How Car Rental Companies Are Boosting Their Social Media Presence
Social media
is a key part of most advertising budgets. Content creation, videos, images –
everything costs money. And then you have to consider ad expenditures on PPC
and ads. Professional social media marketing can cost between $1,000 and
$20,000+ per month.
Fortune 500
companies can easily spend millions of dollars per year on social media.
Car rental
companies are competing in a $124 billion industry, and smaller companies often use
social media to compete against Hertz and Budget, two major car rental
entities.
But how do
these car rental companies boost their social media presence to compete with
larger companies that have more advertising dollars?
Images are Key
Social media
relies heavily on images to catch the attention of users. When you’re scrolling
through Twitter or Facebook, images will catch your attention faster than text
will be able to catch your attention.
A Dubai car rental company called OneClickDrive promotes their Twitter with:
- Text that outlines pricing
- Text that outlines all vehicle features
- Several high-quality images of each vehicle
The company
also promotes their chauffeur service through the same account to meet the
needs of all potential followers.
If customers
share their images on social media, it’s equally important for car rental
companies to share these images. Leisure Car Rental did this when a customer
thanked them for their rental service via email.
The company
could have simply replied to the customer in email, but they have a tendency of
regularly posting photos of their customers with their rental cars. It’s a way
to show appreciation and spread the word of other happy customers.
Local Content is Becoming Important
It’s
important to become an expert on your local area. For example, posting about
events going on in Dubai, local projects and other local news allows for rental
car services to become local experts.
Car rental
services in key travel destinations often use this type of content to keep
their followers engaged.
And as a
local expert, you’re able to expand your following faster and lure in more
potential leads. Hertz does this very well in Guatemala. The company claims
that they use their posts to put the destination in a desirable light.
The company
claims that the goal is to get travelers to Guatemala, and then Hertz
will be able to get the travelers into a car.
Outside Experts Help
Professional
help is a must, and it’s often these outside service providers that offer up
new, innovative ideas. When working with a social media consultant, they will
provide monthly reports, offer new strategies and handle the management of a
social media account.
When car
rental companies are having trouble remaining consistent on social media,
outside help can help.
Outside help
often opens up new social media strategies to independent car rental owners.
Not only can these professionals leverage current social media trends, but the
right person will also be able to stay on top of new social media trends and
potential market changes.
In the end,
outside help provides consistency and a plan that car rental companies can
follow.