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When Michael Lopez joined Brown Automotive Group in January, he found there wasn’t a social media or digital strategy at the Texas-based group.
However, Lopez, now group marketing director, had experience in that field, previously working at CDK Global.
Lopez forged a partnership between the group and digital marketing agency Digital Air Strike™ for its social media and reputation management, specifically Facebook — starting with Brown Chevrolet-Buick-GMC of Eagle Pass.
Digital Air Strike looked at data from the dealership’s traditional media campaigns and decided to try Facebook’s lead ads tool, which automatically fills lead generation forms with the user’s information. Facebook introduced lead ads last fall.
To get people in the store, the group used ads featuring product images with an incentive of a $500 trade-in credit.
The ads linked to a lead-generation form, which was filled out automatically based on the information in the person’s Facebook profile. Facebook’s Ads Manager allowed Digital Air Strike to track website traffic, costs per click and costs per lead metrics.
After utilizing Digital Air Strike and Facebook, Brown Chevrolet-Buick-GMC saw a 43 percent increase in website visits, a 63 percent increase in collected email leads and a 63 percent increase in brand-new customers to the dealership. The store also had a 15 percent boost in vehicle display page views, according to a case study released by Facebook today.
The dealership sold eight vehicles as a result of the initial ad campaign, which ran in April. Lopez said the store grossed $31,244 combined on the front and back ends, or about $3,905 per vehicle.
The group has since launched Facebook advertising at each of the six dealerships.
“The balance is going more towards digital,” Lopez said. “The simple fact is digital’s reach and frequency is at a lower cost.”
Lopez said he began testing in-feed video ads through Facebook and Instagram last month, noting that both are more targeted, and cheaper, than traditional media.
Maserati campaign
Maserati also has found a way to leverage social media.
To help launch the Levante SUV, the brand’s first, the Italian automaker created a video campaign on Facebook and Instagram.
Maserati used lead ads on Facebook, connecting potential customers who watched the video to local dealerships.
Of the 4 million unique users reached on Facebook and Instagram, over 21,000 leads were generated, Facebook said.
As a result of the Facebook and Instagram campaign, about 40 Levantes have been sold, Facebook said. The Levante campaign ran from April 20 to June 30.
