This Week in Social Media-Facebook Updates!

News for the Week of September 28

Customized Facebook Notes

Facebook users can now look forward to writing notes that are beautiful and customizable, and in addition, notes can be longer than standard posts.  Whether users are writing to an individual or to a group of friends, this update allows them to add a cover photo representing the topic of the note, caption and resize photos, and format text into headers, quotes, or bullets.  Notes can be created on the web and are viewable via mobile.  For dealerships looking for even more customization when communicating with customers, look to Facebook notes to add a personal touch.

Facebook 360-Degree Video in Newsfeed

With the goal of making even better connections between users, Facebook announced the rollout of 360-degree video in its newsfeed, offering more immersive content.  When viewing the video, users can choose the view they’d like to see the video from simply by dragging a cursor—or on mobile devices by dragging with their finger or turning the device.  A unique experience, video can now be viewed like never before.  Dealerships can consider a range of video possibilities—from lot walk-throughs to showroom tours—allowing fans a full 360-experience.  Share even more content and inventory than ever before!

Tweet and Follow Buttons Redesigned on Twitter

Be on the lookout for a brand-new look and feel for Twitter in the coming days.  Tweet and Follow buttons will be redesigned to a more modern, high-contrast version with white text on a dark blue background.  The previous design has been around since 2011, and along with the visual update, the Tweet button will be simplified to have the share count feature removed.  The Follow button will continue to display counts in the existing layout.  Automotive dealerships can search Twitter by hashtags, geographic location, and interests in order to find more people to directly interact with and engage with your brand.

Atlas Ad Platform on Facebook

Facebook’s recent enhancements to its Atlas ad platform now make it even easier for users to measure and check their actions when it comes to performance and placements.  Clients can quickly view activity via the new visualizations to ensure everything is working as expected, and performance can be monitored without running reports.  These enhancements allow users to toggle the view of traffic between 30, 14, and 7 days, as well as see the most recent activity.  New trend lines have also been added to facilitate performance monitoring.  Finally, users can check in on impressions, clicks, and CTRs within the past 24 hours without pulling a report.  For dealerships closely monitoring ad placement and consumer activity, the ad platform enhancements on Facebook continue to provide insightful views of performance, allowing you to better keep tabs on consumer activity.

Facebook Shares Audience Reactions

Facebook announced that journalists and content creators who use Mentions are now able to see user comments regarding their articles on Facebook—even if the author isn’t mentioned by name.  For journalists, this feature is handy when researching how readers are reacting to individual pieces, and it also allows a way to directly connect with those who provided feedback.  In order to use this feature, content creators must implement the author tag on their website to connect their content with their Facebook Profile.  For dealerships posting original content, make it even easier to connect and engage with your audience by connecting your content with your Facebook Profile, enabling users to comment and react to your articles.

Facebook Content Management System

Facebook is working to make it easier for content publishers to make their work available to readers via Instant Articles.  Content creators can publish directly from the Content Management System using Instant Articles, and articles will be read in their News Feed.  Created by HTML5, authors are able to reuse code from their websites, and this format also provides support for third-party content like social media embeds, ads, and analytics.  Offering seamless and fast sharing on any platform, Instant Articles has been in testing for the past few months, and Facebook plans to expand its availability to more users in the near future.  Dealerships with content to be shared can consider this fast and easy way to share multiple articles across various platforms as a way of reaching a large number of consumers.

Periscope iOS App Updated

Periscope recently added a new version to the app store, allowing users to share screenshots that are taken during a stream.  In addition to this newest capability, a small screenshot icon has been added, and it appears at the bottom of the screen to let you and everyone else know when a screenshot has been taken.  Much like a “retweet,” Periscope has added this smart new feature which allows viewers to share a bit of context with followers when videos are shared.  Dealerships that have already been sharing events via Periscope can now share screenshots to entice more viewers to join in and view what’s going on at your location.

Social Media Tip of the Week—Tell Your Story to Win With Consumers

Storytelling has been around for thousands of years, and there’s a reason for that.  Stories resonate and stick with people.  When you really want your brand to stick with people, tell your story.  There’s a huge difference between storytelling and delivering direct marketing information—and the difference is that stories offer up an experience, a way to connect, and way for consumers to remember you.

It’s easy to put an ad on Facebook or Twitter, but it takes a little more thought to tell a story that will captivate consumers and get them to come to you for their car-buying and service needs.  To help you out, think about the following:

• How do you connect with the community?  Do you support local high school sports or clubs?  Share the events you attend on Facebook and Twitter and interact with the community by sharing this common interest.

• Do you donate to local charities?  Have you held pet adoptions or coat drives at your dealership?  Be sure to spread the word via social media; you’ll not only get more interaction, but you’ll also be telling the story of your dealership’s role in the community.

• Are some of your employees active in charity walks or runs?  Do they work to raise awareness for great causes?  Be sure to call them out, as they are a valuable part of your team and part of your dealership’s story.

Whatever your story and however you connect with your local community, find ways to share that when you reach out to consumers.  You’ll create a better relationship, and shoppers will be more likely to choose your dealership because of similar causes and interests.  When you tell your dealership’s story, you’re creating an experience for consumers—a way for them to remember you and a way for your dealership to stand out in the crowd.