This Week in Social Media

News for the Week of July 18

Improvements for YouTube Ads

Google recently announced improvements for YouTube ads, which will give retailers more control over the branding experience for viewers.  Available globally wherever TrueView for shopping is available, the new features will help shoppers pinpoint what they’re looking for, as well as help brands stand out.  Companion banner is an interactive banner that will appear next to a video that’s being played, allowing viewers to scroll through products at the same time they’re watching the video, giving them more in-depth product information while watching videos. Product picker is another enhancement that will aid advertisers on YouTube, allowing them to prioritize and decide which products are featured for specific campaigns.  With product picker in place, retailers are still able to elect to let the format dynamically choose feature products.  Dealerships, don’t discount YouTube as a great source for reaching your customer base.  With 6 BILLION hours of YouTube watched per month, it’s a good bet your customers will see what you’re doing and follow you.  Video is leading the way when it comes to reaching consumers, so if you haven’t yet, give YouTube a try.

Twitter Improves Emoji Support

Always on top of its growing emoji collection, Twitter recently announced support of the newest emojis on the Twitter website.  Early in the year, 72 new emojis were released by Unicode, and they all now display on Twitter.com.  They’ll be coming soon to TweetDeck and the Twemoji repository as well.  Just in time for World Emoji Day, which was July 17, the latest update to Twitter makes it the first major platform to include new emojis like Drooling Face, Nauseated Face, Lying Face, and ROFL.  Emojis have become the norm when communicating online or via mobile, with some messages being written solely in emoji speak, so dealerships, jump into the phenomenon and toss some emojis into your posts to liven things up.  They’ll humanize your messages and resonate with consumers who are accustomed to seeing them in their everyday messages.

Periscope Editors’ Picks

Periscope continues to bring new ideas to the forefront, and its Editors’ Picks channel does exactly that by allowing users to more easily browse for unique moments and ensure they don’t miss anything they want to view. A human-curated stream, this newest channel can be found under Suggested Broadcasts and displays a Featured tag.  According to Periscope, this newest channel will be particularly useful to users who are new to the platform and may not know what they should be watching.  Dealerships, your customers are flocking to live streaming, and that means once you get into the game, you’ll reach more people than ever before.  “What’s the draw?” you may ask.  It’s all about real-time engagement and letting your customers in at the very beginning when you’re presenting new ideas or offering special deals.  Being in-the-moment with your consumers is priceless, because today’s shoppers are looking for dealerships that are responsive and engaged.

Larger GIF Size for Twitter

Web users can now use GIFs up to 15 MB on Twitter, opening up the creative possibilities for GIF-lovers everywhere.  While mobile users are still restricted to the 5MB size, the larger size for web users allows a bit more flexibility in posting.  This enhancement aligns with Twitter’s recent updates to increase the length of Vine videos from 30 seconds to 130 seconds, as well as the expected update that will not include @names and media attachments in the 140-character Tweet limit.  Dealerships, experiment with GIFs every now and then to lighten your posts and add some fun.  Remember, GIFs are an important part of social culture for today’s online consumers, so throw some lighthearted posts their way, and you’ll be sure to get engagement and interaction.

3D Touch for Facebook Messenger

Facebook Messenger recently rolled out support for 3D Touch for Messenger on iOS, allowing iPhone 6s and 6s Plus users to preview things like contacts, conversations, photos, videos, stickers, links, and locations while using the app.  Additionally, users can access shortcuts by pressing the app icon on the home screen, allowing them to quickly access conversations or even go to a new message screen.  With the app, users can either “Peek” into conversations by pressing on them or “Pop” fully into conversations by pressing harder.  Additionally, links and photos are available for preview within the app, or users can press harder to view full content.  With every update, it’s easier than before to find and stay in touch with clients and potential customers, so dealerships, be open to interacting with shoppers and building relationships on this platform.  When you make yourself available to answer questions, participate in conversations, and maintain a presence for shoppers, you’ll end up building an online audience that will seek you out in the marketplace.

Tip of the Week –  Hold Up Your End of the Conversation

More and more conversations between businesses and consumers are taking place online, and for your dealership, not only does that mean you have to be present, but it also means you have to be engaged and invested in holding up your end of the conversation.  Because if you don’t, today’s fast-paced shoppers will move on to someone else.  When consumers are looking for answers, they’ll be most impacted by the businesses that are attentive and able to give them in-the-moment feedback and information.

Check out a few quick tips to help you be on your toes and available for shoppers—wherever they may be:

• Build your community. 25% of people say they engage with brands because they want to get involved with a community of brand fans.  Focus on your online platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and any others where you may be building a presence; your fans there will interact with newcomers even when you’re not physically online and interacting.

• Depend on your champions. Your employees and brand influencers are your dealership’s brand champions.  You can’t be online interacting every minute of the day.  That’s why you need to lean on your trusted influencers to reach out and interact on your behalf.  They’ll boost your dealership’s presence and take some of the burden off of you.

• Check into live chat. Today’s shoppers want answers nearly immediately after they’ve posed their questions, and live chat can help you give that to them.  Set up specific times when you—or a representative from your dealership—will available to answer questions and give feedback in a live setting.  This will help you offer the 24/7 support shoppers have come to expect throughout the marketplace.

• Offer knowledge & content. You can build a presence for your dealership by staying on top of the things your consumers want to learn about and then posting great content to share.  Even when you can’t be present, your content can reassure consumers you’ve been there recently and you’re thinking about the things that matter to them.  Post frequently and on a regular schedule to build your audience.

• Reply efficiently. Whether it’s an email request, online feedback, or a question that’s Tweeted to you, the key to keeping customers content with your level of engagement is responding quickly.  Don’t wait weeks or even days to respond, but instead, make a habit of regularly checking all your platforms for questions and comments and replying as quickly as you can.

• Make a plan. No one can be everywhere at once, and that’s why it’s important to make a plan.  Especially with social media, it’s easy to get pulled in many different directions, so be sure to stick to your schedule, use the time you’ve allotted for each platform, and utilize the people on your team who can help you reach out and provide excellent customer service.

When you prove to today’s shoppers your dealership is ready and willing to communicate, answer questions, and get the job done in a timely manner, you’ll gain customers for life.  In a society that’s driven by efficiency and quality, your dedication to ensuring shoppers get the best of both of those will shine through.  It only takes a little planning on your part to be the dealership that’s always there, giving attentive and thoughtful feedback—exactly when it’s needed.