Social Update for the week of September 21st

Signal for Facebook and Instagram

News junkies, you’re in for a treat.  Facebook recently introduced Signal for Facebook and Instagram, a free and easy way to make Facebook a part of your news-gathering process. Signal offers users the ability to find and share newsworthy, photos, videos, and posts on both Facebook and Instagram.  This makes staying on top of trending news stories easier than ever. With Signal’s embed code feature, bloggers and reporters can add Facebook and Instagram posts to their own sites and link readers to the source.  Signal offers dealerships the opportunity to become news sources for their audience.  Share trending, industry-related news on your dealership blog to draw in-market customers to your website.

Periscope Web Profiles

Users can now see all recent broadcasts for specific Periscopers simply by searching Periscope Profiles. Newly launched, Periscope now offers desktop web profiles for its users, allowing viewers to easily find links to other broadcasts. Keep in mind, however, Periscope still enforces the 24-hour expiration date on all videos, so unless you’re posting more than once a day, your profile screen will look fairly empty. Dealerships regularly posting videos of lot walkthroughs, events, and other broadcasts will now have a branded Periscope home, making it easier for viewers to find your content.

Pinterest Gets Faster for New iPhone

The newest iPhone offers even faster searching and Pinning for Pinterest fans, and users will be able to access their saved Pins more quickly as well. The iOS 9 update expands users’ access to Pinterest via iPhone.  Pinterest links will automatically open in the app rather than your browser, and phones with 3D touch offer users even more features. From inside the app, simply press and hold to make Pins larger and quickly Pin, like, or send.  Most consumers begin their search for a new vehicle on their mobile...  This makes having a solid Pinterest presence a critical part of your dealership content strategy.  Pinterest launched buyable pins a while back, transforming this idea place into a shopping mecca.  See what other dealerships are doing to promote their pages and start pinning! 

Introducing Pinterest Palettes

Pinterest continues to innovate, and their recent partnership with Topshop lets their creativity shine through. The Pinterest Palettes tool’s smart functionality discovers personal user color palettes by taking a look at personal Pins and revealing predominant color schemes to create an overall theme. Users start at Topshop.com and login with their Pinterest account. They then choose one of their boards to see what color palette it reveals. Topshop will give recommendations based on color palettes that are revealed in the specific user’s pins. For dealerships and businesses looking to brand themselves on Pinterest, Pinterest Palettes is worth a look.

Snapchat Replay

Snapchat is all about user expression, and up until now, Snaps have always disappeared. Snapchat Replay is a brand-new way to share photos and moments, allowing users to choose the option of Replay for those Snaps that deserve a little extra attention. While it’s been around for almost two years, this option was limited to one Replay per user per day, however Snapchat recently reconsidered this option and is now offering more. Users can now purchase extra Replays starting at 3 for $0.99, and they can be used on any Snap received. The only catch is that each Snap can only be Replayed one time. Trophies are a bonus feature that come along with this upgrade. Snapchat offers you a new, authentic way to connect with your dealership audience. Consider using Snapchat to capture millennials with some behind the scenes snaps they’ll enjoy.

Facebook Ad Views and Reporting

Facebook recently introduced a new ad-buying option which offers 100% in-view impression buying and ad analytics via a partnership with Moat, an ad analytics company. The partnership with Moat will independently measure Facebook video ads to give advertisers accurate video ad metrics. The in-view ad buying gives advertisers the option to purchase ad impressions where the entire ad has passed through a person’s screen in News Feed. Facebook continues to guide brands toward a more effective use of their Facebook pages.  The Facebook audience is the end user, so paying to play is becoming more necessary. However, monitoring the success of your content is easier than ever with Facebook’s improved analytics 

Social Media Tip of the Week—Streamlining Your Process

It has been said, “you get what you give’.  This is especially true when it comes to building your online social media presence. The quality of your content and engagement will determine your ROI.  You know it’s important to make your brand visible on social media, but how do you find the time?

To stay focused and do the best work for your brand, try the following tips:

• Find your tribe. Don’t guess who might find your post interesting; actively seek to solve someone’s problem or answer a question your followers want to know.  Do your research and determine which social channels deserve your best efforts for your audience and start there.

• Add Value. Share quality, timely and creative content. This will endear you to your followers and build your audience.

• Get a plan. Social media can be a time suck if you don’t stick to a plan.  Schedule 15 minutes after you check your email, or before lunch…whatever works for you. Set an alarm and leverage social posting tools to schedule in advance. You’ll save time in the long run and have a better chance at staying with it.

• Recycle and rework.  Spend the bulk of your own time creating evergreen and/or versatile content.  The best content is easily repurposed into visuals or other formats for other channels. If you start to create custom content and can’t think of three other ways to use it, don’t invest the time.  If there is something timely or important to your audience that you need to communicate, but you can’t think of how to repurpose it for other channels, search for a news item or another blogger who has already covered the topic well and re-share their content. [Note: Always ask permission, give credit and link back to the original.]  Preface your re-share with a quick paragraph from your point of view.

• Engage your network. Don’t be a bullhorn.  It is important to remember social media is a conversation, so take time to like and share your tribe’s posts in equal measure. Your investment of time in building online relationships will be its own reward.

• Monitor what works. Not taking time to review analytics now in then is like being in a blind, one-way conversation.  Your analytics are your eyes and ears…and not everything will work out the way you plan—so take a look at what the data says now and then and adjust accordingly.

Remember it’s a marathon, not a sprint.  Social Media relationships, like all others, take time.  Get focused, get a plan, follow through, measure and repeat.  Pretty soon you’ll be an expert on the content you audience needs and they will demonstrate their gratitude by doing business with you.  It’s that simple.