“Challenging this may be swimming against the current, but, like most business people, we recognise the vital importance of achieving an acceptable return on our marketing budget. The evidence for using Facebook is questionable.”

Werner believes dealers can miss opportunities by spending more time and resources on social media.

“To date the cost/value evidence with social media, notably Facebook, in generating activity and revenue for dealers is limited,” he said.

“Conversely, investing in a well-populated, information-rich website with tools offers a better return on investment. Dealers should be working to ensure such opportunities are not missed”.

James Tew, director at iVendi, said information from sites such as Facebook  allows dealers to build a personality picture of someone applying for finance through their website.

“It’s possible to collate interests such as music, cinema, travelling and football from internet data,” he said.

“This is useful when sales people are meeting fewer customers face to face and less frequently. More customers now choose a car and finance it online and the first and only contact with a dealer is when they collect their purchase.”

Tom Skilling, digital development manager at DSG FS, said: “Without content, dealers’ Twitter and Facebook pages won’t entice people to keep coming back to see what they’ve got to say.

“Social media should encourage potential customers to click through to see a dealer’s website – an online showroom where cars, offers and promotions can be found.”