will need to create a Facebook Page. Once you've created one, your Page will connect your company to Facebook's more than 2 billion users. Aside from linking you with old and new clients, Facebook pages offer a variety of features to keep users engaged. People can learn about your company's culture and principles by visiting its pages. They enable you to share information about forthcoming developments in the automobile sector as well as useful pieces about the savings that your company can provide to prospective buyers. You may also use Facebook pages to organize events and polls and communicate with customers via Messenger.
How to Create a Facebook Page
Visit facebook.com/pages/create to create your business page. (Note that you must be logged in to your personal account to do so, but you will be able to conceal your personal information.)
Choose either a business/brand or a community/public person page.
Add your company's information (name, phone number, and location). Then, under Edit Profile, add your other details, such as operating hours and a link to your website.
Facebook allows you to upload your profile and cover photos. On a computer, your Page will be 170x170 pixels; on a regular smartphone, it will be 128x128 pixels; and on a premium phone, it will be 36x36 pixels. The image you utilize must be at least 400 pixels wide and 150 pixels tall for page covers. Your cover image will appear as 820 pixels wide by 312 pixels high on computers and 640 pixels wide by 360 pixels high on smartphones.
To make your vanity URL, click Create Page @username. Vanity URLs are up to 50 characters long and make it easier for people to locate you on Facebook.
Click Add a Button under your cover photo to add a call to action. "Contact Us" and "Get an estimate immediately" are two excellent buttons.
Consistency is key. Choose a day or two during the week when you'll write fresh entries. Your fans will know when to expect new content from you this way. The more real information you provide, the more buzz your Page generates and the more searchable it gets. Maintain a light, easy-to-read tone in your writing. Use hashtags to reach out to people who are interested in cars, but don't go crazy. Spamming is detectable by apps like Facebook and Instagram, and it reflects negatively on your brand. Instead, use one to five hashtags. Without investing any money, you will naturally attract followers and generate interest in your business.
Be sure to follow and comment on pages having to do with automobiles. This will attract attention from potential customers and also make your Page come up more often in searches. You can also create video blogs and post pictures on your Page. This is a great opportunity to show your expertise when it comes to cars and will help you with attracting a fan following.
Facebook Business Manager/Meta Business Suite
Facebook is a useful tool for your automotive dealership that you can get through the Facebook desktop web page. You can manage your Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger profiles all in one place with a Business Manager, saving you time and simplifying customer interactions. It has features including a consolidated inbox, an analytics dashboard, and the ability to publish and schedule content across many platforms.
However, you should be made aware of some recent changes. The Facebook firm has changed its name to Meta, and Facebook Business Suite has changed its name to Meta Business Suite. Despite the change in name, Facebook (Meta) continues to offer the same products, including the Meta Facebook app. Their Data Policy and Terms of Service remain in place, and the change in name has no bearing on how they use or distribute data.
Meta Business Suite allows you to manage your Facebook and Instagram accounts in one place. It provides a number of tools to assist you in managing your internet presence and reaching out to new customers. If you utilize Business Manager, you might expect to see certain changes in Meta Business Suite.
You may use Insights to see analytics, trends, and visual reports that can help you figure out which Facebook Page and Instagram strategies are working and which need to be tweaked. Then you may change your time and resource allocation accordingly.
Creating an Ad with Facebook Business Manager
To get started, go to the Business Suite desktop.
From the left sidebar, select Ads. Then, at the top right, select Create Ad. Alternatively, you can use the Promote button at the top of your homepage.
From the dropdown menu in the top right, select your ad account.
Choose an objective for your advertisement.
On the next screen, complete the sections. Facebook may request the following information, depending on the aim you select:
Ad Creative: Choose an ad format, upload a photo or video, then write your headline and ad content. You can also choose whether or not to utilize automatic placements and whether or not to include a call to action.
Special Ad Category: Select whether you're running a credit, employment, or housing ad as a special ad category.
Audience: You can target your ad to people based on specific qualities, such as their interests, geography, gender, and age. Alternatively, you can use an audience that Facebook has already developed for you, such as those who like your Page, or you can create your own audience. If you want to make a new audience, click Create New Audience.
Schedule and Duration: You can set the start and end dates for your ad, as well as the length of the ad, by editing "Days." You can also choose an "End date" to define how long your ad will run.
Daily Budget: Set a daily budget for the duration of your advertisement. The number of people you reach will be influenced by the budget you specify.
Customer Information: In your form, choose what information you want to gather from customers. For more information that may be useful to you, click "Show More Options."
Payment: Select what account Facebook will charge for ads and extra services. Note that while Business Suite itself is free, ad campaigns are not.
Privacy Policy: In the event that your business has a privacy policy, you can include it directly in your ad. Just include a link to the policy and the title of the policy, and your ad will include the policy.
On the right, you can see a preview of how your ad will look. Click the preview dropdown to see how it will look across different formats.
When you’re done, click Promote Now.
Connecting your Facebook Page to Business Suite
To connect your Facebook Page and Instagram account on Android:
Go to your Page and tap Settings.
Tap Instagram.
Tap Log In.
Enter your username and password and tap login.
To connect your Facebook Page and Instagram account on your iPhone or iPad:
Go to your Page and tap Settings.
Tap Instagram.
Tap Connect.
Paid Options
AutomotiveInventory Ads
Creating an Ad with Meta Business Suite
What is an Ads Manager, exactly? If you want to run advertising on multiple platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, or Audience Network, Ads Manager is a good place to start. It's a one-stop shop for creating ads, scheduling when and where they'll run, and tracking how well your campaigns are accomplishing your marketing goals.
You can keep an eye on the campaign you created even if you are on the road with the Ads Manager app for iOS and Android. You'll be able to develop and update ads, track their success, and manage ad budgets and schedules from anywhere.
With Facebook's automotive inventory advertisements, you can promote your full vehicle inventory to the most appropriate audience on any device. Depending on the ad placements you select, your automobile inventory advertising may display on Facebook or Instagram. If you are a dealership with a Facebook Page, it is recommended that you set up your automotive inventory ads from your Page or Facebook Business Suite.
You may notice that Facebook has switched your desktop environment to Meta Business Suite if you were formerly using Business Manager. If you want to use Business Manager rather than Meta Business Suite, follow the procedures below.
Note: These instructions are only for the Meta Business Suite desktop only!
From the global navigation option at the bottom of your left sidebar, select Give feedback.
Select Business Manager from the dropdown menu.
To confirm, click the blue switch button. Note: Posts scheduled in Meta Business Suite will be published on the appointed date. Meta Business Suite is required to view and modify these posts.
On the next screen, you'll be prompted to leave your feedback. When you're finished, click Send Feedback.
After that, click Done.
The Business Manager interface should reload on your Page.
Go to Business Tools, which looks like a square with dots in the top left corner of your Page, to return to Meta Business Suite from Business Manager. Then, in the Manage Business section, select Meta Business Suite. The Meta Business Suite interface should reload on your website.
The steps following are only applicable if you're using Meta Business Suite desktop to create an ad.
In Meta Business Suite, you must add a Facebook Page to your Business Account. More information on Business Accounts can be found here.
Click the dropdown menu at the top left of your sidebar to select a different Business Account.
After that select the appropriate Business Account. More information on Business Accounts can be found here.
Ascertain that you have a Page position that permits you to advertise.
Creating Your Ad
Go to the desktop version of Meta Business Suite.
From the left sidebar, select Ads.
Then, at the top right, select Create Ad. Alternatively, you can use the Promote button at the top of your homepage.
From the dropdown menu on the top right, select your ad account.
Choose an objective for your advertisement.
On the next screen, complete the sections. Depending on the aim you choose, you may be asked to provide information for your:
AD Creative: Select an ad format, upload your photo or video(s), then write your ad text and title. You may also choose whether or not to use automatic placements for your call to action.
Special Ad Category: Select whether you're posting a credit, employment, or housing ad as a special ad category.
Audience: Select the audience for the ad based on specific characteristics such as their interests, geography, gender, age bracket, and more. You can choose from an audience we've developed for you, such as people who like your Page or an audience you've already utilized. To use a new audience, click Create New Audience.
Schedule and Duration: For your ad, choose the start date and time. You can specify how long you want the ad to run by adjusting Days or selecting an End date.
You may see a preview of your ad on the right. To see how it will look in other formats, use the preview dropdown.
Click Promote Now when you're finished.
Review Your Meta Business Suite Ad
Review your ad by selecting Adverts from the left-hand menu; you may access your ads. To learn more about an advertisement, click on it.
Ad Status: Check the status of the ad, such as whether it is active, under review, or completed. You can make an ad inactive by turning it off. The advertisement will be turned off.
Campaign Details: See details about your ad, such as how long it will run, whom it will target, and where it will appear.
Ad Preview: See how your ad will look in several places, as well as insights for each.
Results: Click View Results to discover how well your ad is performing over time and how much money you've spent on it. You can also see results based on the audience if you choose Lifetime.
Audience: View the performance of your ad for specific audiences segmented by gender, age, placements, and location.
Switch Your Ad Accounts: To see advertising for the various ad accounts you have, go to Ads on the top left and select Switch Accounts.
Final Thoughts
Facebook can be a great place to not only promote your dealership and share your expertise but also work as an offsite dealership to sell your vehicles. It allows you to analyze sales and post engagement to see what your advertising budget is truly capable of doing. At 7Social, we offer numerous packages to meet all your Facebook advertising needs. So leave all the hard stuff to use and enjoy as the leads come rolling in!