Facebook Ads Automotive: New & Used Guide for Car Dealerships

March 04, 2022

If you're a car dealership, you know that Facebook is one of the most powerful marketing platforms for the automotive industry. But with so much competition for attention, how can you make sure your ads stand out?

 

This guide will show you the ultimate strategy of how to create Facebook ads that are both effective and eye-catching, drawing in potential customers and helping you sell more cars. We'll cover everything from setting your account to targeting the right audience to creating a killer copy.

 

So read on and start driving sales today!

 

 

Reasons Why Use Facebook Advertising For Car Dealerships

 

Facebook Advertising is Statistically Sounding

 

Lead Generation

Facebook lead ads can help you build a custom audience of car buyers who have interacted with your dealership in some way, such as by visiting your website, engaging with your content on Facebook, or even just putting their contact information into a lead form.

 

You can also target people based on their interests, demographics, and behaviors.

 

Improved Brand Awareness

When you run Facebook Ads, your dealership's name will be seen by more people, and you'll be able to control the narrative around your brand better.

 

You can also use Facebook Ads to drive traffic to your website, where potential customers can learn more about your dealership, read reviews, and even book a test drive.

 

Conquesting New Customers

The beauty of Facebook Ads is that you can target people who are not only not currently customers of your dealership but who have never even heard of you before.

 

This opens up a whole new world of potential customers for your business.

 

Cost-Effective & High ROI

Compared to other forms of advertising, Facebook Ads provide an excellent return on investment.

 

For example, for car dealerships, Facebook Ads have a 2x higher click-through rate than automotive TV ads. cost-effective

 

So if you're looking for the cheapest way to reach more potential customers, Facebook Ads is a great option.

 

 

How to Set Up a Facebook Advertising Account For Your Car Dealership

To utilize Facebook advertising, you must first create a Facebook Business Manager account. You may have already linked your business's Facebook page to your account. Follow these steps if you haven't done so yet:

 

  • Ensure you're on the "Settings" tab in Facebook Business Manager.
  • Select "Pages" and "Add a Page" from the left-hand menu.
  • Select whether you'd like to "Claim a Page," "Request Access to a Page," or "Create a New Page."

 

After your Facebook page is linked, it's time to set up your advertising account.

  • To begin, go to your account settings and click "Accounts." Then, in the left menu, choose & click "Ad Accounts."
  • Create a new ad account by selecting "Create a New Ad Account" and following the on-screen instructions.

 

Enter Payment Info

To set up a new advertising account, you'll need to provide your billing address and payment information. Facebook will charge you for any unspent funds at the end of the month. If you'd like to limit your ad expenses, you may also establish a spending restriction.

 

Add Account Roles

You may also use the roles system to delegate marketing and sales staff to your Facebook advertising account. Each advertising account has the following available job roles:

 

  • The admin can create, update, and view advertisements, access reports, change payment options, and manage administrator permissions.
  • Advertisers will be to edit and set up ads using the payment method linked with the ad account and see payment information. 
  • Analysts will be able to view ads and access reports.

 

Now that you've created your account and assigned roles to individuals, it's time to start building your first campaign. To begin, choose an ad type.

 

 

Types Of Facebook Ad 

One of the advantages of utilizing Facebook advertising is the variety of ad formats to select. Whether you want to advertise a video showcasing your newest inventory or a blog post about regular vehicle maintenance, you may test a range of ad types and see which ones are best for your marketing purposes.

 

Following are the most popular Facebook ad types:
 

Video Ads

 

As video becomes an increasingly important format for content marketing, it's no surprise that Facebook gives more weight to videos in its newsfeed.

 

Videos are a great way for your vehicle dealership to share its location, inventory, staff members, and more with potential customers. People in the business frequently utilize this ad style to promote future special offers.

 

According to a survey by Buffer, 81% of firms want to utilize Facebook for their video marketing.

 

That's why video ads are a great option for car dealerships.

 

 

Carousel Ads

A carousel of videos or pictures is constructed within a single ad by Facebook using text, pictures, and links. This choice, for example, lets you to showcase several makes/models of cars in your showroom at once.


 

Dynamic Ads

 

You can use VIN-specific promotion methods and Facebook's dynamic ad format to upload your inventory and deliver ultra-targeted ads to consumers searching for that specific automobile. To customize the ad message, you may dynamically insert Year, Make, Model, Price, Mileage, etc., into the copy.

 

Pro Tip

You can also use Carousel Ads to help get your home in front of more potential buyers. This is a great way to show people your home, and it takes advantage of Facebook's machine learning so that you can show them the best images of your home.



 

Text/Image Ads

 

This is the most common type of ad on Facebook. You can use it to create ads that link to a website, a video, or a landing page. When someone clicks on the ad, they'll be taken to the page you specify.

 

Car dealerships should note that text-only ads are less likely to be clicked on than ads with images.

 

When creating your ad, choose the objective that best aligns with what you want to achieve. 

 

For example, if you want to increase brand awareness, you select "Brand Awareness" as your objective. If you want people to visit your website, you will choose "Website Conversions."

 

You can also choose to have Facebook optimize your ad for a specific objective. If you don't select an objective, Facebook will automatically optimize the ad for you.

 

 

Facebook Advertising Rules

Facebook has implemented various rules to ensure that all participants use the advertising platform fairly. These regulations may range from formatting restrictions for certain ad types to sweeping general guidelines regarding ad context.

 

Following are some of the most important rules for car dealerships to keep in mind when advertising on Facebook:

 

No Promoting Illegal Activities

Ads must not promote or condone any illegal activities.

 

No Discrimination

Ads must not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability.

 

No Misleading or False Content

Ads must not contain false, deceptive, or misleading content, including deceptive claims about the product or service being advertised.

 

No Controversial Content

Ads must not contain offensive, obscene, indecent, or inflammatory content. This includes ads that promote violence, terrorism or hate speech.

 

Ads Must Be Appropriate for a General Audience

Ads must not contain content that is inappropriate for a general audience. This includes content that is obscene, profane, or violent.

 

Ads Must Not Infringe on Any Intellectual Property Rights

Ads must not infringe on intellectual property rights, including copyright and trademark rights.

 

No Spyware or Malware

Ads must not contain spyware or malware.

 

These are just a few of the most important Facebook advertising rules for car dealerships to keep in mind. For a complete list of Facebook's advertising guidelines, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/business/ads-guide

 

 

Facebook Ads Automotive Tips For Dealership

Although Facebook advertising is a great way to reach out to potential customers, it can be tricky to create an effective ad. Here are a few tips to help you get started:

 

Match Your Inventory to Known Demographics

When creating your ad, make sure to target it to people who are likely to be interested in buying a car. Facebook has a number of tools that you can use to target your audience, including location targeting and demographic targeting.

 

You'll get a boost in relevance metrics, click-through rate (CTR), and cost per click (CPC) by only showing the appropriate vehicles to the correct people at the right time.

 

Create Engaging Ads

 

Your ad should be eye-catching and exciting so that people will want to click on it. You can do this by using high-quality images and interesting copies.

 

Test Different Types of Ads

Not all ads are created equal. You may find that one type of ad works better than another for your dealership. Try experimenting with a few different types of ads to see which ones get the best results.
 

Target Your Ads to Specific Locations

 

If you only have a few locations, you may want to target your ads specifically to those areas. This will help ensure that you reach the right people with your message.

 

Leverage Facebook Marketplace

Facebook Marketplace is a feature that allows people to buy and sell items directly on Facebook. It's a great way to reach potential customers who are already interested in buying a car.

 

You can list your inventory on Facebook Marketplace for free, and it will be shown to people who are located near your dealership.

 

Utilize Your CRM Data

A stranger is less likely to connect with your dealership's message than a past customer or lead since they've expressed interest in you before!

 

For example, you could target people who have visited your website or contacted you in the past. This will help you reach out to warm leads and increase your chances of conversion.

 

If you have a CRM system, you can target your Facebook ads. This will allow you to reach out to people already familiar with your dealership.

 

Pro-Tip

Install Facebook pixel into your website for the exact audience target.

 

Prevent Unnecessary Clicks

When targeting your Facebook ads, it's important to target people interested in buying a car. You can do this by excluding people who have already clicked on your ad.

 

 

Start Using Facebook Ads to Promote Your Car Dealership

Now that you know some of the basics, it's time to start creating your own Facebook ads! Keep these marketing tactics in mind when you create your ads, and you'll be well on your way to success.

 

If you're looking to create an effective Facebook ad campaign for your car dealership, Autobahn Digital can help to amplify your brand. We have years of experience creating successful ads campaigns for dealerships of all sizes. Contact us today to get a FREE quote!

 

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