Using social media to drive car shoppers to your dealership website
Social media isn’t just about likes and comments; it’s one of the most effective tools dealerships have for driving qualified traffic to their website. When used strategically, platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok can guide shoppers directly to vehicle detail pages (VDPs), specials, and key conversion points. The key is pairing engaging content with clear calls to action that lead back to the dealership website. Below, you can learn more about how to use social media to drive traffic to your website.
Seven ways you can use social media to drive traffic
Highlight Individual Vehicles with Clear Calls to Action
One of the simplest and most effective strategies is posting individual vehicles from inventory on social media. These posts should focus on what makes the vehicle appealing—price, mileage, standout features, or availability—and include a direct call to action such as “Learn More,” “View Full Details,” or “See It on Our Website.”
Linking directly to the vehicle’s VDP ensures shoppers can easily access photos, specs, pricing, and availability in one place. This approach helps turn casual interest into serious shopping intent while keeping inventory front and center.
Promote New Arrivals and Limited Inventory
Shoppers are motivated by urgency. Posting about new arrivals, hard-to-find models, or low-stock vehicles encourages immediate action. Social posts that emphasize limited availability—such as “Just In,” “Only One Available,” or “Won’t Last Long”—can spark curiosity and drive clicks back to the website.
Including a link to browse current inventory or a specific VDP makes it easy for shoppers to continue their journey without friction.
Share Model Highlights and Feature Spotlights
Not every social post has to be sales-driven. Educational content performs well and builds trust. Dealerships can create posts that highlight popular vehicle features, trims, or technology—such as advanced safety systems, infotainment upgrades, or fuel-efficient powertrains.
These posts can link back to model research pages or filtered inventory results on the dealership website. This helps shoppers move from learning to browsing available vehicles.
Use Specials and Incentives to Drive Clicks
Social media is an ideal channel for promoting current offers, incentives, and limited-time deals. Posts featuring lease offers, finance specials, or service incentives should always include a link back to the dealership website. That way, shoppers can view full details.
This not only increases website traffic but also ensures customers are getting accurate, up-to-date information directly from the source.
Create Video Content That Teases the Full Experience
Short-form videos are powerful attention-grabbers. Walkarounds, quick feature demos, or “vehicle of the week” videos can be posted on social platforms with a caption inviting viewers to explore the full listing online.
Rather than trying to share every detail in the post itself, the goal is to spark interest and direct viewers to the website for photos, specs, pricing, and next steps.
Drive Engagement with Polls, Questions, and Comparisons
Interactive posts such as polls, “this or that” comparisons, or questions about preferred features encourage engagement while subtly guiding shoppers toward inventory. For example, a post asking followers to choose between two SUVs can link to model pages for both options.
These posts feel conversational while still supporting traffic and lead generation goals.
Keep the Website as the Destination
No matter the content type, the dealership website should always be the final destination. Social media works best as a starting point—drawing attention, building interest, and directing shoppers to inventory pages, VDPs, and specials where conversions happen.
By consistently pairing engaging social content with clear calls to action and strategic links, dealerships can turn social media into a reliable traffic driver that supports sales and long-term growth.
