Tesla Breaks New Ground Without Spending a Dime

Tesla is a maverick in the automotive industry, specializing in electric cars and solar panels. That has provided a strong social media presence, the strongest among automakers. That is an achievement. What’s more impressive? Tesla accomplished that by spending $0 in ad campaigns on social media.

Automakers invest a large piece of their ad budget on social media, especially Facebook. Toyota allocated 62% of its budget to Facebook advertising alone. BMW dedicated 46%; Ford 55%; and Infiniti 52%. Facebook has an older audience that fits those carmakers target demographic. Different—as it always is—is Tesla. Not only did Tesla spend $0 on Facebook, it spent $0 on social media period! Yet, somehow, it has the most organic engagement on social media (number of people who come across a post without boosted distribution) based on a report from BrandTotal. How? An engaged fan base.

Tesla is most prolific on Instagram. 55% of its social activity takes place there. It also boasts 11% on Twitter. CEO Elon Musk’s 26.3 million followers help that number, but the real kicker is that Musk and Tesla are advertising by simply being present and engaged. “Strong brands… command high engagement even without a robust digital ad spend. In Tesla’s case, we see their engagement numbers are high compared to other [paying] auto brands… this may be a result of Tesla’s fans already being engaged and active users on Twitter and other platforms. The brand doesn’t feel the need to spend on paid social media marketing when their organic reach is so strong,” said Alon Leibovich, Co-Founder and CEO of BrandTotal. Musk’s Twitter account alone is one of Tesla’s most effective tools of business (and fan) communication.

Tesla doing something new is not news, but spending zilch on social media is as audacious as colonizing Mars. If Tesla can pull that off, then maybe… this was more than a publicity stunt.