Utilizing New Year Trends and Tools 

After reading Social Media Shake-Up: Part I, you’ve learned about the social media platforms and trends expected to dominate the 2016 market. Part II will give you insights regarding how competitive dealerships can best utilize these platforms and trends to have a greater impact on consumers. If you’re forming a game plan for 2016, this one is for you! Below are four social media tools you can expect to make waves in your dealership’s reach, brand awareness, and bottom line.

In-the-Moment Updates

Even though social media is in-the-moment by nature, businesses can add a sense of immediacy with live posts.  Social media outlets like Twitter and Snapchat have already adopted this idea by allowing users to share live video broadcasts and give viewers glimpses into their lives. Simply taking a video and posting it later when a special moment has already passed pales in comparison to a live look at what’s going on. Instead of telling people about an event or sale after it is over, tools that offer live-posting ability allow you encourage consumers in real time to participate and interact with your brand, as opposed to before and after posts.

Another innovation that continues to feed consumers’ need for immediacy comes to you via Facebook.  You can expect Facebook’s Instant Articles to hit the big time in 2016, allowing users to post full-length articles to Facebook without having to link to an external source. Because of the competitive and aggressive nature of the automotive industry, consumer attention is money. With less click-throughs and redirects necessary to view content through social media, keeping consumer attention for as long as possible is made easier than ever.

Added Convenience With Buttons

Alongside in-the-moment social media updates, buttons will make all the difference this year. Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest are three of the platforms that have already gained attention by introducing new buy-button features for their advertisers and users.  For car dealerships, buy buttons for large purchases are not practical, however consider offering the opportunity for social media users to easily and quickly request appointments, test drives, or information.  Consumers will be looking for this added convenience as the popularity of buy buttons continues to surge on popular sites.

For businesses, buttons offer the advantage of being able to assist consumers who have questions or show interest in products or services with a simple click. Users don’t even have to leave the application! Although currently Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest are the only major social media sites that have implemented buy buttons, by the end of 2016, look for most major social media platforms to feature some kind of button capability.

Mobile Applications

What was once considered a bonus is now a necessity. As mentioned in Part I, mobile is expected to continue to dominate social media marketing this year, which is why continuously updating and revamping your strategy is a must. Although there are many ways to succeed in this area, mobile applications have the ability to make a significant impact on a dealership’s marketing success.

Mobile apps, used through any mobile devices, can help your dealership collect data, provide better customer support, reward loyal customers, and remain top of mind in a crowded marketplace. The key to mobile is assuring your applications are functionally and visually sound, while maintaining a substantial presence on as many of the main social media outlets as possible. With a mobile screen in front of consumers for a great amount of the day, it’ll be hard for shoppers to ignore a dealership that has its sights set on mobile.

Visuals Visual marketing will continue to grow in 2016, just as it did in 2015. It is now essential for brands to have a solid plan that includes integrating visuals into their marketing strategies. According to Buffer Social, tweets with images receive 18% more clicks, 89% more favorites, and 150% more retweets; and Facebook posts with photos accounted for 87% of all network interactions. In short, posts that encourage interaction are those that contain visuals.

Along with long- and short-form video, pictures and graphics are essential to creating a memorable brand image, and they increase the likelihood consumers will take the time to look at your content. Marketers must include visually appealing multimedia in their content, or they risk losing the attention of online consumers and missing out on valuable connections.

The better a dealership engages and interacts with social media users, the better it is able to adapt to market needs, and ultimately increase profits. By utilizing the latest social media tools, you’ll be able to help your dealership refresh and ramp up your 2016 marketing plans and start the year off on the right foot with consumers.  Be sure to lean into the tools that will dominate the online marketplace throughout the year, and you’ll be sure to gain shopper attention!