Last updated 24 September 2026.
A social media strategy that works for a car dealer is one you can keep up: automate the stock posts, then spend an hour or so a week on the posts only you can make, such as sold cars, reviews and what goes on behind the scenes. Pick Facebook plus one other platform, post a few times a week, every week, and make every post point buyers to your stock.
Most independent dealers know they should be on social media and struggle to find the time. Between buying stock, answering enquiries, doing the paperwork and running the forecourt, posting every day rarely happens. This guide covers how to plan your posts, what to automate and what to measure.
Why is social media worth it for a dealer?
Social media puts your cars in front of local people who are not searching AutoTrader or Google yet, and shows buyers that your business is real and busy. In practice it helps you:
- reach local buyers on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok before they start searching
- show you are an active, trustworthy business, because a page that was last updated in 2023 does the opposite
- advertise every car you post to your followers and the people they share with, at no cost
- send people to your dealer website to browse stock, enquire or apply for finance
- show off sold cars and customer reviews, which reassure new buyers
Social media works best alongside a website of your own, where every post can send people. We cover why in the advantages of a car dealer website.
Which platforms should car dealers use?
Start with Facebook, then add Instagram or TikTok. Put your time where your buyers already are.
Facebook: start here
Facebook is still the most important social platform for UK car dealers. Its audience is a good match for car buyers, Marketplace gives your stock extra exposure, and local groups let you take part in your community. Its advertising tools are also the most developed for reaching people nearby.
Use it for stock, customer reviews, sold posts, offers and behind-the-scenes posts.
Instagram: well worth adding
Instagram is built around pictures, which suits cars. Good photos and short videos do well, and Stories and Reels give you more ways to be seen.
Use it for car photos, walk-around videos, before-and-after preparation shots and Stories about your day.
TikTok: growing fast
TikTok has quickly become a place people watch car content. Short walk-arounds, cold starts, valeting time-lapses and behind-the-scenes clips can reach a lot of people without paying for ads.
Use it for short videos about cars and features, and content that entertains or explains. Our TikTok and Instagram Reels guide for car dealers has video ideas and filming tips.
YouTube: slower, but it lasts
YouTube videos stay useful the longest, and they show up in Google, so a video can keep bringing visits for months or years. They take more effort to make.
Use it for longer car reviews, test drives, buying guides and tours of your dealership.
What should a dealer post?
Plan your posts around a few themes you can repeat every week. A split that works for most dealers:
Stock (about 40% of posts)
- new arrivals, posted as soon as the car is listed
- a standout feature or specification
- price reductions
- walk-around videos that work as a viewing from home
Social proof (about 25%)
- sold posts: “Just sold! Another happy customer”
- customer reviews and testimonials
- handover photos, with the customer’s permission
- your best Google reviews
Behind the scenes (about 20%)
- preparation and valeting
- work in the workshop
- new stock arriving
- introductions to your team
- a day at the dealership
Helpful and interesting (about 15%)
- tips on buying a car
- finance explained simply
- seasonal driving tips
- motoring news that matters to buyers
If you want the reviews to post about, our review requests ask every customer for a review after they buy.
How often should you post?
Posting regularly matters more than posting a lot. A schedule most dealers can keep up:
| Platform | How often | Good times |
|---|---|---|
| 4 to 5 posts a week | 10am to 12pm, 6pm to 8pm | |
| 3 to 4 posts a week, plus daily Stories | 11am to 1pm, 7pm to 9pm | |
| TikTok | 2 to 3 videos a week | 7pm to 10pm |
Five posts a week, every week, does more than 20 posts one week and nothing for a month.
What can you automate?
The stock posts are the easiest to automate, because the photos, details and prices are already in your dealer management system. Once a car has been added, prepared and photographed, it is ready to post.
Haswent’s social media automation posts your stock to your Facebook page from the DMS:
- you connect your Facebook page once and set a schedule: daily at up to five set times, weekly, monthly or yearly
- you choose which stock can be posted, and each post picks a matching car
- you write the wording once, with tags for make, model, price and mileage, and every post is filled in from the car’s record, with a link to the car on your website
- posts use the car’s own photos or a branded image with its details
It posts to Facebook pages only. It does not post to Instagram or TikTok, so those still need posting by hand. If we connect your Google Business Profile, each car also gets its own post there. The Facebook integration page has the setup steps.
Batch the posts you make by hand
Rather than making a post every day, set aside one or two sessions a week to:
- look at your new stock and choose which cars to feature
- write the posts, choose the images and set when they go out
- plan your Stories and Reels, and spot behind-the-scenes moments for the week
- schedule everything so it goes out across the week
This usually takes 30 to 60 minutes and covers the whole week.
Templates
Write templates for the posts you make most often.
New arrival:
Just arrived! [Year][Make] [Model][Trim] [Key feature 1] | [Key feature 2] | [Key feature 3][Mileage] miles | [Price] Finance from £[amount]/month View more: [link]
Sold:
SOLD! Another [Make][Model] finds a new home. Looking for something similar? Browse our current stock: [link]
Review:
Thank you to [Name] for this fantastic review! ”[Quote]” We love hearing from happy customers.
What should you measure?
Check these once a month:
- reach: how many people see your posts
- engagement rate: likes, comments and shares as a share of reach
- link clicks: how many people click through to your website
- follower growth: whether your audience is getting bigger
- enquiries from social media: ask new enquirers how they found you
Then do more of the posts that bring the most engagement and website visits.
What are the common mistakes?
Most dealers who give up on social media made one of these five mistakes.
Posting only stock
If every post is a car for sale, your page reads like a catalogue. Mix in sold posts, reviews, behind-the-scenes and helpful posts to keep people following.
Posting in bursts
Posting every day for a week and then nothing for a fortnight hurts your reach. The platforms favour pages that post regularly, so schedule posts to keep going when you are busy.
Ignoring comments and messages
Comments and messages often come from real buyers. Reply quickly, because a slow answer can lose the sale to a dealer who replies first.
Poor photos
Dark, blurry or badly framed photos reflect on your business. Clean the car, find good light and shoot from flattering angles.
No call to action
Every post should tell people what to do next: visit your website, call, send a message or book a test drive. Without that, likes do not turn into leads.
How do you get started?
You do not need a marketing team or a big budget. Start here:
- Choose two platforms: Facebook plus Instagram or TikTok.
- Set a schedule you can keep. Three posts a week is enough to begin.
- Use what you already have: car photos, customer reviews and everyday life at the dealership.
- Automate your stock posts to Facebook with Haswent’s social media tools.
- Keep going. A plan you stick to beats a perfect one you drop after a month.