SARASOTA, Fla. – ​​​​​Dealers United, an innovative leader in the auto ad tech industry, is taking the initiative to help automotive dealers navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. Driven by a passion for helping auto dealerships achieve long-term success, they are leading the charge by developing several tools and resources to proactively guide automotive dealers during this unprecedented time.

Every dealership should be asking themselves ‘How can you provide your customers with an amazing car shopping experience, even if they don’t leave the house?’

“As more consumers turn to the web and social media to pass the time, it’s more important than ever for auto dealerships to be digitally visible and available,” advises Pete Petersen, CEO of Dealers United. “Every dealership should be asking themselves ‘How can you provide your customers with an amazing car shopping experience, even if they don’t leave the house?’”

Dealers United is encouraging dealerships and local businesses alike to have messaging and plans in place to continue operations, while still staying safe and preventing the impact of this virus.

On March 26, 2020, Dealers United hosted a powerful webinar, State of Automotive, co-hosted by five dealers from across the U.S. and Canada, IHS Markit, and Facebook Automotive. The webinar focused on sharing dealers’ personal experiences on their businesses and messaging, as well as best practices to help drive sales and service revenue during the COVID-19 crisis.

Matt Sneed, Director of Marketing at Power Ford in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was one of the dealer-panelists in the webinar. “Going digital is so much more agile than traditional marketing and traditional media,” Sneed said. “The targeting you can do on Facebook is so far superior to anything else. You can be proactive with your message.”

Since state regulations have limited Sneed’s dealership to sell vehicles only to essential workers, Sneed has repositioned their advertising spend to promote service campaigns. Using Facebook and Instagram Ads, Power Ford has been able to proactively target potential service customers with the latest information and offers.

“Facebook was made for moments like this,” agreed Michael Renaud, Vice President of Leader In Cars Auto Group during the State of Automotive webinar. Renaud goes on to describe how his auto group, located at the virus epicenter of New Rochelle, New York, has been using Facebook and Instagram to quickly let customers know their latest store updates and hours, what precautions they’re taking to keep everyone safe, and how shoppers can get in touch with them for questions or appointments.

Guided by Facebook Automotive best practices, data-driven insights and audiences from IHS Markit, and their dealer-partners’ experiences, Dealers United developed several free resources for auto dealers during the coronavirus pandemic. These resources give dealers a proactive plan to communicate with their customers and community about their dealership’s ability to serve customers in their time of need while making them feel safe and secure about the buying process.

The valuable information included in the Dealers United COVID-19 resource webpage contains the following:

• Dealership “Facebook Ad Playbooks” and templates for both service and sales strategies amid COVID-19

• A recording of the State of Automotive webinar event, featuring five dealer-panelists

• An article about the latest car shopper trends during COVID-19

• An article offering messaging ideas to help maintain and drive sales

• The IHS Markit Rapid Response Report, focused on COVID-19​

• Facebook’s official guide about ways that auto dealership advertisers can respond to COVID-19

Leveraging these resources, auto dealers can create and execute strategies to strengthen their business and help it remain prosperous throughout and beyond the pandemic.