# Car dealership social media: inventory posts that move cars [Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/car-dealership-social-media) Buyers scroll stock on their phone long before they visit the forecourt. A dealership's feed is its second showroom, and it should be as tidy, consistent and easy to browse as the first. ## The short version - Car dealership social media works best when inventory posts look identical in layout, so buyers can compare cars at a glance. - An inventory carousel should lead with the best exterior photo and include the year, model, mileage and key features on a consistent spec slide. - A dark, consistent background makes cars of every colour look good and gives a dealership a recognisable feed. - Handover photos with happy customers build trust, but always ask the buyer's permission before posting. - Finance and price offers are regulated in most countries, so check the advertising rules that apply to your dealership before posting them. Good **car dealership social media** treats the feed as a second showroom. Every car in stock gets the same treatment: a strong lead photo, a clean spec slide in the same layout, a few detail shots and a clear way to enquire. Around the inventory you post offers, events, handovers and the people who work there, all on one consistent look. Buyers compare cars by scrolling, so consistency is what makes your stock easy to browse. ## How to build an inventory carousel that sells Shoot every car in the same place, at the same angles, in the same order. Buyers who have seen three of your posts know exactly where to swipe for the interior or the boot. That predictability reads as professionalism, and [Instagram carousel design](https://gradiently.design/guide/instagram-carousel-design) covers the pacing that keeps people swiping. 1. **Slide 1: the front three quarter** The classic angle, shot at headlight height, the car clean and the wheels turned slightly towards the camera. 2. **Slide 2: the spec card** Year, model, mileage, fuel, gearbox and two or three standout features, in the same layout on every car. 3. **Slides 3 to 6: the details buyers check** Rear three quarter, dashboard and screen, front seats, rear seats, boot. Same order every time. 4. **Slide 7: the honest bit** Service history, any marks you know about, warranty. Being upfront saves wasted viewings. 5. **Last slide: how to enquire** Phone, message, or book a test drive, with the stock number so your team can find it instantly. A dark portrait spec card for a used Volvo XC60 B5 Plus listing year, mileage, mild hybrid and full service history A spec card: model in the largest type, then year, mileage and the two facts buyers ask about first. | On the spec card | Example | | --- | --- | | Model and trim | Volvo XC60 B5 Plus | | Year and mileage | 2022, 18,400 miles | | Fuel and gearbox | Mild hybrid, automatic | | Two standout features | Panoramic roof, heated seats | | History | Full service history, one owner | | Stock number | 4127 | The details to put on every spec card. Leave the price for the caption or your listing if your rules require extra wording alongside it. ## A consistent dark look for a dealership feed Cars come in every colour, so the frame around them has to work with all of them. A dark background does: it makes silver look polished, red look rich and white look crisp, and it echoes the showroom at night. Pick one dark surface and use it on every spec card, offer and event post. After a few weeks your posts become recognisable before anyone reads the name. - Showroom spotlight: `radial-gradient(ellipse at 50% 0%, #3a3d42 0%, #1a1c1f 55%, #0b0c0d 100%)` - Gunmetal: `linear-gradient(160deg, #2c3138 0%, #1b1f24 55%, #0e1013 100%)` - Midnight blue: `radial-gradient(circle at 80% 15%, #23406b 0%, #111d33 50%, #070b14 100%)` Three dark grounds that flatter any paint colour. Choose one and keep it, with your brand colour as the only accent. Keep white or light text on these grounds, and one brand accent for prices and badges. [Dark gradient backgrounds](https://gradiently.design/guide/dark-gradient-backgrounds) covers how to avoid banding when posts are compressed, which dark blends suffer from most. ## Car dealership offer and finance posts Offers sell, but they come with rules. Advertising car finance is regulated in many countries and often needs set wording (in the UK, for example, a representative example in many cases), and price claims must be accurate. Check the rules that apply to you before posting. Design wise, give an offer its own clear layout, a single headline and the required details legible rather than buried. ### Avoid - Five offers crammed onto one graphic - Required finance wording in tiny grey type - A different template every weekend - Starbursts and "must end Sunday" when it doesn't ### Do - One offer per post, one headline - Required details readable on a phone - The same dark frame as your stock posts - A real end date, and stick to it ## Dealership events and handover posts Events give people a reason to visit rather than just browse: a new model launch evening, an electric car test drive weekend, a summer service check day. Promote them with a [Facebook event cover](https://gradiently.design/guide/facebook-event-cover-size) and a countdown in stories. A landscape event cover for an electric test drive weekend with six models to try A Facebook event cover at 1920×1005, in the same dark frame as the stock posts. A portrait handover card congratulating a customer named Priya on collecting a Kia EV6 A handover card that sits before the customer photo. Always ask before posting. Handover posts are the closest thing to a review you can post every day. Ask the buyer first, use their first name only if they agree, and keep number plates out of shot if they prefer. [Testimonial post design](https://gradiently.design/guide/testimonial-post-design) has ways to turn their words into a card. ## Car dealership social media post sizes - Instagram post 1080×1350: 1080 × 1350 - Facebook post 1200×1200: 1200 × 1200 - Story and Reel 1080×1920: 1080 × 1920 - YouTube thumbnail 1280×720: 1280 × 720 Portrait for Instagram stock posts, square for Facebook, vertical for walkaround videos, and a thumbnail for longer reviews. Walkaround videos shot vertically on a phone work well as Reels and Stories; keep the spec card as the first frame. [Social video sizes](https://gradiently.design/guide/social-video-sizes) lists the rest. ## How to make a spec card for every car in stock The hard part of inventory posts is volume: forty cars means forty spec cards, and typing each one invites mistakes. Gradiently's bulk create (Pro) takes one spec card and a spreadsheet exported from your stock system, with columns for model, year, mileage, features and photo, and makes a card for every row. You review each version before creating them, and one Undo removes the whole batch if something is off. Every card wears the same dark Mark, which calms behind the words so the light text stays readable, and Pro resizes the set from Instagram to Facebook in one step. See [bulk create from a spreadsheet](https://gradiently.design/guide/bulk-create-from-spreadsheet) for how the columns connect. ## FAQ ### What should a car dealership post on social media? Inventory carousels in a consistent layout, offers, events, customer handovers with permission, walkaround videos and team introductions. ### What should be on a car inventory post? Model and trim, year, mileage, fuel and gearbox, two standout features, service history and a stock number, plus a clear way to enquire. ### What background colour works best for car photos on social media? A dark, consistent background flatters every paint colour and makes a dealership's posts recognisable in the feed. ### Can I post car finance offers on Instagram? Usually, but finance advertising is regulated in most countries and often requires specific wording, so check the rules that apply before posting. ### How do I make posts for lots of cars quickly? Use one template for every car and fill it from a spreadsheet of your stock, then review each version before publishing.