TikTok For Automotive Dealerships

Remember back in late 2010 when all of the social media “gurus” were saying that Instagram wasn’t a viable platform for digital marketing and even less viable for dealerships to utilize? Yeah, that’s basically where the industry is at with TikTok right now. If your dealership isn’t harnessing the power of TikTok yet, don’t worry – I’ve compiled some reasons why your digital marketing agency or in-house marketing manager should jump on the bandwagon ASAP!

With an average monthly user base of 1 billion people, TikTok is skyrocketing to the top of social media. By offering users the ability to create unique, interesting, and fun videos – it’s a goldmine for dealerships to be a part of. From walk-around videos to customer testimonials, this is a quick and easy way to showcase your dealership’s personality on a platform underutilized and not-yet inundated with ads and unappealing content. But, while that’s all fun and exciting – the real questions remains “will it make my dealership more money?”

The answer is a yes and a no for now. Shockingly to most – 34% of TikTok users are over the age of 30 and increasing by the day. This means it’s prime real estate for quality ads for both vehicle sales and fixed ops. While the targeting TikTok offers is pretty minimal for the automotive industry, it’s a great way to “billboard” your dealership in your local area. Tracking your audience through the use of an installed pixel (much like Facebook) makes engagement and stats very transparent. The only downside I currently see is the inability to utilize third-party data sources to target in-market shoppers or current owners. Perhaps as the platform grows, these options will become available.

For now, I 100% suggest utilizing TikTok and adding a little exposure to your dealership’s fun side. Posting 3-5 times per week seems to be the best way to grow an audience. From my research, I’ve found that a video that is around 25 seconds long will get the most views on TikTok, which is remarkably similar to the view-time of Instagram and Facebook videos. Keeping your videos short, fun, and interesting will get you the most interaction. People are using TikTok to escape from the seriousness of Facebook – so use this as an opportunity to show people who you really are. Birthdays, viral challenges, customer reviews, and highlighting unique or rare inventory is the way to go. At the end of the day, just have some fun with it!