News for the Week of November 16

Pinterest Visual Search Launched

Pinterest lovers, rejoice!  The new visual search has launched, which means users can now search for items that appear in pins simply by tapping the built-in search tool and zooming in on objects of interest.  From that point, Pinterest will show pins just like the objects that have been selected, including the product name and where it can be purchased.  Available on mobile and web, Pinterest is expecting users to have a blast with this latest tool as they shop their way around their favorite social site.  Dealerships, continue to establish your presence on Pinterest as a way of broadening your audience and reaching new and unique consumers.  With 100 million monthly users, this popular social networking site will help you gain traction when you post quality content that links directly back to your own site.

Facebook Local Marketing Tools

Facebook has announced the launch of two new tools for local marketers, making it easier for businesses with more than one location to create individual ads for each store.  These tools offer insights regarding consumer groups near their stores, enabling them to more effectively connect.  The newest tools come in an effort to make ads more locally relevant for individual locations.  Businesses using Locations for Pages can now use information from each page to add a variety of ad copy, links, and call-to-action buttons in order to localize ads for each store.  Additionally, Page Insights offers a new tab containing information about people near a particular store, allowing businesses to better understand individual consumer needs.  Advertisers will also be able to see the percentage of people who have seen their ads, giving them insights as to advertising effectiveness.  Dealerships, keep an eye on Facebook’s latest marketing tools and stay on top of the best ways to connect with the communities surrounding your individual locations.  If you have multiple rooftops, these new tools could be exactly what you’re looking for when it comes to personalizing your messages to reach individual areas with unique ad messages.

Instagram Partners Program

Advertisers of all sizes are welcoming the Instagram Partners program, a way for advertisers to find the technology partners they need in order to see the best results.  Their partners offer specialties designed to complement Instagram’s marketing tools and simplify business challenges.  This program kicks off with a group of 40 global partners and focuses on the three key areas of expertise: ad tech, community management, and content marketing.  As the program continues to grow, Instagram looks forward to expanding to even more specialties.  For dealerships active in online social circles, stay focused on Instagram for a fun way to connect with your audience.  Consider trying something new like showing off specific vehicle features via Instagram to garner interest in specific vehicles on your lot.

New Features for Periscope

Periscope introduced brand-new features for iOS and Android, an updated Global Map and Skip Ahead on replays.  The original Global Map showed live broadcasts with no replays and was limited to 250 broadcasts; now, the updated version of Global Map allows users to zoom, reload broadcasts from a particular region, and it includes replays from the last 24 hours.  It also displays red dots to indicate live broadcasts and blue dots to indicate replays for an easily-read overview of what has recently happened.   The Skip Ahead function allows users to skip to a portion of a replay they most want to view, rather than rewatching an entire video.  Users can also choose to seek through an entire video to quickly get an overview of the content simply by pressing down in replay and dragging left and right to change the seek speed.  Dealerships using Periscope for a more interactive user experience will continue to enjoy the app’s features and updates.  Reach a broader audience by changing up your content.  Consider providing vehicle-specific information to consumers who are in-market or providing live feeds directly from your service department with tips for the winter months.

Facebook Notify App

Facebook continues to deliver, and its newest tool is the Notify app.  Providing timely notifications about things users are interested in, Notify gets information from user sources and delivers relevant updates.  Notify has a broad list of stations users can select to indicate their interests, and stations can be updated by users at any time.  Once stations are selected, notifications will publish through the stations based on user Facebook profiles, and users can check updates right on their lock screens.  If interested, they can then choose full articles simply by swiping or tapping.  Notifications can be shared via text, email, Facebook, and other social networks—directly from user lock screens.  Currently available for iPhone, Facebook is looking at opportunities to expand the Notify app.  Dealerships, continue to use Facebook and other social media networks to interact and socially listen to your consumers.  The Notify app offers a great opportunity to follow trending stories and find quality content to view and share with your local audience.

Tip of the Week—Social Listening Is a Big Deal

You already know the importance of being active and showing a strong presence on social media, and you’re probably working pretty hard to churn out quality content on a regular basis.  But it’s also important to take time to ensure you’re truly interacting with your audience.  It’s a lot like a complicated juggling act.  At the same time you’re providing great content that educates, informs, and keeps a diverse audience interested in your brand, it’s essential you keep your eyes and ears open.  Be aware of what consumers are saying about you, about other brands, about products in the marketplace in general.  Only by getting a good read on your audience will you be able to connect with them and create the meaningful relationships that are necessary to build your brand.  Check out the things online listening can do for your dealership and your brand:

• You’ll get ahead of consumer complaints.  Before an issue even has a chance to go viral, you’ll be there, ready to interact with consumers who may have experienced problems—and you can offer solutions that will both benefit them and show potential future customers that your business is trustworthy.
• You’ll gain insights about your own brand.  By listening to what people have to say about your dealership online, you’ll get a good idea of what’s working and what could use some tweaking.  Your presence and interaction show consumers you truly care about what’s being said, and that lends credibility to your cause.
• You’ll make new friends.  By interacting and listening to what’s going on with your consumers, you’ll get pulled into their online social circles, and you’ll soon find your dealership’s list of acquaintances growing as well.
• You’ll boost your authenticity.  By being online and listening, interacting, and chatting with consumers, you’ll quickly humanize your brand.  Consumers will start to see the people behind the business, which makes it much easier to create relationships.
• You’ll be first on the scene.  When shoppers have questions about vehicles or services, you’ll have a better opportunity to answer their questions in real-time, giving you a leg up on the competition.  Social listening will keep you in the right place at the right time.

Several reasons to focus on your online listening skills exist–all of them focused directly on enhancing the credibility and trustworthiness of your dealership.  It may seem like a daunting task because the social media space is crowded, but once you carve out your space, you’ll find your consumers want to interact with you and appreciate the fact that you’re willing and eager to listen to their opinions.  It won’t take long to build an active community of online contributors who are a valued asset to your dealership’s brand.