This Week in Social Media

News for the Week of October 17

Pinterest Increases Targeting Options for Ad Campaigns

Pinterest provides an opportunity for your business to reach new and existing customers by targeting because Pinners are looking for ideas to act on. People use Pinterest to get inspired, plan ideas, and shop; in fact, 87% of people have made a purchase after they have found something they liked on Pinterest. The latest updates added by Pinterest are going to make it easier for your business to reach out to the right audience at the right time. You can now create campaigns based on the types of interactions with your Pins—including clicks, comments, saves, likes, and close-ups. Also, Pinterest has made it possible to link your actual website and take advantage of traffic and engagement there as well. After a tag is added to your website, you can create an audience on Pinterest to retarget based on the types of actions consumers perform on your website. Dealerships, ensure your content is accessible in more than one way and track engagement everywhere you can. It is important to cross examine interaction with your content across multiple platforms to see where it is getting the most traction.

Facebook Adding Monetization Options for Instant Articles

Facebook says that “creating value for publishers using Instant Articles is extremely important.” Instant Articles is Facebook’s way of collaborating with news and content publishers, allowing them to choose specific articles and make the full version available via Facebook’s mobile app in a format that is similar to the publisher’s website. For publishers that have direct sold advertising businesses, Facebook now offers larger and more flexible ad units within Instant Articles. This gives publishers more freedom to bring their custom and premium direct sold campaigns to Instant Articles. Dealerships, get creative with your advertising. If you have the ability to increase your ad space, then do it. Create campaigns that are unique, innovative, and eye-catching—and be sure to get relevant ads in front of your consumers whenever you can.

Periscope Releases Periscope Producer

Periscope Producer provides brands, media, and organizations with an alternative way to stream live videos, without solely depending on mobile phones or tablets. Users can now use external sources such as streaming software, hardware encoders, and professional cameras to stream live videos via Periscope and Twitter. Producer acts just like a normal video on Periscope, and viewers are able to post comments and send hearts while watching live. These videos can be viewed on both Periscope and Twitter apps, as well as online at Periscope.tv. Dealerships, take advantage of this new update. It’s now easier than ever to post live videos, so record customer testimonials and behind-the-scenes insights for your audience. You can now post the same videos across multiple platforms—instead of individually from your tablet or smartphone. Increase your reach by sharing live video that reflects your brand, and keep consumers updated on what’s going on at your dealership.

Snapchat’s Auto Advance Feature Slowly Being Replaced by Story Playlist

Snapchat announced it will begin to slowly phase out its Auto Advance feature, starting with select Snapchatters in its Android community. It will later continue to roll out this update for all Android and iOS users, fully removing the Auto Advance feature. It will be replaced with Story Playlist, giving users more control over their “Story viewing experience.” This new feature prevents the app from automatically playing the next story once the previous story has ended. An extra option with Story Playlist gives users the option to select stories they want to watch in exactly the order they want to view them; once selected, stories play in full screen in the order selected. Dealerships, keep the power of Snapchat in mind when creating relevant content for your audience. This latest enhancement is likely to give this popular app an even bigger boost, so start planning your stories now and get ready to snap and share with your customers!  With relevant and interesting content, you’ll be sure your story is high on the list of customer selections.

Tip of the Week – 8 Easy Ways to Keep Your Facebook Followers Engaged

1. 1.     Make your content shareable. Make your audience stop scrolling and pay attention to your content by providing top-quality, relevant, and interesting information.  Don’t sell; instead, aim to inform, educate, and even entertain.
2. 2.     Include a call-to-action. Sometimes getting your online followers to act is as simple as asking.  Once you’ve engaged them with your content, don’t be shy about asking them to “Click here for more!” or “Share this article with your friends!”  Calls to action can help you build your audience—and in turn, build your business.
3. 3.     Put Facebook Live to good use. This is an easy way to share more videos with your followers. Start with one video a week and plan ahead of time to ensure you post regularly.  Your audience will start to expect your video content, and you’ll gain ground when you follow through.
4. 4.     Ensure viewing ability with the sound off. Users have control over the mute button, so be sure your videos are understandable even when the audio is turned off. Simple captions are a quick and easy way to ensure everyone can tune in to your message—even if they’re sneaking a peek at your video during work hours!
5. 5.     Give Instant Articles a shot. Facebook Instant Articles load 10 times faster than a regular mobile web link. And we all know today’s consumers are all about efficiency and instant gratification.  Offer up quick and convenient content via Instant Articles to please today’s on-the-go consumers.
6. 6.     Switch up your posting time. If you’re working to increase engagement—and who isn’t?—try changing things up and posting at different times.  If you’ve been posting mostly during business hours, try posting after hours and on weekends to capture a different crowd.  It’s easy when you set aside time to schedule your posts, and you’ll be surprised at your increased visibility.
7. 7.     Check out other Facebook Pages. Look at Pages of other businesses in your industry to see what’s working for them or what’s not. Set your Pages to Watch via your Facebook Page Insights to get notifications of what is most popular on other pages.  It’s just one more way to gauge what consumers love—and what they don’t—when it comes to online content.
8. 8.     Direct traffic to your Facebook Page. Increase engagement by driving traffic from other social platforms to your dealership’s Facebook Page. Share your post links whenever you can and build your audience—in turn, earning more business for your dealership in the long run.

It’s important to stay connected to your audience and continuously offer relevant content to keep them engaged. Once they become disengaged, they will look to other content providers—your competitors—to offer information and satisfy their needs, and you definitely don’t want to let that happen. In addition to beefing up your Facebook game, keep an eye on your competitors to see how you stack up in comparison to their online efforts. Social strategy is a moving target, and you can’t let it get stagnant; by staying on top of trends, competitive initiatives, and consumer needs, you’ll always be right where you need to be.