Get Your Automotive Social Media Strategy Ready for 2024
Just when you think social media has already reached full market saturation, its reach grows even more. DataReportal counted 150 million new profiles on social channels in the past year, bringing worldwide accounts to 4.8 billion. That includes more than 88% of the U.S. population.
This growing landscape is an excellent way to reach new leads and persuade them to take action. But simply having an automotive social media presence isn't enough. As social trends evolve and consumer expectations change, businesses must adapt.
As you prepare for 2024, it's the perfect time to check in with your automotive social media strategy. You want to consider how to best connect with online consumers, leading them to your website and through your doors.
Today, we'll discuss why social media is essential — and what you can add to your marketing strategy to start the year off on a high note.
Why Is Automotive Social Media Marketing Important?
The average social media user spends two hours and 24 minutes on social media every day, according to DataReportal calculations. That's 16.8 hours a week and almost 70 hours a month when local car owners could encounter your content.
You can help car owners get to know your business more personally through automotive social media marketing. This personal content matters in a market where 82% of shoppers seek a value match.
Social media also offers a unique opportunity for back-and-forth conversations with audiences. Before platforms like Facebook and Twitter (now X), auto shops had to develop relationships face-to-face. Automotive businesses can answer questions and relate to consumer needs faster and more effectively by engaging with comments and direct messages.
What Content Should You Be Adding to Your Strategy?
Successful automotive social media content is purposeful and consumer-focused. Here's how to provide that value for automotive customers in 2024.
Raw Organic Content
The age of the slick, generic advertisement is over. Today, 70% of customers feel more confident supporting authentic brands. An authentic brand has a clearly expressed mission and a committed team that works together to fulfill its promise.
Over time, we've seen audiences scroll by overly edited videos and stock images, stopping only for posts with a human touch.
As you update your automotive social media strategy, consider ways to feature the people who power your business. Post employee profiles on Facebook with candid photos and fun facts about each team member.
Realness is critical, so let team members’ personalities and interests shine through. Have them introduce their kids, pets, and hobbies, for example. You can also post employee appreciation shout-outs or share a funny anecdote about something that happened at the shop. Did someone show up as a tire swing for Halloween? Post it.
Social reviews also make effective organic content. In 2023, 98% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses, and most customers are open to leaving them if you ask. Post a link to your Facebook page and encourage customers to recommend you. If you get top-notch reviews, write a post encouraging followers to check it out.
Short-Form Video
Short-form video is the fastest-growing social media asset, showing no signs of slowing down. Made up of videos 60 seconds long or less, it's the most popular format for social media marketers in 2023, and 33% of surveyed marketers use it more than any other content type.
As short-form videos grow in popularity, more platforms are creating a dedicated space for them. Instagram and Facebook have Reels, YouTube has Shorts, and Snapchat has Spotlights. Then there's TikTok, which is holding its own as one of the main drivers of the short-form trend.
Data predicts that TikTok will keep growing in 2024, increasing its user base by 8% to reach 900 million subscribers. Instagram, a favorite platform among millennials and Gen Z, will likely add about 50 million subscribers, bringing its total reach to 1.4 billion.
Reels help auto businesses market to millennials on Instagram. This age group is particularly fond of raw and natural content, such as shop tours or team member dance parties.
Meanwhile, keep up your video marketing with YouTube, adding Shorts into the mix to reach casual scrollers. Think outside the box for ways to catch people's attention.
Collaborative Projects
In 2024, successful social media strategies won't happen in a vacuum. They'll feature contributions from community members and other local organizations, from suppliers to a youth sports team you sponsor.
Collaborative content will be important because it emphasizes real-life relationships. It showcases your business as part of a broader community, making you more relatable and trustworthy.
Plus, collaborations give you more opportunities for engagement. If you work with an auto industry colleague and tag their business, both sets of followers can comment and share.
You can collaborate across all your social media accounts. Use Twitter to drive sales by co-hosting a shared event. Encourage employees and customers to post about the event in real time.
Stand Out on Social With Optimize
When you spend most of the day bent over engines, it's easy to forget how much time your customers spend on social platforms. Some are probably on Facebook while they sit in your waiting room.
If you're looking to build a stand-out automotive social media strategy in 2024, start with the content ideas you learned about here. The digital marketing experts at Optimize are ready to help you develop and manage your campaigns, from audience research to review and comment management. We'll take on the legwork so you can focus on what you do best — running your business and serving your customers.
Schedule a free consultation today to learn more about how we can help.