As long as you haven’t been living under a rock in the past couple of years, you’d know that social media has become a top player in helping businesses around the globe. You can do anything from connecting with influential figures to making multiple figures if you use the tools intentionally. When it comes to selling your own cars, the same rules apply─ social media platforms are the way to go.
There are plenty of different routes you can take to help you sell junk cars on the internet. Social media allows you to tap into your creativity and connect with people that need what you’re offering quicker and easier.
Not tech-savvy? Never posted on social networks a day in your life? No need to worry about these things because getting started on these apps is much easier than you think.
If you’re looking to successfully start selling junk cars using social media, check out these 10 tips to help you turn those wheels into bills.
Figure Out Who You’re Selling To
Before you make an account and start creating content for social media, you want to think about who exactly it is that you’re talking to. Who are the people that need your car and what will grab their attention enough for them to stop scrolling?
Think about what types of places these people already hang out. This is an important step because the virtual world is essentially an imitation of our own real world. What this means is that each platform has a certain personality and you’ll find your people on that platform that probably feels most comfortable for them.
For instance, corporate executives and industry thought leaders are easiest to find on LinkedIn because the platform was created to build professional relationships. On the other hand, you might consider connecting with fashion designers and influencers on Instagram because it’s a more visually-driven platform where abstract creativity and trends tend to thrive. Once you know where the people you need to target are hanging out, you’ll probably have an easier time finding them.
As far as getting clear on who you’re targeting, think about the psychographics of the individual. From here you can create a customer profile that will help you to identify them. This can be based on your previous buyers and/or data you gather from conducting market research.
Start Selling on Facebook Marketplace
One of the first places you should start advertising junk cars is on Facebook marketplace. Facebook has provided users with a great community for online buying and selling hassle-free.
To start using Facebook Marketplace, you simply click “create new listing” and follow the prompts for publishing your post. A great benefit of this is you get to automatically target and sell to your local market. This is perfect for someone selling junk cars because shipping can be costly.
The Marketplace has a search function so remember that users will look for specifics like make, model and color so be as detailed as possible in your publishing. Some other rules of thumb are to use high-quality photos and be transparent. If there are issues with the car then clearly state this and don’t try to hide or fabricate pricing.
The one way to repel sales is looking spammy or sketchy. Check out some of the posts that have already published to see how you can structure your own posts.
Use Instagram Stories & Reels
Instagram has rolled out plenty of cool features that help you gain more traction for the content that you post. Two of those features are IG stories and reels.
Stories is the older rollout of the two features and has become a favorite for plenty of social media users for a few reasons. You can create video sequences for your audience. Video content has been shown to be one of the highest performing types of content when it comes to engagement and reach.
One of the biggest benefits of IG Stories is that they’re placed at the top of the app so as soon as someone logs on they can see that you’ve posted a new story. IG Reels is a newer product that was just released in the US in 2020. Making videos with Reels is similar to TikTok but you get to broadcast them to the audience you’ve built on Instagram already.
Take advantage of these two features to show your audience the benefits of buying your vehicle.
Get Creative on TikTok
TikTok is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms in the world. It has over 500 million users worldwide and hasn’t stopped growing yet. One of the best reasons to use TikTok for advertising junk cars is because you can get very creative with your promotions.
You might think many people wouldn’t be interested in junk cars but on TikTok, you can make almost anything more interesting. Consider using popular music and trends to attract an audience to your videos. One thing to remember about this platform is that it is home to a much younger crowd so you’re in the right place if Gen Z is who you’re looking for.
Don’t be afraid to try out different things on TikTok. This platform definitely welcomes quirky content and you’ll see significant engagement the more entertaining your content is. Although Instagram Reels is similar, you have the advantage of leveraging the super-fast growth of the TikTok audience.
Consider Running Facebook Ads
Most of the tips mentioned will be free but if you have a marketing budget then you should definitely consider running ads on Facebook. Investing in ads helps to increase the reach and visibility of your posts which means more people can see it and that could potentially bring more leads through your door.
The thought of running Facebook ads can be intimidating but there are a few key tips that will help you get the most out of your money. Remember that customer profile you created before? You’ll be able to use this for targeting your audience and figuring out who wants to see your posts.
Don’t get too discouraged if you don’t see the results you expected when you first start out with ads. There will be a lot of testing involved. Experiment with different junk car pictures, ad copy and CTAs (call-to-actions).
The more data you can obtain from your ads, the better the focus of your targeting will become. This can ultimately help you to save money on ads and take out the guesswork. Also, remember to invest time in retargeting ads since people typically need to see your content on multiple occasions before purchasing.
Build Your Reputation With Social Proof
One of the quickest ways to help you sell a junk car is to get other people to sell for you. Not literally but through the power of social proof.
Having someone else vouch for your products and services is a fast track to converting a lead because the aspect of trust is already solidified. When you refer something to a friend or family member they usually don’t become skeptical because they know you aren’t trying to sell them anything. This is the factor you’re able to leverage with word of mouth marketing and social proof.
Be sure to highlight any testimonials that you receive from previous customers by posting them frequently. Don’t hesitate to ask someone for a referral if they were pleased with their services. The more people are able to trust you, the easier it is to make junk car sales.
Create & Share Relevant Content
No matter what your motive is for being on social media, one rule that never changes is sharing relevant content can help to bring eyes to your posts. People will engage in content that entertains, educates, informs, inspires or helps them in some kind of way. Focus on sharing this content (which could possibly go viral) and directing the traffic back to your offer.
For instance, if you make a post on Twitter that is starting to get a lot of likes and retweets, place your sales link on the thread for people to check out while they’re scrolling through the comments (people always scroll through the comments). Tactics like this can be super helpful if your content gets good reach.
Run Giveaways & Contests
Who doesn’t love chances to win free stuff? Even more importantly─ who would pass up an opportunity to get a good deal on a vehicle. Social media is the perfect place for selling junk cars online if you’re willing to do a few giveaways and contests.
The great thing about giveaways is that it not only gets people to engage with your content but it also motivates them to purchase quicker and can bring in new leads. When running your contests, be sure to make your CTAs geared towards your goals. For instance, if you want to draw more people to your page, tell everyone to tag two friends or repost as additional entries to the giveaway.
Engage With Others
Sometimes getting people back to your offer can be rough but a little outbound marketing can help with this issue. One of the best things to do is start floating around the online community and engage with others on their pages. Going through the comment section and answering questions is promoting yourself (not in a spammy way) is a good method to try.
You can also use tools like the Facebook Marketplace in reverse. Search for people that may be looking for cars and make an offer to them instead of waiting for people to come.
Again, avoid being spammy like sending repetitive messages or being pushy with sales. Focus on having some genuine conversations and be honest. The selling process tends to go over much better when people know that you’re actually trying to help them and not take advantage.
Make Videos for More Reach
Video marketing has become one of the most effective mediums of content on the internet. Studies show that people watch more than five videos a day on average. With this being said, you should be creating videos to share for advertising junk cars.
Although platforms like TikTok and Instagram have cool features that support and integrate video marketing well, you should be creating and sharing them across all platforms. Also, consider posting on YouTube to funnel traffic to your other sources.
Your video should be something that catches people’s eye amongst a sea of content. Plan the content within one (or more) of these categories to help you with creating:
- Entertainment
- Education
- Inspiration
- Connection
- Conversion
- Promotion
Creating video content is often easier than written content depending on where your natural talents are and whether you prefer to write or not. The good news is that you don’t have to have much skill for fancy editing. Video editing apps and software these days are easy to navigate and if all else fails consider outsourcing your editing needs.
Leverage the Power of Social Media for Selling Junk Cars Today
Social media is a tool that plenty of people have been able to leverage for creating new and extra streams of income. The good news is that it isn’t going anywhere and is the perfect place for you to sell junk cars.
Take note of some of the tips above and start identifying who you’re targeting and which platforms they may be hanging on. Be sure to publish honest and transparent sales posts and share relevant content to draw people back to them. You’ll also benefit from having high-quality images that do justice to what you’re adversting.
Selling junk cars has honestly never been so easy so give social media a try and be patient. Need help selling your old or junk car? Feel free to contact us today for more assistance!
