This Week in Social Media

News for the Week of July 11

New Snapchat Memories Feature

The new Snapchat Memories feature is a way for users to save Snaps and Stories on the popular app, allowing them to create personal collections of favorite moments.  Memories will show up right below the Camera screen, allowing for easy access simply by swiping up to open.  Users will find it easy to sort through stories and memories by using keywords to find exactly what they’re looking for, and they can even create new Stories from Snaps that have already been taken or combine already existing stories to make longer moments.  Stories that were created more than a day prior to the posting date will appear with a frame that displays the posting date, so viewers will know it’s from the past.  And to make things even better, it’s super-easy to remove Stories or mark My Eyes Only to avoid potential embarrassing situations.  Memories will be rolling out within the next month, and in the meantime, users can begin thinking of all the creative ways they can start saving their favorite moments with this latest Snapchat feature.  Dealerships, consider the latest Snapchat feature to enhance your social media outreach.  Create Memories you can share with customers that show off what your dealership is doing in the community or events that are happening on your lot.

Instagram Adds Comment Moderation for Business

In an effort to clean up its comments section, Instagram has added comment moderation for business pages, allowing businesses to block comments with words or phrases that are often reported as offensive.  Users can access this feature via Settings on accounts that have turned on the Business Page option.  For brands and advertisers, a cleaned up comments section offers the ability to reach a broader audience—without worrying about posts being polluted with offensive content.  Dealerships, take advantage of consumers’ interest in Instagram by telling visual brand stories and capturing their attention with fun images that will draw more people to your dealership.  To boost engagement, consider hosting a photo contest that gets both shoppers and employees involved.

Facebook Messenger Account Switching

Account switching is finally here for Facebook Messenger, and it’s making life pretty great for small business owners, social media managers, and anyone else who has to switch back and forth between accounts.  Available on Android since February, this functionality is now available for the entire Facebook app family for iOS, so there’s no more logging in and out for users who need to access multiple accounts.  Simply look for options under Profile > Switch Account, then click the plus sign to add account.  Dealerships, stay in touch with your followers on Facebook and remember to make it personal by responding to questions, interacting, and initiating conversations.

Twitter Launches Sports Livestream

Twitter recently launched its first sports livestream broadcast at Wimbledon, with livestreaming services appearing with commentary along the side, much like YouTube and Twitch.  Tweets with an associated hashtag appear alongside the video, and users can tweet along with the stream without opening another window.  While feeds can’t yet be filtered to see only Tweets from specific followers, they can be paused or muted for viewer convenience. Consider livestreams via Twitter to engage more of your followers and help consumers feel a part of your dealership’s activities.  Instead of a static feed from a single location, try walking around and showing what’s going on at an event to spark interest and entice viewers to visit you in person.

Tip of the Week – Twitter Deserves Your Attention

With over 100 million users logging in daily, Twitter is a social media platform that deserves your attention.  Whether you’re looking to boost your personal brand or elevate your dealership and gain more followers, there are several simple things you can do on Twitter to gain traction and ensure you’re going in the right direction:

• Tweet every day. With Twitter’s short content structure, it’s easy for Tweets to pile up—and likewise, it’s easy for your content to get lost in the swirl of everything that’s getting posted.  When you schedule Tweets, post regularly, and offer up consistent content, you’re more likely to be noticed by your followers.

• Include images. You may be accustomed to including images with Facebook and on your website, but don’t underestimate the power of images on Twitter either.  Your followers are more likely to share your posts when you include captivating images.

• Reuse & repurpose. If you’ve gotten great traction from a post in the past, it’ a good idea to post it again to get even more mileage out of it.  Evergreen content is content that is perpetually relevant, so if you’ve got posts your followers will enjoy, go ahead and share them…more than once!

• Keep it short. Especially for Tweets with images, keeping posts to about 20 to 40 characters gets more traction.  Your followers will appreciate it when you’re able to say more using fewer characters.

• Utilize hashtags. But use them strategically and don’t overwhelm readers with them.  Keep the audience focused on the important content of your Tweets and use a couple of powerful hashtags to call out relevant keywords and help them with future searches.

• Show your human side. As with any social media platform, your Twitter followers will appreciate you when you show the different things that make up your brand personality.  Don’t be afraid to mix in a little humor along with your day-to-day interests and regular content, and strike up conversations to show your followers you’re the real deal.

When you use a few simple tips and tricks to help you with your Twitter posting, you’ll be able to expand your audience and reach more people with your great content.  By focusing on a few things that truly matter to your online audience, you’ll end up having more meaningful online conversations, and they’ll get a truer glimpse of your dealership’s brand.