This Week in Social Media

News for the Week of August 22

Promoted Video Pins on Pinterest

Pinterest recently rolled out Promoted Video, yet another way for businesses to share ideas and let consumers give new concepts a try.  With over 100 million people worldwide turning to Pinterest monthly to get inspiration, Promoted Video makes sense for businesses looking to expand and offer something new and exciting to online shoppers.  Currently, 75% of Pinterest content that consumers enjoy comes from businesses—and 55% of people on Pinterest say they’re interested in finding products on this platform.  With Promoted Video, businesses can now demo their products and services, giving consumers an in-the-moment feel for what they’ll be purchasing.  In early testing, Promoted Video ads were shown to stick with consumers 4x more than non-video ads—a testament to the power of video.  Dealerships, now more than ever, it’s important you become comfortable with the idea of getting in front of your consumers with video.  Not only will you capture more attention, but you’ll also make more sales and earn more loyalty by speaking to consumers in a language they understand and enjoy.

New Look & Layout for Facebook

Everyone loves a makeover, and Facebook is no different.  It’s recently moved forward with an updated desktop design that makes it easier than ever for visitors to interact with Pages.  Businesses will notice a cleaner overall layout with brighter and more prominent button placements that promote meaningful interactions such as booking appointments and browsing online shops.  Additionally, Page owners will notice improved navigation, which will allow users to more quickly and easily find information about businesses.  Updated navigation features include newly located Page tabs that will now appear on a vertical navigation bar on the left-hand side of the Page.  Tabs can also be updated and rearranged to suit each business’s preferences.  Dealerships, be sure your Page is updated with your latest information and compelling images.  Potential customers will be more likely to seek out your dealership if you make yourself easy to find, and they’ll be more likely to reach out to you if you offer a variety of ways to contact you.

Twitter Promoted Stickers

Twitter is introducing everyone to Promoted Stickers, and for brands that are interacting with consumers online, this offers a great opportunity to use their creativity and reach out to shoppers in a unique new way.  Stickers were recently introduced to Twitter users as a way of adding a little pop to their pics, and already millions of posts have appeared with stickers.  Now, businesses can join in the fun and create brand stickers which will appear in the #Stickers library for anyone on Twitter to use.  Acting as a visual hashtag, stickers make it easy for brands to see who’s interacting with them on specific topics.  Dealerships, jump in on the fun and create stickers of your very own on Twitter.  You’ll be participating in a timely trend—and you’ll be able to track those who are interacting with your brand.

New Twitter Notification Features

Twitter is introducing two new features that will give users more control over who they interact with and who they see on the platform.  First, users will be able to configure their notifications settings to limit to only those they follow on mobile and twitter.com.  Users who want to give this a try can turn this feature on in their Notifications Settings; otherwise, things will remain the same as always.  The next change offered by Twitter is a quality filter, which will improve overall Tweet quality by using a variety of signals.   By turning on this functionality, users will be able to filter out lower-quality content like duplicate Tweets or automated content.  This can also be controlled via the notifications settings menu.  Dealerships, be sure you’re the one consumers want to follow and retweet by continuously posting valuable and useful content.  Stay up to date with current industry news and share freely with your followers…they’ll be eager to retweet the things they learn from you.

Tip of the Week – Create a Facebook Feed Consumers Will Love

It’s easy to fall into the trap of overcomplicating our social strategies.  It’s also easy to fall into the trap of thinking we need no strategy at all.  The reality is your Facebook strategy will fall somewhere between those two extremes.  While you don’t need to dedicate the rest of your active years to planning and posting, you do need some sort of a strategy for sharing content that will appeal to your target market.  And that’s where this post comes in.  Check out the following tips and tricks for posting content that will keep your followers coming back for more:

• Post your highlight reel.  This is the rule of thumb when posting personal updates, and the same goes for your dealership.  Share updates about what your dealership is doing in the community, what’s new in the industry, links about current events, and even fun behind-the-scenes pics and videos. Stick to the things that make your dealership shine!

• Share pictures.  Online consumers are visually driven, and posts with images get 2.3x more engagement than those without.  Get in the habit of snapping pics around your dealership and sharing images with the stories and updates you post.  You’ll get more traction and interaction from your online audience.

• Get into video.  Video continues to grow at an exceptional rate across social media, and when your dealership gets on this bandwagon, you’ll be guaranteed more social interaction.  In fact, for as much traction as pics get, video posts have 135% greater reach still!  You’ll get more exposure across a greater number of potential customers when you adopt video and incorporate it into your social marketing plan.

• Be consistent.  Once you start to gain followers, they’ll be looking for your content—and it’s a downer for them when they can’t find new updates.  Be sure to find a consistent posting schedule that works for you.  Your audience will get used to seeing you, and they’ll expect your posts.

• Don’t over-post or oversell.  We’ve all heard the saying “Less is more,” and it’s especially true when it comes to marketing your brand on Facebook.  A few well-timed posts with great content will far outweigh an onslaught of sales pitches or in-your-face brand promotion.  Remember to be thoughtful and offer relevant and helpful content your followers will want to share, and you’ll gain more ground in the long run.

• Try hosting a contest.  Try getting your followers involved by kicking off a fun contest.  Consider things like a My First Car photo contest—or throw out a fun trivia question.  Give winners coupons or vouchers for services like oil changes or car washes at your dealership.  Not only will you get them interacting with you, you’ll also bring them in to your dealership and get more face time with them.

• Update your cover photo.  Consider changing your photo to coordinate with the seasons or with special events happening at the dealership.  You’ll garner excitement and get more attention when you change up your pic and show off your creativity.

• Tag and call out individuals.  If you partner with other local businesses, this is a great way to share the spotlight (they’ll likely respond in kind and give you more visibility on their pages).  Tag your individual fans and new customers when you have their permission.  Any time you’re able to do this, you’ll have the chance of growing your online audience.

• Measure what you do.  As with any strategy, be sure to periodically take time out to check up on how you’re doing.  Utilize Facebook Insights to see which posts have been successful, where you’ve gotten the most clicks and shares, and where you could improve your performance.

There are plenty of things you can do to ensure you’re posting content that brings your audience back, but the main message is this: Be consistent, be yourself, and be positive.  The rest of the tips are the little things you can learn along the way to tweak and improve your strategy.  The businesses that are successful on social are those that are authentic and offer content that’s helpful and engaging, without being pushy or overly sales-driven.  Offer up your best authentic self—and interact with consumers consistently to see your social platform grow into a successful tool that will help support your dealership’s business plan.