Imagine if your dealership  could reach over 2 billion monthly visitors. That enormous footprint now exists in the digital realm thanks to Facebook. Savvy car dealers are leveraging the world’s top social platform to engage buyers where they already spend time online. 

This comprehensive “Facebook Advertising For Car Sales” guide will explore how to transform Facebook into your digital showroom. By implementing targeted advertising campaigns, you can drive qualified traffic to your on-lot or online inventory. We will cover approaches for dealers both new to Facebook ads and those with existing strategies.

The Benefits of Facebook Advertising For Car Dealerships

Facebook advertising comes with a unique set of benefits that make it highly appealing for car dealers who want to target  online, in-market  customers:

Laser-Focused Facebook Targeting Options

With Facebook ads, you can target users based on location, demographics, interests, behaviors and more. This level of precision paired with Facebook’s extensive user base allows you to put your ad dollars in front of highly-targeted, high-intent customers.

Unrivaled Retargeting Capabilities with Facebook Advertising

Your dealership can create custom audiences of people who have already engaged with your website or dealership’s Facebook page. By retargeting this group, you can turn cold leads into hot prospects and prime them until they’re ready-to-buy, and  from your dealership!

Increased On-Lot Traffic for Dealerships

Well-designed Facebook ads displayed to targeted groups in your area can drive significant traffic directly to your dealer lot. This influx of foot traffic leads to more test drives and on-lot sales.

Higher Lead Conversion Rates

Users who engage with your ads signal they are open to learning more. You can provide lead forms directly in Facebook, allowing customers an easy path to convert.

Measurable ROI for Facebook Advertising

The platform makes it easy to track conversions from your ads directly into leads and sales – and being aware of your ROI helps optimize your ad spend.

If you are ready to explore how Facebook advertising can impact your dealership’s bottom line, click here to learn more about Dealers United’s Facebook Advertising Solutions.

How Facebook Advertising Works for Car Dealerships

Facebook advertising is based on an auction model where companies like dealerships bid against each other for ad placement. Your bid, along with the predicted impact of your ads, determines how often your ads are displayed to relevant audiences.

When setting up a Facebook ad, you choose audiences, placements, messaging and imagery, calls-to-action, and bids and budgets:

• Audiences – Select the target customer demographics, behaviors, interests and locations that best align with your ideal purchaser.
• Placements – Choose to display your ads in the Facebook News Feed, Instagram Feed, Facebook Marketplace or within popular videos.
• Messaging & Imagery – Craft compelling ad copy and visuals that stop people from idly scrolling and pique interest.
• Calls-to-Action – Such as “Learn More”, “Shop Now”, “Schedule Test Drive”, that match different stages of the car buying journey.
• Bids & Budgets – Set a daily budget and cost-per ad click/impression bids based on your sales goals.

Once your campaign launches, Facebook provides detailed analytics on performance. By monitoring metrics like cost per lead, click-through-rate and conversion rate, you can optimize for better ongoing results.

Want to learn more about how Dealers United can help you set up conversion-driven Facebook advertising? Click here to learn  about Dealers United’s Facebook Advertising solutions tailored to dealerships.

Facebook Advertising Campaign Examples & Best Practices For Dealers

The key to success with Facebook advertising lies in understanding the core consumer motivations and triggers. Approach each campaign by putting yourself in the shoes of the shopper.

Think about how you can attract their attention and keep it long enough to convert them into your customer.

Two common Facebook ad examples dealerships should execute in line with best practices are inventory/price based campaigns, and limited time special offers:

Inventory / Price Based Campaigns

These campaigns display actual vehicles from inventory at set pricing. They work well especially for dealers promoting new car makes or particular models.

Best Practices for Inventory / Price Based Campaign:

• Feature your very best discounted vehicles to maximize interest
• Keep ad copy succinct with clear call-to-action
• Drive traffic to a dedicated inventory or specials landing page on your website
• Retarget engaged users across devices with discounted pricing

Limited Time Special Offers

Leverage the power of scarcity and urgency with special deals only available for a short period. These ads can boost traffic during sales events or clearance offers.

Best Practices for Limited Time Special Offers:

• Make the expiration date very clear
• Limit to your highest perceived value vehicles or very low prices
• Pair the offer visuals with strong text overlay like “Offers End Soon!”
• Point traffic directly to online vehicle listings the customer can act on

Facebook Advertising for Car Sales: The Bottom Line

Facebook advertising checks all the boxes for affordability, targeting and measurability. For dealers looking to scale online leads and sales, Facebook ads represent an essential component of your digital marketing strategy.

And the platform keeps getting better. With new formats and expanded targeting, costs per lead acquisition remain highly competitive relative to other paid channels.

Dealers United can help your car dealership build an intelligent Facebook advertising plan tailored to your sales objectives.