Selling cars on Facebook for Auto Retail: 3 Strategies to focus on

It’s time to look at Facebook as an acquisition channel and move away from vanity metrics such as likes and brand following. This is the message we wanted people to take away from our joined webinar with Auto Retail Network.

When our CEO Matt sat down to talk about Facebook marketing with Cambria Automobiles’ Marketing & CRM Director Ian Godbold for an Auto Retail Network Profit live webinar, there were three main strategies that stuck out when it comes to generating sales revenue through Facebook advertising. For a recording of the whole conversation you can view the webinar on demand here.

In this blog, we cover the top takeaways from our webinar with Auto Retail Network and Ian Godbold and outline the top 3 strategies auto retailers should focus on to drive return on investment from their Facebook campaigns.

Facebook Lead Ads

Looking for ways to drive new car leads & sales? Lead ads are the perfect tool for driving leads for customer’s in-market #ARNLive#driftrock#Marketing#cars#retail#facebook#instagram

— Auto Retail Network (@AutoRetail) February 26, 2019

Facebook Lead Ads are one of the most cost-effective ways to cast a wide net and attract potential buyers. At Driftrock we’ve run numerous tests with different clients and found that Facebook Lead Ads consistently generate a lower cost per lead when compared to traditional website landing pages. The advantage of Lead Ads is that the entire user journey takes place on Facebook. The Facebook Lead Ad forms are easy to use on a mobile device and can be customised for GDPR compliance. We wrote a blog post on the most important questions to ask in your auto lead ad forms here.

Ian shared that when he initially started out with Facebook marketing for Cambria he spent his budget on boosting posts and focused on the wrong metrics. It was when he moved beyond vanity metrics and focused on lead generation that Facebook started to really impact his business.

“When we originally started on Facebook we focused on exactly what Matt told us not to do - boosts and clicks. When the lead gen product came along we started to see better engagement and higher conversion rates.”  - Ian Godbold, Cambria Automobiles

Check our guide to Facebook Lead Ads to find out how to get started.

Facebook Dynamic Auto Ads

Facebook Dynamic Auto Ads is a custom ad format specific for the automotive industry. Facebook’s algorithm for Dynamic Auto Ads is optimised to reach in-market car buyers. The format allows auto retailers to retarget their website visitors with ads showing the exact vehicles they have viewed. Dynamic Ads can also be used for prospecting with the option to expand reach to broader audiences.

For Cambria, Facebook Dynamic Ads were a real game changer. Ian was confident that “dynamic ads really transformed our business”. Ian’s team used Dynamic ads to retarget website visitors on Facebook and Instagram and saw a dramatic increase in engagement and conversion rates. Because of the great success Cambria saw with Facebook and Instagram retargeting, a big portion of their social media marketing budget still goes towards remarketing.

“Dynamic Ads really transformed our business. “- Ian Godbold, Cambria Automobiles

Dynamic Ads helped Ian turn up the heat on lukewarm leads, identify in-market buyers and drive them to their retail website pages. A particularly successful campaign was targeting buyers with personalised videos showcasing the features of a specific vehicle they viewed online. Combining Lead Ad forms with Dynamic Ads helped further improve return on investment.

Facebook Marketplace

Millions of people shop for used cars on Facebook Marketplace every day. With recent improvements for advertisers, Facebook Marketplace has quickly become an exciting lead generation channel for auto retailers. Both Matt and Ian agreed that listing used car inventory on Marketplace is a great way to sell to an active in-market community.

Get our free guide to Facebook Marketplace for Auto Retailers to find out how to get started.

With Facebook Marketplace, auto retailers can collect lead details either through a quick form or via Facebook Messenger. Using Live Chat to start a conversation with a potential buyer and support them through the decision making process is an exciting opportunity

In order to get listed auto retailers need to partner with a Facebook Marketplace Listing Partner such as Driftrock. Find out more about how to get started with Facebook Marketplace and how Driftrock can help.

Visit our automotive dealer marketing page for more auto dealer marketing campaign ideas.