Instagram is a great place to show off your dealership’s inventory, highlight beautiful classic cars from years past, and connect with the auto enthusiasts around your community. But have you ever thought about the practical implications of using the platform to promote your Service Department?

“It can’t be done,” you say.

Ah, but it can! Let us show you how.

Tip #1: Vary Content Types and Placements

Long gone are the days of posting a photo to your feed and garnering dozens of likes. These days, an excellent Instagram strategy involves posting curated photos, user-generated content, and live videos to your account, both on the feed and on stories or IGTV.

Because the service department at dealerships is rarely seen in advertising or marketing materials, this is a great opportunity to give your followers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into what goes on within the department and provide transparency to customers. Shoot a Boomerang of a technician working, do a live Q&A session, or show off the perks you have for customers in the waiting room!

Tip #2: Run Smart Service Ads

You knew we were going to bring this one up, didn’t you? Running ads on social media platforms is a smart way to get your message in front of the people who need your services most, and Instagram is no exception. For example, with third-party data, you can run a targeted service ad to vehicle owners who have a 10+ year-old vehicle or anyone who dabbles with aftermarket parts. It’s also a good idea to set up an ad with a small post engagement budget that will push the content on your feed out to interested parties around your service center.

We’ll give you another smart advertising strategy when it comes to ads. Uploading lists is a gold mine for dealerships. Pull the disaffected customers from your database and offer them a stellar service coupon to lure them back into the service bays and keep your technicians busy.

Tip #3: ###

One of the key components of Instagram as a platform is its use of hashtags. Create a branded hashtag for your dealership and/or service department and do some research to find out which hashtags your competitors are using. You’ll find that this is a great way to spread your content to auto enthusiasts and can be an easy way for you to interact with your audience.

Speaking of interaction, don’t forget that this is what Instagram really exists for when you boil it all down! Social media is social. Use hashtags to your benefit and find out where your audience is hanging out. Once you build a list of hashtags that have a good audience size and fit your dealership’s needs and personality, look at the other content under that hashtag and start building relationships with those accounts.

Tip #4: Be Genuine

You can be the dealership that puts worries at ease and builds trust with customers through fun, transparent content, and enticing advertisements. Remember that your presence on Instagram is a smart way for you to cultivate community, and don’t push a special or sale in every post. Let your customers in behind the scenes and give them a chance to get to know you, and you’ll find that your service bays are full even when you’re not blasting coupons out.

If you’re not sure what a Boomerang is, don’t know how to make the most of your Stories strategy, or would like to talk more about the cost associated with advertising on Instagram, let our team show you the ins and outs of the platform and take your social media advertising to the next level.