Social media has become a priceless tool for car sales and provides a unique way to build rapport with potential customers before they even step foot inside the showroom. In today’s episode of Inside Automotive, we welcome Javuan Banks, a sales partner at Premier Autos of Dallas, who has mastered the art of using social media to engage with his buyers.
Banks is well-known for his entertaining and hilarious dealership skits on Instagram and TikTok, which have garnered significant attention and attracted business to his dealership.
His introduction to the auto industry came through his father, who would “flip whips” – purchasing cars at auctions, fixing them up, and reselling them. He found his passion in retail automotive when he joined a Nissan dealership, where he enjoyed the simplicity of selling cars to customers without the need to purchase and fix them up.
Banks was determined to incorporate social media into his career and envisioned becoming known as “the car guy.” He started by promoting his dealership’s vehicles on his social media pages. When he moved to Dallas, he met his cameraman, who also worked in car sales. In their free time, the two created content, experimenting to create a viral skit. They stayed consistent with pushing out content and gradually garnered more attention until they released a viral skit.
Bank’s leaders at Premier Autos of Dallas support his content creation and frequently participate in the skits. His content strategy benefited the dealership, driving traffic to the official website and into the showroom.
For salespeople who are looking to incorporate social media into their strategy, Banks shares some practical and valuable advice:
Get in front of the camera
The first step is getting in front of the camera. Don’t worry too much about the content yet. The key is building comfort in front of the camera to reduce feelings of awkwardness and discomfort.
There isn’t one way to success
While comedy is a powerful tool for growing a social media following, aspiring content creators need to use their personal strengths to forge authentic connections with their audience. Although comedy has universal appeal, it’s just one of the immeasurable avenues to success on social media.
Remain consistent
Social media is a long-term marketing strategy that requires consistency and persistence. At the beginning of the journey, aspiring content creators must remember that it’s highly unlikely that content will generate a lot of views. Don’t get discouraged, remain consistent, and keep pushing out content. It can take years to generate a ton of views. However, the more content created, the higher the likelihood of attracting a larger following or producing a piece of viral content.
Provide the audience with value
The key to transforming social media leads into buyers is to offer the audience genuine value rather than just entertainment. This can be achieved through educational content and by addressing their questions. The goal is to shift the focus from mere entertainment to building meaningful connections that can ultimately result in sales.
Social media is a long-term strategy
Social media isn’t a passing trend; it’s here to stay and will continue to evolve. With everyone frequently on their phones and engaging with one another using social media, it’s essential for salespeople and businesses to get in front of prospective customers to stay relevant. For Banks, social media is a long-term strategy that builds his personal brand, opening him up to endless opportunities beyond car sales.
"Comedy is a universal thing that can go viral time and time again. Incorporating it into my business is how I'm able to get the views, amount of followers, and potential buyers that I get. It's very important. If you take that away, then I don't get the same amount of reach." – Javuan Banks
