Using Reddit Ads for Car dealerships in 2022

Published 27/01/2022 - Updated 27/07/2023

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Written by

Gary Lewis Cheetham

Automotive marketing specialist from Manchester, UK

We use Reddit ads to help car dealerships reach a community of engaged and knowledgeable enthusiasts.

Reddit is a social news website where users can submit links to content on the web. Other users can then vote on these submissions, and the submissions with the most votes will be featured on the website’s front page.

Unlike more general social networks such as Facebook, we find Reddit users

The Reddit car community

Reddit has become more famous recently for becoming the home of dedicated internet subcultures.

The auto community on Reddit is also flourishing.

A subreddit is a subsection of Reddit, devoted to a specific topic. There are many automotive-related subreddits, including r/cars, r/trucks, r/suvs, r/motorsports, and r/classic_cars.

For example, Reddit r/cars is a subreddit devoted to cars. Users post and discuss content related to all aspects of cars on this reddit community. This can include discussing new car models, sharing pictures and videos of cars, or just general automotive news and information.

Users on subreddits tend to be:

  • Engaged: The Reddit car community is engaged, meaning they are interested in cars and are willing to spend time discussing them.
  • Knowledgeable: The users in the Reddit auto community are knowledgeable about cars and automotive culture.
  • Passionate: The Reddit auto community is passionate about cars, and they are willing to spend time and money on them.

A quick test for dealers: Search Reddit for your brand name

Reddit has a search function, and we recommend all dealers do a casual search for their business.

You will be surprised to find many comment threads with users discussing your dealership. Reddit users love to leave good and bad feedback and discuss their experiences. They may even mention salespeople by name.

Before you jump into the conversation though and start defending your brand (however tempting it is!) you should spend some time understanding how Reddit works. Reddit users will band together to defend each other, and the situation can quickly turn into bad PR without careful handling.

How dealerships can take advantage of advertising on Reddit

Reddit ads are a way for dealerships to reach this passionate and knowledgeable group of people.

The ads are placed in front of the user’s chosen subreddit, meaning that your ad will be seen by people who are interested in cars.

Reddit ads are also placed on the Reddit homepage, which means that your ad will be seen by a large and diverse audience.

For these reasons, Reddit is an excellent platform for car dealerships to advertise their products and services.

Dealerships can use Reddit ads to target specific communities and reach enthusiasts who are interested in buying a car. Advertisements can be targeted by location or by interests, so dealers can ensure that their ads reach the right audience.

Reddit ads can also be used to create loyalty among customers. By providing valuable and interesting content, dealers can keep customers coming back to their dealership’s Reddit page. This increases the chances that customers will buy a car from that dealership.

Main benefits of Reddit advertising for car dealers

We believe that customer relationship building is the main goal of a successful advertising campaign.

Reddit communities help dealerships build customer relationships because they allow dealerships to share content with their most dedicated customers.

Dealerships can use Reddit communities to post pictures and videos of their cars, as well as news and information about upcoming car models.

This content can help keep customers engaged with the dealership, and it can also help to create loyalty among customers.

Dealerships can also use Reddit communities to answer customer questions and discuss cars with them.

This allows dealerships to build a rapport with their customers and show that they are not just a corporate front.

How to create Reddit ads for your dealership

The simplest Reddit ads are usually the best.

When creating a Reddit ad, you will need to write a title and a brief description of your product or service.

You will also need to include a link to your website or to a page where users can learn more about your product or service.

Finally, you will need to choose the subreddit or subreddits where you would like your ad to be placed.

Your Reddit ad should be engaging and interesting so that users will want to click on it. You should also make sure that your ad is relevant to the subreddit that it is placed in.

Just like with other paid social advertising, testing is key. You’re not likely to create the best ad the first time you try, so

How to select the best subreddits to advertise in

We suggest spending some time researching the communities on Reddit before making ads.

You should create an account and browse some content, learn what’s popular, and then consider creating adverts.

When selecting a subreddit to advertise in, it’s important to consider the interests of the users in that subreddit.

There will also be subreddits dedicated to your local area that you can explore.

You should also make sure that the subreddit is relevant to your product or service.

If you’re not sure which subreddit to choose, you can use Reddit’s advertising dashboard to help you decide.

The advertising dashboard allows you to see the demographics of the users in each subreddit, so you can choose one that is most relevant to your business.

The advertising dashboard also allows you to see how many impressions your ad has received, as well as how many clicks it has generated.

This information can help you decide which subreddits are most effective for your business.

What sort of content does best on Reddit ads

The best content on Reddit will create a discussion.

Dealerships can also use Reddit communities to answer customer questions and discuss cars with them.

You may decide it’s best to create some organic content before creating paid ads, to learn what content performs best.

Create your own subreddit

Reddit also allows dealerships to create their own subreddits, similar to a Facebook page. You should do this as part of your content strategy to create a home for your brand on Reddit.

Conclusion

Reddit ads can help car dealerships reach enthusiasts in their local area, sell more cars and create loyal customers.

By providing valuable and interesting content, dealers can keep customers coming back to their dealership’s Reddit page. This increases the chances that customers will buy a car from that dealership.

The main goal of a successful advertising campaign is customer relationship building, which Reddit communities help dealerships do by allowing them to share content with their most dedicated customers.

Dealerships can use Reddit communities to post pictures and videos of their cars, as well as news and information about upcoming car models.

This content can help keep customers engaged with the dealership, and it can also help to create loyalty among customers. Dealerships can also use Reddit communities to answer customer queries and respond to feedback.

We recommend all dealerships explore Reddit ads as part of their content and paid social strategy.

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About the author

A profile picture of Gary Lewis Cheetham, the founder of GL Digital Automotive Marketing, smiling outside a car dealership

Gary Lewis Cheetham is an automotive marketing specialist, born and raised in Oldham, Greater Manchester. Gary Lewis Cheetham is the founder of GL Digital Automotive Marketing. He spent his teenage years working at the family dealership after school, learning the ropes of the car trade from the inside out.

After moving on to working in marketing, Gary Lewis founded GL Digital in 2020 when he noticed a need for direct-to-consumer marketing platforms within the auto industry. He now strives every day to help independent dealers in the UK and US realise their potential. Gary also loves Formula 1 and motorsport.