Have you struggled with using social media for your automotive business?

It’s time to re-evaluate or even create your social media strategy because your business needs it!

Keep reading as we walk through the strategies that are geared toward the automotive industry to bring social media success to your business.

Engagement Is Key

One of the most important ways to utilize social media is by getting your followers and other users to interact with your posts. Some posts, however, may not be worth engaging with for many social media users.

Some of the most engaging posts on social media are pop-culture related, quotes, tips and tricks and question posts.

For example, your automotive repair business can create a text post on social media asking followers, “What was your first car? Comment below!” A post like this is directly encouraging your followers to comment back on your post or possibly repost on their page to spread the question to their followers.

If your business specializes in tire repair and alignment, post a high-quality photo with a short text giving followers a tip for keeping their tires in good shape during the wintertime. Consumers will be more likely to comment on, share and save this type of post.

So, let your followers enjoy their experience of following your social media pages! We understand that the automotive industry may seem challenging to keep entertaining, but think about the things you enjoy or find helpful on social media and give that to your followers!

For more information on increasing follower engagement on social media, check out this blog!

Post Photos and Videos

Don’t forget that social media users want posts to feel personal!

One of the most personal ways to reach followers through social media is by posting photos and videos, but we don’t mean using a simple stock photo. You can add an additional level of personalization by taking pictures of your business in action!

Whether it is a before and after photo of a completed car repair job or an employee changing the oil in someone’s car, posting photos or videos that display what your business can offer its customers has a great return.

According to research, posts with visual content on Facebook increase engagement by 68 percent, and social media posts with videos boost views by 48 percent.

You don’t need a professional photographer to get nice photos for social media! Fortunately, your phone is the perfect resource to capture pictures or videos in the moment. It’s been found that heavily liked photos on Facebook are playful and creative, something that stock photos can’t offer.

Make Your Posts Easy to Understand

There is a lot of technical jargon that comes with working in the auto industry, and some of your followers are not accustomed to those terms!

Think about it — Newspaper and blog writers must cater to a broad audience and in doing so, must write at a simpler level that is understandable for a large population of readers. Usually, this means cutting out the advanced language and, in its place, using plain and accessible language.

In the case of informative, service-related posts, offer simple explanations to your social media followers. They will be more interested and have a better understanding of how your business can meet their needs!

So, keep your posts easy to understand for a general audience because we’re not all car experts!

Promotion and Reviews

We understand that as a small business, social media can’t always be fun and games, you’re also looking for possible leads.

Because that can often be the case, when you put out promotional posts, remember to keep them light-hearted and fun.

Just because you are promoting your business doesn’t mean it has to be dull. Users respond well to posts that include puns or jokes.

Remember, social media is a casual outlet, so utilize it in the way that users most positively respond.

Specific promotional posts like community event involvement or positive review text posts see high engagement on social media.

So, if your business plans on being involved in a community event, post about it! If you received a well-written, positive review, make it a text post for users to see! These are two promotional posts that emphasize your involvement in the community, and your reliability to potential customers and followers love to repost them.

Facebook plays a huge role in your automotive business’s online reputation. To better understand how to manage the reviews your business gets on Facebook, check out this blog.

Bonus: Stay Informed on Hashtags

You may wonder, what good do hashtags do for my automotive business?

The short answer is a lot of good!

Hashtags give your business the opportunity to be found by potential clients if the hashtag targets your specific industry or services which social media users may be searching for.

Take a mechanic business, for example; you can use hashtags like #automechanic, #truck and #carrepair in a post.

Final Thoughts

Sure, automotive is a difficult industry to tap into the world of social media. Still, as we’ve shown, there are interactive, engaging and strategic ways to keep social media users interested in your page and your business!

Take these tips and focus on catering them to your specific automotive business.

But here at RevLocal, we don’t want you to take this on by yourself! Our team of experts can help you build an online marketing strategy that is worth your follower's and potential customer's time and engagement, so click here to see all that our automotive marketing services have to offer!

For additional information on how and how not to utilize social media as a small business, check out this blog.

This post was created in collaboration with Mollie Shaw, Jennifer Malone and Jenna Hunkins, three members of our Digital Content team.