Promoting Part And Accessory Sales With Social Media Marketing

Contemporary social media marketing became a thing in 2006 or so when Facebook rapidly became the go-to social media network. In the two decades since, marketers have become borderline obsessed with social media, and many industries (fashion, cosmetics, fitness, travel) are largely driven by it.

However, for the auto parts and accessories industry, social media has traditionally offered limited value for two critical reasons:

1. Parts and accessories consumers usually buy based on an unpredictable need. A lot of people will buy an extra pair of pants “just because,” but you don’t see that with brake pads or trailer brake controllers or other automotive products. There just aren’t that many impulse purchases in the parts and accessories business.
2. Parts and accessories marketing is often driven by fitment. Social media platforms have historically struggled to identify users who identify with a specific political party, let alone identify users who own a 3rd generation Toyota Tacoma. As a result, it’s hard to efficiently target potential customers for a specific product on social media.

So while social media marketing has been great for a lot of industries over the last 20 or so years, it’s had limited value for auto parts and accessories companies…until relatively recently.

In the past few years, we’ve seen a sea change in the effectiveness of social media marketing. This change seems to be a result of significant improvements in AI and machine learning models that drive content engagement on these platforms. As a result, social media marketing has become much more viable for parts and accessories brands.

This post is inspired by Jason Lancaster’s presentation at EMOTIV Live Miami on September 6, 2024.

Social Media Network User Targeting Has Changed

Since about 2020 or so, we’ve seen a massive increase in the effectiveness of Facebook and Instagram advertising (a/k/a Meta advertising) for our clients. At the same time, we’ve also seen signs that these platforms (and YouTube) deliver content to potential customers in a way that is significantly less random than in years prior.

These changes seem to be a result of new AI and machine learning algorithms:

• From 2019 onwards, it’s easy to find evidence of Facebook and Instagram “figuring out” their users by plugin app engagement metrics, off-site signals, and historical data into AI
• The same can also be said for TikTok, which basically doubled time on site in the last 5 years
• YouTube engagement is up 20% as well in the last 5 years

All the major social media networks seem to have figured out their users at roughly the same time. As a result, it’s now possible to target users who have matching fitment and who are likely in the market and looking to buy.

Which Social Media Platforms Matter Most For The Parts And Accessories Industry?

Parts and accessories companies should focus on 3 or 4 of these networks:

• YouTube: The top platform for DIY enthusiasts, especially for the 25-54 demographic
• Facebook: Older, higher-income users make Facebook a great channel, as does its massive reach
• Instagram: Popular among younger audiences, this platform is ideal for accessory brands
• *TikTok: Growing rapidly, TikTok’s userbase is very young compared to the others listed here

*TikTok is not as effective of a social media network for most parts and accessories brands, only it is changing.

<<< Read: Auto Parts Marketing On Facebook And Instagram – A 10,000-Foot View >>>

What Do Parts And Accessories Brands Need To Do?

First, content needs to be published on a regular basis (ideally video content). All of the platforms can automatically show uploaded content to users who want to see it, but they can’t show content that doesn’t exist.

Second, none of the social media networks want to showcase content from dormant or inactive profiles. If a potential customer drops a comment on a video or asks a question on a post, the profile needs to respond. YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok all prioritize content from active accounts.

Third, it’s important to remember that the content users see is driven by their interests and behavior. It doesn’t matter if the content comes from a retailer selling directly to customers or a manufacturer that only sells B2B. If the platform determines the user is likely to be interested in the content, then the user will see it:

• Brands that only sell B2B should be posting content just to build brand awareness
• Retailers should be posting content that answers common questions and drives potential customers to their website

Conclusion

For years, social media marketing and advertising was long on promises and short on results. Many automotive parts and accessory brands jumped into social media with both feet, but unless the brand was either:

1. Promoting a product with nearly universal appeal and fitment, and/or
2. Promoting a product that was a good candidate for an impulse purchase (like a detailing chemical)

Social media marketing and advertising was sort of a “marketing nuisance.” Every company spent money and time posting to social media, but very few companies could actually prove social media was worth the effort.

But then social media networks began to leverage artificial intelligence to figure out what kind of content people wanted to see. They used this same technology to also figure out which users were in the market to buy something. Now, instead of showing content to people based on which profiles they follow or what their friends are seeing, content is automatically shown to people based on their interests. Combined with advertising, it’s now possible to show vehicle and product-specific content to people who are actively shopping for a specific part or accessory.

In short, social media marketing is finally something the parts and accessories industry can leverage. Will you?