Facebook to Cancel Auto Listings on Marketplace

Auto listings on Facebook Marketplace have been a hub for auto dealerships to advertise their vehicle inventories. Recent statistics show that more than one billion Facebook users visit Facebook Marketplace every month. Facebook Marketplace has become one of the top e-commerce platforms for buying and selling items–including vehicles.

Unfortunately, however, Facebook recently announced that auto dealerships will be banned from listing their vehicles on Facebook Marketplace as of January 2023. This announcement has left many auto dealerships who are used to advertising their inventories via Facebook Marketplace scrambling to figure out how they can possibly replace the revenue they will inevitably lose as a result of not being able to market their available vehicles on Facebook Marketplace as of January, while some dealership marketing agencies wonder what kind of story will their insights say now?

While this change has come as a shock that has left many auto dealerships reeling, it is not necessarily a cause for panic among dealerships. Facebook supplemented its announcement with reassurance that they are committed to continuing to support the auto industry and plan to find a way to allow dealerships to post inventory on their platform despite the upcoming change that bans just that.

If you represent an automotive dealership that is accustomed to posting vehicle inventory on Facebook Marketplace, keep reading to learn more about how to adapt to this upcoming change that is scheduled to take effect in January 2023.

1. Be Flexible

Maintaining flexibility is extremely important for any business that advertises via an online platform like Facebook Marketplace that could change its rules and regulations in ways that don’t benefit your business any time they choose.

It is important not to panic at the announcement of this change on Facebook Marketplace. Remember that this change is not the end of the world and will not make or break your dealership’s success. Instead of panicking, consider how your auto dealership will adapt to this upcoming shift. Gather information about alternative options for online marketing that can replace some of the revenue you may lose as a result of the disappearance of Facebook Marketplace as a marketing option for automotive dealerships.

2. Maximize Your Remaining Time

Facebook Marketplace will still allow automotive dealerships to market their vehicle inventory on this platform until January 2023. This means that you have about three months to continue to market your dealership’s available vehicle models on Facebook Marketplace.

While it is a smart idea to move away from advertising on Facebook Marketplace because it will soon no longer be an option for you, it is also important to remember that you still have time to post vehicle listings on Facebook Marketplace in order to get the most out of this platform until January of next year.

If you do decide to continue advertising your dealership’s available vehicle inventory on Facebook Marketplace until you are no longer able to do so, make sure you focus on targeted advertisements. Targeting the advertisements you post on Facebook Marketplace in order to reach a specific group of consumers can help you maximize the advantages of advertising via Facebook Marketplace before this option is no longer available to your dealership.

3. Don’t Put Your Eggs in One Basket

The saying “Don’t put your eggs in one basket” is famous for a reason. One thing you can learn from the upcoming change to Auto Listings on Marketplace rules and regulations is that it is very important to diversify your online marketing campaign in order to ensure that an unwelcome change to one platform will not throw a wrench into your online marketing strategies as a whole.

Use the upcoming change to Facebook Marketplace’s rules as an opportunity to branch out to use other platforms for your online marketing purposes. If you’re going to advertise primarily via shared platforms like Facebook, make sure to use several of these platforms equally in order to avoid unnecessary stress if one of them shuts down or makes their services unavailable to your dealership.

For more information on how to adjust now that Auto Listings on Marketplace will no longer be around, contact us today!