Top Social Media Strategies for Dealerships to Drive Engagement and Sales in 2025

Social media has transformed automotive retail from a brand-building afterthought into one of the most powerful tools in a dealership’s marketing arsenal. Today’s automotive consumer doesn’t just rely on one or two touchpoints to make purchasing decisions—they are active, social, and increasingly mobile. For dealerships in 2025, social media is no longer optional. It’s essential for visibility, engagement, and converting digital interest into showroom visits.

With platforms like TikTok and Instagram playing a growing role in the car-buying journey, it’s time for dealerships to rethink how they connect with audiences. It’s not just about flashy photos or periodic promotions; it’s about building relationships, delivering value-driven content, and leveraging data to create tailored experiences across every digital channel. 

Why Social Media Matters for Dealerships in 2025

As of 2025, over 95% of vehicle buyers begin their research online, with digital channels becoming twice as influential as in-person dealership visits at the early stages of the funnel. Social media is no longer merely a top-of-funnel awareness channel—it’s now a critical part of the research, consideration, and decision-making phases. In fact, 45% of Americans say they’re open to purchasing their next vehicle through social media. Mobile access has further accelerated this trend. Nearly one-third of automotive shoppers spend significant time researching on mobile devices, making mobile-optimized, thumb-stopping content a non-negotiable. Video has also surged, with YouTube reporting a 65% growth in test drive video views over the past two years. These trends signal one thing: dealerships must meet shoppers where they are, i.e., on social platforms, with content that resonates, informs, and inspires action. 

But great content is only part of the equation. To truly thrive, dealerships must combine creativity with precision. This means activating first-party data to ensure social messaging is personalized and relevant. Leveraging a Customer Data Platform (CDP), dealerships can segment audiences based on real-time behavior and push dynamic offers to the right people, on the right platform, at the right time. Social media for dealerships becomes exponentially more effective when paired with smart data activation.

Top Platforms for Dealership Social Media in 2025

Each platform plays a unique role in your dealership’s social media strategy. Here’s how to leverage each one effectively:

• Facebook
  • Still the leading platform for older demographics
  • Leverage Facebook Marketplace for used car listings
  • Build community through local promotions, events, and service specials
• TikTok
  • Great for reaching Gen Z and millennial audiences through influencer partnerships
  • Perfect for short-form, trend-driven content
  • Showcase car walk-arounds, behind-the-scenes moments, and “first-time buyer” reactions
• Instagram
  • Use Reels, Stories, and Lives to highlight new inventory and promote real-time engagement
  • Share customer testimonials, dealership updates, and local events
  • Ideal for building brand aesthetic and community
• YouTube
  • Focus on long-form content like in-depth vehicle reviews and dealership tours
  • Use explainer videos to answer financing or maintenance questions
  • Great for SEO and building authority in your local market
• X (formerly Twitter)
  • Use for quick updates, promotions, and industry news
  • Best for service reminders or flash sales
• LinkedIn
  • Use for B2B outreach, fleet sales, and recruitment marketing
  • Share behind-the-scenes dealership culture and employee spotlights

Creative Social Media Strategies for Dealerships

It may sound like an oxymoron, but leading with data-powered creativity will help dealerships stand out in a saturated market. Here are some of the most effective strategies reshaping dealership social in 2025:

Video-First Marketing
Short-form video is still king in 2025. Whether it’s a quick “Just Arrived” post on Instagram Reels or a trend-based reveal video on TikTok, dealerships that consistently produce video content are seeing higher engagement and conversions. Using AI-powered analytics, dealers can identify top-performing vehicle models and promotions, and feature them prominently in video content.

Live Chat & Real-Time Q&A Sessions
Live sessions on Instagram or TikTok offer authentic engagement opportunities. These can range from showcasing new inventory to answering common financing questions. Promote upcoming Lives to qualified leads through targeted digital ads.

Behind-the-Scenes & Employee Spotlights
In an era where people buy from people, humanizing the dealership is a powerful tactic. Sharing employee spotlights, community involvement, or casual moments from around the showroom builds rapport and relatability. These small storytelling moments compound to create brand loyalty.

Interactive Polls & Quizzes
Engagement isn’t a one-way street. Polls on Instagram Stories—asking followers whether they prefer SUVs or sedans, or leasing versus financing—create fun touchpoints while gathering valuable data. 

Paid Social Campaigns That Convert

Organic reach can only go so far. In 2025, paid social is a critical lever for driving conversions—but success depends on data and automation. With an AI-powered Digital Advertising suite, dealerships can build high-performing campaigns that adapt in real-time.

This includes targeting audiences based on specific browsing behavior—like recent views of a particular model or service page—and retargeting them with timely, relevant offers. Campaigns can also be automatically updated to reflect inventory shifts, ensuring budget is never wasted on out-of-stock vehicles. Dealerships effectively using AI for social ad optimization can expect to see lower cost-per-lead (CPL), better ad relevance, and stronger return on ad spend. 

Key Metrics to Track Dealership Social Media Performance

To understand what’s working (and what’s not), keep a close eye on the following performance indicators:

• Engagement Rate: Measure how much your audience is interacting with your content (likes, comments, shares).
• Video Completion Rate: Important for short-form platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels, this tells you how engaging your content is from start to finish.
• Click-Through Rate (CTR): Tracks how many viewers are clicking on your ads or Stories to learn more.
• Lead Generation Metrics: Includes form fills, DM inquiries, appointment bookings, and phone calls from social.
• Cost Per Lead (CPL): Measures how cost-effective your paid campaigns are.

Pro Tips for Dealership Social Media Success in 2025

Here’s what sets top-performing dealerships apart in the 2025 social media landscape:

• Stay Trend-Aware: Experiment with AI-generated content, influencer collaborations, and AR filters (e.g., virtual test drives).
• Use First-Party Data for Personalization: Leverage a CDP to segment audiences by vehicle interest, behavior, and purchase history, helping you tailor content and offers.
• Automate and Optimize: Use marketing automation tools to streamline posting, retargeting, and reporting.
• Balance Organic with Paid: Organic content builds trust, but data-driven paid ads drive conversions. Don’t rely on one without the other.
• Be Consistent and Creative: Maintain a regular posting schedule while experimenting with new content formats, storytelling styles, and engagement tactics

Data-Driven Social Media Gains

Social media for dealerships in 2025 is about more than just presence—it’s about performance. The dealerships winning today are those combining storytelling with sophisticated data activation. It’s creativity guided by insights. It’s engagement powered by AI. And most importantly, it’s about delivering the right message to the right shopper at the right time.

The power of social media for dealerships lies at the intersection of data, creativity, and technology. Fullpath’s AI-powered, data-driven insights amplify this potential by enabling smart audience segmentation, hyper-targeted ads and content, and fully automated digital advertising campaigns. This strategic approach ensures that each interaction is highly relevant, quickly capturing the attention of the right audiences. By leveraging Fullpath’s intelligence, dealerships can turn social media scrolls into meaningful engagement, transforming clicks into customers and driving measurable sales. 

Ready to supercharge your dealership’s social media strategy with the power of AI and first-party data? Book a demo to learn how Fullpath can help you build personalized, high-performing social campaigns that drive real results.