Facebook Marketplace 101 for Car Dealers: Increase Visibility and Drive Sales

In this article, we will discuss how car dealerships can use Facebook Marketplace to reach more customers and sell more cars. We include examples of successful listings from the dealerships we've worked with.

We cover topics such as setting up a Facebook page, customizing listings, creating promotions, optimizing search engine results and much more!

By following these steps, car dealerships can easily get started on Facebook Marketplace and start selling vehicles for free and faster than ever before.

What is Facebook Marketplace for Car Dealers?

Facebook Marketplace is Facebook's answer to classified sites such as eBay and Gumtree. It is a powerful free tool for car dealerships to increase their visibility and drive sales, which in our experience is under utilised in the car industry.

With Facebook’s intuitive user interface, potential customers can quickly explore the cars that are available in their area and find exactly what they need.

This gives car dealers a good alternative to AutoTrader in Facebook Marketplace, and with a little effort it can become one of your main selling platforms.

What are the benefits of using Facebook marketplace for Car Dealers?

Car dealers using Facebook marketplace will find that they have less competition from other dealers. Dealers are late to jump on the Facebook Marketplace bandwagon.

Moreover, the platform is totally free to use. This is favourable compared to platforms such as AutoTrader, which charge high listing fees for their business customers.

Facebook marketplace for car dealers also provides a great opportunity to get to know potential customers better before making the sale. Facebook enables you to directly view the profile of prospective buyers, including their profile picture and other information such as education, job title and interests. This helps car dealers on Facebook Marketplace to identify qualified buyers quickly, target them appropriately with tailored offers, and build relationships with them over time.

Using Facebook Marketplace also allows you to talk to customers directly on Facebook Messenger, which saves us calling them and potentially catching customers at a bad time.

For these reasons we recommend all our car dealer clients list their stock on Facebook Marketplace alongside their other channels.

Before we continue, who has written the article: "Facebook Marketplace 101: How Car Dealers Can Increase Visibility and Drive Sales"?

I am Gary Lewis Cheetham, an automotive marketing specialist with over 10 years of experience and an expert in using Facebook Marketplace for car dealers. I have a deep understanding of how to successfully market and sell cars through this platform, and specialize in helping dealerships increase their inventory and grow their business.

Born and raised in Oldham, Greater Manchester, UK, my interest in car trading started at a young age, helping my father's dealership increase private sales through online marketing and Facebook Ads.

I founded GL Digital Automotive Marketing in 2020 to bring my expertise to dealerships across the UK and US, and help them maximize their ROI through digital marketing strategies.

What are the drawbacks of using Facebook Marketplace for car dealerships?

Facebook Marketplace may be a great platform for car dealerships to increase their visibility and drive sales, but unlike other product categories, vehicles can not be uploaded to Facebook Marketplace automatically by dealers using a feed.

This means that car dealerships must take the time to manually upload each vehicle listing to Facebook Marketplace in order to make them visible.

Furthermore, In October 2022, Meta discontinued "deliverable" listings for sellers located in the UK. You cannot accept payments for cars using Meta pay on Facebook marketplace, so other payment methods must be considered.

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Do any website providers provide automatic Facebook feed services?

Some website providers, such as Click Dealer, do partner with Facebook directly which allows them to offer a Facebook feed package as part of their service. This gives you the "Vehicles" tab on your Facebook page and includes marketplace listings.

We do not recommend dealers use this, however. It gives us much more control over the listing to upload stock manually, which encourages your staff to actively manage their listings which can help convert more customers.

How can Car Dealers upload their stock to Facebook Marketplace?

The following are the steps that a car dealership should take in order to upload stock to Facebook marketplace:

1. Create a Facebook Business Page
2. Verify your Business
3. Create your listings
4. Provide pricing and location information
5. Promote your listings
6. Monitor and respond to leads

What to check when creating a Facebook page for a car dealer

The process of uploading each vehicle listing starts by creating a Facebook page. This page is where the dealership will showcase its inventory.

You can check our Ultimate Guide to Creating and Using a Facebook Page for Car Dealers for more information on how to set up your Facebook page.

Customers will also check your Facebook page when they are looking at your stock, so it's important the page looks professional and is well-maintained.

As a company that works with car dealerships to optimize their online presence, we have seen firsthand the importance of carefully setting up a Facebook Business page for a car dealership. It is crucial to ensure that all the relevant information is included, such as the dealership name, address, contact information, and opening hours.

But it's not just about providing basic details, it's also about differentiating yourself from the competition. By including information about what makes the dealership unique and the services they offer, dealers can showcase their value proposition and set themselves apart.

How the page looks also plays a significant role in attracting potential customers. We recommend taking the time to create an attractive Facebook page that reflects the personality of the dealership's brand. This includes choosing a catchy and memorable Facebook profile picture, writing an engaging About section, and using alluring photos of vehicles, such as a Facebook cover image to showcase the amazing vehicles available at the dealership.

Regularly updating the Facebook page with different types of content, such as deals and promotions, industry news and events, exciting offers, stories about satisfied customers, or even interesting facts about cars in general, is essential to drive more engagement and help build relationships with potential customers over time.

Once this is set up, car dealers can then create listings on Facebook Marketplace and start targeting potential customers with ads or promotions.

Why you should Verify your Business as a Car Dealership on Facebook marketplace

Verifying a business on Facebook helps to ensure that the business is legitimate and can help prevent it from getting banned on Facebook Marketplace.

When a business is verified, Facebook can confirm that the business is real and that it is being run by an authorized representative. This helps to prevent fraud and scams on the platform and ensures that buyers are interacting with legitimate businesses.

Additionally, verified businesses may have access to additional features such as analytics and the ability to promote their listings, which can help boost visibility and sales.

How to verify your business as a Car Dealership on Facebook marketplace

Here's how to verify your page (as of January 2023)

First, switch into your business page in the new page experience by clicking on your profile picture in the top right

Then, click on "Settings" in the left-hand panel.

Next, click on "New Pages Experience" on the left hand panel.

Now, click on "Page Transparency".

In the Page Transparancy interface, either select a verified organisation to manage the page (if you have one), OR

Click on "Create a new verified organisation" and follow the steps to set up a new verified business

You may have to upload verification information including business license, proof of address, and/or personal identification such as driving license.

After you have completed this process, your page will usually be verified within 72 hours.

You can read more about how to verify your business on Facebook here.

How to Create your listings on Facebook Marketplace as a car dealer

You can follow these instructions on the Facebook mobile app, but we recommend you follow along on desktop.

First, log into your Facebook profile and click on "Marketplace" in the left hand panel.

Then click on "Create New Listing"

In this interface, click "Vehicle"

On the left hand panel, make sure you change the the listing owner from your personal profile to your business page.

Select the vehicle type and upload photos

Make sure that the vehicle location is correct.

Fill in Year, Make, Model, Price and the rest of the vehicle options.

For the description, be as detailed as possible.

Then, click next, and list your vehicle for sale in marketplace as well as any Facebook groups you may want to include your listing in.

Top tips for creating Facebook Marketplace listings

Complete vehicle information: The Facebook marketplace listing should include detailed information about each vehicle, such as make, model, year, features, and mileage, as well as quality images so that potential buyers can get an accurate understanding of the cars on offer.

Photos of the car: Be sure to take photos of the car from multiple angles, including front, back, sides, and interior. A minimum of 10 photos should be taken of the vehicle, This will help to give potential buyers a good idea of the car's overall condition and features. You can add more photos if you think it is necessary to make the car sell.

Listing descriptions: When writing the listing descriptions for Facebook Marketplace, it's important for dealerships to use high-quality images and detailed descriptions in order to attract more potential customers. Additionally, dealers should use keywords related to the vehicles they are selling in order to optimize the search engine results and further increase their visibility on the platform.

List your marketplace vehicles for sale in groups

Facebook Marketplace allows car dealerships to list their vehicles for sale in Facebook groups as well as on the Facebook Marketplace platform.

You should take advantage of this and click on the groups that are relevant to your car when you create the listing.

By listing in Facebook for sale or swap groups, you can target potential customers who are interested in specific types of cars or located in particular areas. For example, in our city there is a Facebook for sale or swap group dedicated to people looking for classic cars. By posting your listings there, you can reach a more targeted audience and get better results than through the Facebook Marketplace alone.

Additionally, groups are often moderated by people who are passionate about the topic of the group and they can help you to answer questions and provide information about the car. This can help to build trust and credibility with potential buyers.

Conclusion

Facebook Marketplace is an excellent platform for car dealers to increase visibility and drive sales. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can create Facebook Marketplace listings that include detailed information about each vehicle, quality images, and optimized descriptions with relevant keywords.

Additionally, listing your vehicles on Facebook groups may help target potential customers who are interested in specific types of cars or located in particular areas.

With these tips at hand, any auto dealership should be able to take full advantage of Facebook Marketplace’s reach and maximize their online presence!

Unlock the Secrets to Skyrocket Your Inventory and Crush Your Competition - FREE Exclusive Guide 🏆

Unlock the Secrets to Skyrocket Your Inventory and Crush Your Competition - FREE Exclusive Guide 🏆

Get access to 5 proven tactics, revealing how our dealership snags top-notch used cars from local owners!.

• Skip the marketplace marathon
• Boost profits and leave inflation in the dust
• Drive home with cherry rides and squeaky-clean histories

Hit the Gas & Get your FREE Guide!

* We promise not to clog your inbox with junk.