Sally EubanksTaking Facebook Advertising to the Next Level for Automotive Dealerships Part Two: Advanced Tactics
Updated: Jul 26, 2022
If you’ve recently read part one of our series on using Facebook for advertising your dealership, then you know it is a powerful tool for getting your cars out into the world and converting your audience into customers. Now we want to go more in depth about two kinds of Facebook Ads to help you on your way. These ads are Automotive Inventory Ads and Automotive Offer Ads.
Automotive Inventory Ad
Let’s start with the first. Why are automotive inventory ads so important? Unlike dynamic ads, inventory ads are designed to target and retarget car buyers who are actively looking for a new or used vehicle. The automotive inventory ad uses a pixel on your website, or SDK in your app to track users and see what actions they are taking and what kinds of vehicles they are looking at.
Facebook's automotive inventory advertisements allow you to automatically market your full car inventory to the most appropriate audience, regardless of device. Depending on the ad placements you pick, your auto inventory advertising might display on Facebook or Instagram.
There are four steps to creating an automotive inventory ad and we will be going over all four here.
1. Create a Catalog*
2. Implement a Pixel
3. Connect your Pixel with your Catalog
4. Create an Ad Template
* Please note that as of 2021, while you can create catalogs and advertisements for new cars, if you want to list on Marketplace, only used cars may be listed.
Benefits of Automotive Inventory Ads
Quick and Easy One-Time Setup.
Automotive inventory advertising are automated, efficient, and customizable; you just need to set up your campaign once to market your whole inventory, as opposed to creating each ad individually.
Target Potential Customers Who are the Most Likely to Make a Purchase.
With automotive inventory advertisements, you can automatically deliver ads with real-time availability and price to individuals based on the automobiles they indicate a desire to buy.
Reach Potential Customers Across Several Devices.
Your advertisements will display on web and mobile, independent of the device that was used to view your goods first.
Remove the Frustration Caused by Delayed Mobile Page Loading Times.
When you employ automotive inventory advertisements with a Facebook destination, you will link customers to a mobile-optimized car detail page that has all the pertinent information about your vehicles instead of waiting forever for a desktop ad to load.
Catalogs
To get started, you will first need to create a catalog of your inventory! Catalogs are a great way to show off the vehicles you have for sale, and you can even use them to establish vehicle sets to better target customers, such as a set that shows nothing but trucks!
If your inventory contains 50 cars or less, Facebook suggests setting up a catalog manually in Commerce Manager. Otherwise, you should upload to Commerce Manager via a vehicle feed. We will be going over both methods here today.
Manual Commerce Manager Upload
1. Login to Facebook and head over to Commerce Manager.
2. You can now start creating your catalog:
a. If this is your first time uploading vehicles from your automotive catalog, click b. Get Started. Click Create Catalog followed by Get Started.
c. If you have at least one catalog, all of your catalogs will be shown. Choose . 3. Add Catalog to create a new catalog.
4. Select Auto and then click Next.
5. Select the account for Meta Business Manager to which your catalog belongs. Enter a name for your catalog, then click Create.
6. There will be a notification that your catalog has been generated. Click View Catalog to continue.
7. To begin adding automobiles to your catalog, go to the Items tab in the menu on the left. Choose Add Items.
8. Select Add Manually and click Next.
9. Add a picture of the car you are advertising and fill out the form in its entirety.
10. Select Finish when you are done to save the car to your catalog. To add an additional item, choose Add Another Item and repeat.
Vehicle Feed Upload
Before you begin you will need to follow the steps in the previous section to create your catalog from scratch. The next thing you will need to do is create a data feed file for each car you want to market. You may list all of your cars in a single feed or build several feeds for certain vehicle categories. For instance, all trucks bearing the same brand.
You will then need to create a data feed file from a template. A data feed enables you to upload and manage catalog items in bulk using an Excel spreadsheet. Your file must have some needed fields including information about your products, such as title, description, and price. Fields vary based on the sort of products you offer. To build your document, you may download a template with the necessary fields and fill it out.
Downloading Your Template
1. Navigate to Commerce Manager and choose your catalog.
2. Under the Catalog tab, go to Data Sources.
3. Choose Add Items. If a dropdown menu opens, choose Add Multiple Items.
4. Select Data Feed and then Next.
5. Under Is your spreadsheet or file ready?, select No, I need a Facebook template and then Next.
6. Choose either Build Template or Download Template. You should select the standard template.
Filling in Your Template
1. Open the downloaded CSV file in a spreadsheet tool like Microsoft Excel or import it into Google Sheets.
2. In a separate tab or window, open the data feed requirements. These will be useful when you fill up your template.
3. Examine your template. Column names in your header row are fields. Change the field names since they must remain in US English and perfectly meet the standards. Each of your things will be described in the rows below. You must fill out all of the necessary areas. You may leave the fields marked as optional or remove them entirely.
4. Replace any sample rows in your template with actual information about your vehicles. Some fields accept free text, while others only accept certain values, therefore be sure to thoroughly read the field descriptions in the specs to prevent problems.
5. Save your file in CSV format after you've completed adding information about your vehicles.
Starting the Upload Process
The upload Process will be the same for the first 6 steps but after step 7, the steps will change based on the manner you choose to upload your file.
Getting Started
1. Select your catalog in Commerce Manager.
2. Navigate to the Catalog tab and then to Data Sources.
3. Select Add Items. If a dropdown appears, select Add Multiple Items.
4. Select Data Feed, then Next.
5. Select Yes under Is your spreadsheet or file ready? and then Next.
6. Optional: Check File to see whether your file is properly formatted. In a new tab, a tool appears. Select Validate after pasting numerous rows from your file into the program. If you find any mistakes, make the necessary changes to your file before continuing. When you're done, close the tab and click Next.
Uploading Your File From a Computer
Upload your file from your computer as a single upload. This is a simple option if your item information doesn’t change very often. Skip to section.
1. Drag and drag a file from your computer or choose Choose files on your device. 2. Your file must be in CSV, TSV, XLSX, or XML (RSS/ATOM) format and no more than 100 MB. Choose Next.
3. Examine the parameters for your data stream. Choose to make any changes. If the prices in your file do not contain a currency code, the default currency will be utilized.
4. Choose Save Feed and Upload.
5. If your file has any field (column) name concerns you will be notified. For instance, there might be a misspelled field name or one that Facebook does not support. Match fields in your file to our needed fields under Column Issues. Match any fields Facebook don't recognize to fields Facebook supports under Unrecognizable Columns. Then click Upload. Facebook will establish data feed rules to resolve these errors automatically for future uploads of this data feed.
Uploading Your File From a URL
Provide the link to your file saved on your server or a hosting website such as Dropbox or Google Drive. This is a convenient option if your item information changes often because you’ll set up scheduled uploads to update your catalog automatically. Skip to section.
1. Enter the URL of your file's hosting location. The URL must begin with one of the following characters: http://, https://, ftp:/, or sftp:/. It must point to your CSV, TSV, XLSX, or XML (RSS/ATOM) file, not to a landing page on your website, Facebook Page, or elsewhere. You may use your browser to see whether the URL downloads your file. The maximum file size is 8 GB. Enter your login information if your URL begins with ftp:/ or sftp:/ and is password protected.
2. When you're done, click Next.
3. Choose an upload schedule for your data stream that is hourly, daily, or weekly. Next should be selected.
4. Examine the parameters for your data stream. Choose to make any changes. If the prices in your file do not contain a currency code, the default currency will be utilized.
5. Choose Save Feed and Upload.
6. If your file has any field (column) name concerns, they may be listed. For example, there might be a misspelled field name or one that Facebook does not support. Match the fields in your file to our needed fields under Column Issues. Match any fields Facebook does not recognize to fields we support in Unrecognizable Columns. Then choose Upload. Facebook will establish data feed rules to automatically address these errors for future uploads of this data feed.
Uploading Your File From Google Sheets
Provide the link to your file saved as a spreadsheet in Google Sheets. This is a convenient option if your item information changes often because you’ll set up scheduled uploads to update your catalog automatically.
1. Enter the URL where your file is hosted. The URL must begin with one of the following characters: http://, https://, ftp:/, orsftp:/. It must point to your file in CSV, TSV, XLSX, or XML (RSS/ATOM) format, not to a landing page on your website, Facebook Page, or elsewhere. You may test the URL in your browser to ensure that it downloads your file. The file size restriction is 8 GB. If your URL begins with ftp:/ or sftp:/ and is password protected, provide your login information.
2. When you're done, click Next.
3. Set your data feed upload schedule to hourly, daily, or weekly. Next should be selected.
4. Examine the parameters for your data stream. Choose to make any changes. If the prices in your file do not contain a currency code, the default currency will be utilized.
5. Choose Save Feed and Upload.
6. You may see a notification your file has any field (column) name concerns. For instance, there might be a misspelled field name or one that Facebook does not support. Match fields in your file to our needed fields under Column Issues. Match any fields Facebook does not recognize to fields Facebook supports under Unrecognizable Columns. Then click Upload. Facebook will establish data feed rules to resolve these errors automatically for future uploads of this data feed.
Pixels
In addition to a catalog, you are also going to want to implement a pixel. The Meta Pixel is a piece of code that, when placed on your website, enables you to determine the success of your advertising by analyzing the actions visitors perform on your site. You can use the Meta Pixel to identify new consumers or those who have visited a certain page or performed a desired action on your website. It can also be used to set up automatic bidding and collect data to help you better understand the impact of your advertisements by measuring what occurs when they are viewed.
There are three fundamental stages to installing the Pixel on your website, creating the Pixel, adding the pixel to your website and using the Pixel to track important business operations by adding standard event code to relevant pages.
Of course, at 7Social, we can do all of this for you.
Creating the Pixel
Here is how to create a Pixel if you do not already have one.
1. Navigate to Events Manager.
2. Select Web under Connect Data Sources.
3. Click Connect after selecting Meta Pixel.
4. Name Your Pixel.
5. Enter your website URL to see if there are any simple setup options available.
Click the Continue button.
Installing the Pixel on Your Website
There are three methods to add a Facebook Pixel to Your Website. You can add it manually via code, you can use partner integration, or you can email the instructions to your website development partner and have them add it for you. We will be going over each.
First however, we need to go over what an Event is when it comes to a Pixel. An Event is any action taken by a customer on your website such as making a purchase, adding an item to a wish list, viewing content or scheduling a test drive. When an event occurs, the pixel is triggered and when they visit Facebook, they will get an ad for your dealership.
Adding the Pixel Manually
1. Head over to Events Manager.
2. On the left side of the page, click the Data sources button. It looks like a triangle with a circle at each pointe.
3. Choose the Pixel you wish to configure.
4. Click Continue Pixel Setup.
5. Select Meta Pixel followed by Connect..
6. Choose Manually install code.
7. Copy the basic Pixel code.
8. Locate the header of your website or the header template in your content management system or web platform. Paste the basic code directly above the closing head tag at the bottom of the header section. The header tag should look like this <head>.
9. Select Continue.
10. Optional: Toggle on Automatic Advanced Matching and confirm the customer data to be sent.
11. Select Continue.
12. Now you may add events to your website using the Event Setup Tool or by manually inserting code. Manually setup needs to be done by a developer so for the purpose we will only go over using the Event Setup Tool.
13. To add events and parameters without extra code, click Open Event Configuration Tool.
14. To add events to your site, follow the on-screen instructions.
15. Click Done
Adding the Pixel Via Partner Integration
1. Head over to Events Manager.
2. On the left side of the page, click the Data sources button. It looks like a triangle with a circle at each pointe.
3. Choose the Pixel you wish to configure.
4. Click Continue Pixel Setup.
5. Select Use a partner.
6. Select a partner from the dropdown menu.
7. Follow the onscreen instructions.
Emailing Instructions to a Development Partner
1. Head over to Events Manager.
2. On the left side of the page, click the Data sources button. It looks like a triangle with a circle at each pointe.
3. Choose the Pixel you wish to configure.
4. Click Continue Pixel Setup.
5. Select Email Instructions
6. Enter your developer’s email address
7. Select Send
Connecting Pixels and Catalogs
Here is how to connect your catalog with your pixel!
1. Head over to Commerce Manager.
2. Select your catalog.
3. Open the Catalog tab and go to Events.
4. Select Connect to tracking.
5. Select the Pixel you want to use and select Save.
Ad Templates
Automotive inventory advertising appears to be identical to other single or Carousel advertisements from Meta and Meta Audience Network that are active on Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms. Instead of producing an ad for each of your goods separately, you construct an ad template that incorporates photos and details from your data stream automatically. Meta Advertisements Manager allows you to develop an ad template for car inventory ads.
To Create Your Template, Follow the Steps Below
1. Select Catalog Sales as your aim in Ads Manager.
2. Select the catalog that holds the car inventory you'd like to promote from the drop-down menu next to the catalog. Click Continue.
3. Choose your ad destination at the ad set level, which is where your advertisements will go to individuals who click on them. You have the option of sending visitors to your website or to a Facebook destination.
4. Select a vehicle set or build a new one in the Vehicles section. A vehicle set comprises a subset of your catalog's inventory. Your chosen vehicle set is then utilized in your advertisements.
5. You have the option of reaching out to consumers who have made activities on your website, such as browsing for a car. You may also select to exclude folks from a previously saved audience. You may retarget a stored audience but exclude folks who have just bought a car, for example.
6. Fill up the Audience section, which allows you to add and omit criteria. Note: You may also target a broad audience with your ad, which will help you expose the most relevant inventory in your catalog to customers who are most likely to buy.
7. Complete the Placements section and choose a Budget & Schedule for your ads.
8. Click Continue.
Fill in the information of your ad and select the picture format you'd like to use. The Carousel and single picture formats, as well as the collection ad format - Meta's full screen, immersive experience for mobile - are all supported in automotive inventory advertisements. You may also add an overlay to your ad to show the price of your goods, the sale %, or a "strikethrough" over a price to indicate that it has been dropped while you're in Ads Manager.
Supported Placements and Formats for Automotive Inventory Ads
Automotive advertisements are available in a range of styles and places. Different positions and layouts are available depending on whether you're promoting merchandise or specials. For car inventory advertisements, the following locations and formats are available.
