This Week in Social Media

News for the Week of August 8

Twitter #Rio2016 Emojis Are Here

Emoji fans are sure to get some traction on their posts by following the Olympics and adding in some Olympic-themed emojis.  Check them out and keep your consumers updated on who you’re following, how your favorite athletes are doing, and what’s coming up.  Dealerships, remember your social presence isn’t all about selling.  It’s about interacting with consumers and sharing the things they’re interested in.  The Olympics are a big deal to plenty of people, so here’s your chance to start some conversations!

Instagram Stories

Instagram debuted Stories last week, a brand-new feature for the platform, which allows users to share a compiled history of the day’s moments with their followers.  All the photos and videos taken throughout the day will appear in a slideshow format much like Snapchat stories, and Instagram users will be able to get creative by using text and drawing tools to enhance what they share.  Stories will disappear after 24 hours and won’t remain in user profiles.  To view stories, just tap a user’s profile photo. It’s also easy to go forward and backward or view another user’s story by tapping.  Dealerships, take some time to get to know Instagram and all the features it offers.  Your customers are already using this visual platform to interact and share their interests, and when you take advantage of its latest updates, you’ll have even more creative ways to connect with your followers and share what your dealership is up to.

Facebook Shopping and Services

Facebook recently began rolling out new sections for Pages where businesses can promote their goods and services.  There are over 60 million businesses present on Facebook, and it’s important to offer the most effective way for them to reach customers and highlight their services.  The Shop section will help businesses bring their products to the forefront of their Pages, and the new Services section will allow businesses to show off their professional offerings at the top of their Pages.  These updates will effectively allow businesses on Facebook to present a menu of their goods and services at the top of their Pages, giving consumers the opportunity to get to know them better.  Dealerships, be sure your Facebook information is correct and updated for mobile.  A majority of users look to their smartphones to research and interact with brands during the buying process, so the better and more accessible your information, the more likely it is shoppers will choose your dealership.

Snapchat Location-Based Geostickers

Leave it to Snapchat to give us location-based Geostickers.  The popular social platform just introduced stickers, which will currently be available for Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Washington DC, Honolulu, London, Sydney, São Paulo, Paris, and Riyadh.  The stickers will function much like Geofilters and will be themed to the location they represent.  Dealerships, keep your eyes open for fun new ways you can spice up your posts and connect with consumers.  Keep a good balance of lighthearted content in your Snaps, Tweets, and Facebook posts to help you humanize your brand and connect with today’s consumers in ways they enjoy.

LinkedIn Influencer Videos

LinkedIn is introducing 30-second videos from influencers across the globe and across a vast array of topics that affect professionals today.  Everything from political issues like Brexit to the phenomenal success of Pokémon Go will be covered—and conversations will be generated across the platform by a group of more than 500 influencers who will share their opinions and thoughts on a variety of trending topics.  LinkedIn users can look forward to seeing updates on topics like workplace diversity and culture, education, and innovation—along with many more—and it will all be done via video.  Once users follow a particular influencer, videos will appear directly in the user’s feed, allowing the user to weigh in and respond to the topic being presented.  As a wide range of topics are presented, LinkedIn users will have the opportunity to participate in more directed conversations that immediately impact their industries and professional lives.  Dealerships, look toward this new enhancement on LinkedIn and follow industry influencers who can share valuable information you can then pass on to your customers.  Remember, when you participate in conversations, build your social presence, and interact with a broader online base, you’ll successfully build your brand and be more recognized among consumers.

Tip of the Week – Use Facebook Live to Boost Business

You’ve probably heard about Facebook Live.  And if you haven’t done any live video, chances are, the second you heard about it, you covered your ears and hoped it would just go away.  But guess what?  It’s not going away.  Video is here to stay because your consumers are on the move.  They are busy, and they want their content quick, easy to digest, and given to them in a format they enjoy.

So, welcome to Facebook Live.  It’s really a pretty awesome way to have fun AND connect with your audience.  And to top it all off, it’s a great way to show the human side of your dealership.  If you’re wondering how to come up with topics, here’s a quick list of things you can talk about to engage your followers and keep them coming back for more:

• Answer frequent dealership questions.  Do you regularly get questions about leasing or buying?  Do customers often ask about behind-the-scenes processes?  This is a great forum to quickly give an overview so customers get a better understanding of what goes on in your dealership.
• Reply to blog or website comments.  When you get interesting or challenging online questions, Facebook Live is a great way to answer and reach several people who may also have the same questions.  Reach a broad audience and let people know you’re attentive by going live and responding to your followers.
• Introduce new makes and models.  This is a great way to get the word out when brand-new vehicles arrive on your lot.  You’ll get consumers excited about shopping, and you’ll likely generate traffic from those who are eager to see the shiniest new models.
• Introduce your dealership professionals.  Give customers an inside look at your finance office, your sales team, and your shop.  By showing off the talent you have working at your dealership, you’ll instill confidence in the fact you have the best team ready to take care of customers, both during and after a vehicle purchase.
• Invite customers to dealership events.  Your customers love to get insider info, and when they receive exclusive invites to your events, you’ll make them feel special and appreciated.  By sharing events with your online followers, you’ll get them into your dealership and get more facetime with them, ultimately earning more business in the long run.

Live video is here to stay, because your customers are busy.  They’re trying to accomplish more than ever, and they’re focusing on brands that respect their time crunch.  They will watch what you have to say if it’s engaging and relevant to their lives, so be sure to change things up and make your videos fun, helpful, and exciting.  When you give them a reason to watch, they’ll watch.