Instagram recently launched a completely new feature set called Instagram Stories.

The company describes it as “a new feature that lets you share all the moments of your day, not just the ones you want to keep on your profile. As you share multiple photos and videos, they appear together in a slideshow format: your story.”

Prior to the update, Instagram was a social network for sharing one 60-second video or one image with your choice of a personalized caption and hashtags i.e. (#ilovemynewcar). Now, you can record video and add it to your story, and it stays there for 24 hours before it expires. The features that Instagram Stories introduced are similar to another popular social network, Snapchat.

Once you create a story, there is a message button that allows your customers to communicate with you. Think of it as a way to have a conversation that leads to conversions and sales.

Make sure you ask questions to elicit responses.

You can learn more about Instagram Stories here.

So how can Instagram Stories benefit your dealership?

Instagram Stories will help your dealership engage with your prospects on the social networks they hang out on every day. Here are five ways you can use Instagram Stories in your overall social media strategy.

1. Happy customers

Are you capitalizing on your happy customers? A good strategy is to take their picture next to their recent purchase and post it on your dealership's Facebook page. “Here’s John, another happy customer.”

A better strategy is to encourage your happy customer to upload a 60-second video using Instagram Stories, which shares their excitement with their friends for the next 24 hours.

That could lead to potential new customers for your dealership. The videos can also be saved and subsequently uploaded to your dealership's Instagram account and Facebook page. Keep in mind you may need to offer an incentive to motivate your customers to take this sort of action. The opportunities are endless!

2. 24-hour flash sales

Is your dealership running a promotion? Make your followers on Instagram feel special by offering an exclusive sale for the next 24 hours just for followers on Instagram. You can film a quick video using Instagram Stories to get the message out. To measure your response rate, make sure to remind them to mention the special they saw on Instagram.

3. Contests

People love to win things, and social media is a fantastic way to facilitate a contest. Encourage your fans to post a picture of their purchase to either Facebook or Instagram and to tag your dealership. For example, you could offer a free oil change or an accessory, but keep in mind, their profile needs to be public in order for you to see their post.

Once the winner comes in to claim their prize, you can post their excitement to your Instagram Story. If you can find a way to engage your customers online, they’re more likely to engage with you offline as well (at your dealership). Again, this is a great opportunity to save these videos and upload them to your Instagram account and business Facebook page.

4. Staff features

People like to do business with people. Showcase your staff by featuring them on your Story. Ask them questions about what they like to do in their free time or what future features or models they’re looking forward to. These are just a few ideas and opportunities to keep you engaged with your audience. The more you can humanize your dealership using social media, the more relatable you become, which will aid in the sales process. 

5. Maintenance tips

If you can teach your audience something, they’ll keep coming back for more. Just make sure you keep it consistent and educational. Providing value is a great way to keep your customers and prospects engaged on social media. Solely being sales focused is how you will alienate your audience.

Overall social media strategy

If you think social media is a vehicle for driving sales, you are half right. Social media is also a way to engage your customers in places they are spending their time (i.e. Facebook and Instagram). With roughly 430 million active monthly users (AMU) according to socialnomics.com, they may not be in the market for something now, but if you stay top of mind with your social media efforts, you’ll earn yourself customers in the future.

If you would like to learn more about Instagram Stories, try it out on your personal account before you use it for your dealership. We recommend that you experiment with the application first to avoid mistakes.

Adam Goldberg is the marketing manager at LotVantage, a provider of digital marketing solutions for automotive, marine, powersports, RV, trailer and outdoor power equipment dealerships. He can be reached at agoldberg@thatus.com. You can also access more social media tips at LotVantage.com/blog.