Virtual Reality ​

Demonstrate Your Relevance

Your dealership provides the product consumers are looking for, so it’s important to be an online presence and take consumers’ mobile and virtual journeys with them. By doing this and demonstrating to mobile-driven shoppers your dealership is available throughout every step of their research, not only will you be more visible, but you’ll also be more likely to end up as the dealership of choice when it’s time for them to buy.

Five Major Reasons You Need to Keep Up with Mobile Users

1. Consumers are primarily mobile. Over the past couple years, the number of global users on mobile has surpassed the amount on desktop. In order to appeal to the majority of consumers, it’s important your dealership has an online, mobile-friendly presence via social media platforms and a website.
2. Consumers research on mobile devices. 80% of consumers do their research via mobile devices. It’s important your dealership’s website and features are available across all devices so consumers feel at ease and aren’t tempted to go elsewhere when browsing your website and gaining their information.
3. Consumers constantly switch between mobile devices. 67% of consumers move between devices while shopping online. It’s important to make sure your dealership’s website is available and viewable across all devices––smartphones, tablets, and computers.
4. Consumers’ buying trends are increasing on mobile. 80% of consumers also use their mobile devices to shop. This means the large majority of consumers are completing purchases or finalizing purchases this way, too. In order to keep up with your consumers, it’s important your dealership has viewable inventory and purchase options or real-time interactions available to shoppers when they’re searching.
5. Consumers are researching on mobile devices while on your lot. 63% of them, to be exact. We call this showrooming. In order to keep up with consumers who are looking for more information, even while in your dealership, be open and innovative by:

• Arming your salespeople with mobile devices to interact with consumers.
• Offering your own distraction via in-house screens and providing information on your products.
• Having the best deals. When consumers are showrooming, they’re looking for the best deals and the best products. Make sure your customers know about your incentives, low prices, and deals when they’re available.

Mobile is taking over in just about every industry, whether for research, buying, or simply to gain initial feedback to begin shopping. It’s important to continue making yourself available online, viewable via all devices, and present across social media platforms so consumers find you and end up completing their journeys at your dealership.  While the mobile journey may seem removed from your dealership, it’s key to remember it actually offers you a great opportunity to create new and unique connections with consumers before they set foot onto your lot.  It’s a chance to build relationships, engage in meaningful dialogue, and gain the trust that’s needed to let shoppers know you’re the dealership for them.

Gain an edge in the mobile-driven marketplace by embracing consumer shopping and research preferences—and offer up your expertise and knowledge on the platforms where they enjoy interacting.  By doing this, you’ll gain valuable insights, and you’ll build relationships with shoppers who are looking toward mobile for their product information.

Consumer Experience Meets Technology 

Consumers are continuously putting information and data about themselves into the online world, and in order to take your dealership to the next level, it’s important to focus on what’s being said.  Creating a positive overall customer experience is integral to the success of your dealership, and that begins where shoppers are talking, researching, and sharing information: online.  Consumers are eager to find brands they feel a connection with, and you’ll be able to build relationships by providing your own quality content, but also by inviting online shoppers to engage, give feedback, and interact with your brand.  When you spend time focusing on the customer experience and listening to what’s said on social platforms, the result will be lasting consumer relationships for your dealership. Considering online shoppers are taking the time to share their information and open themselves up to you, it’s critical your dealership work to personalize its interactions and experiences with customers via the insights they’re providing.  The data they are sharing is valuable information that will help your dealership succeed in a crowded and fast-paced marketplace.

Turning Data Into Personal Interactions

It’s important to show your customers you care about the things they’re sharing.  Not only are they seeking quality products in the marketplace, but they are also on the lookout for companies and businesses that are willing to go above and beyond to acknowledge them and listen to what they have to say.  By creating a meaningful online experience and focusing on building relationships, you’ll gain a loyal group of followers who have the power to boost your profits.  Use some of the following tips to help you successfully engage online consumers with your dealership:

• Use customers’ names. This is relevant whether interactions are in person, over the phone, or online. One of the simplest things your dealership employees and salespeople can do is address customers by their names. It’s personal and it gives individuals the sense you know who they are.

• Look up information. If your customer has taken the time to fill out a survey or reach out to you, chances are you can easily find information on what they’re looking for. Once you know a customer’s name, take the time to enter it into your CRM, make contact, and chat about specific wants and needs.

• Connect on a personal level. With the right technology, you can use your CRM to look up social media connections a customer may have with anyone at your dealership. Use that data to your advantage by finding employee connections in your dealership and leverage relationships that already exist.

• Acknowledge prior reviews. You have the ability to see customers’ previous reviews, so use that knowledge to your advantage. For positive reviews, take note of what customers liked and strive to repeat those experiences in the future. If you run across a negative review, be sure to respond personally and work with the customer to ensure your dealership is able to provide a more positive experience in the future.

• Pick up where you left off. Look up your customers’ prior communication histories and keep conversations flowing instead of requiring customers to start from square one each time they interact with you. This lets them know you’re listening and making an effort to remember prior interactions.

• Ask for opinions and feedback.  One of the best ways to get great engagement and interaction is to ask your online followers a question.  Consider topics you know are of interest or even just fun questions to elicit community responses (“Which make/model do you prefer?” or “What was your first car?”).  Once you’ve started the conversation, be sure to participate and be an online presence, so that your followers start to feel like they know you.

The data superhighway is endless, and new customer information is constantly becoming available.  In addition to providing quality content for your online audience, it’s important to focus on the overall customer experience.  You’ll be surprised at the level of engagement your dealership receives when you open yourself up to feedback, interaction, and communication. 

Your consumers are eager to communicate and let you know what they’re thinking, and by using the data shoppers provide via online social platforms, you’ll be able to create a more tailored experience for everyone.  When you strike a balance between providing great content and creating lasting relationships with consumers, your dealership will benefit by seeing loyal shoppers and increased profits.

News for the Week of 12.9

Facebook Messenger Arrives at a Website Near You 

Facebook recently introduced new Page plugins for Messages and Events, allowing users to message your business easily and check out what’s going on with your Events directly from your website.  This newest addition now means visitors to your website can message you on Facebook without leaving your website, allowing you to have meaningful and relevant conversations across the web and via mobile more easily than ever before.  Dealerships, keep an eye on this latest update from Facebook and use this feature as a way to interact and engage with even more consumers.  Visitors to your website can now interact with you on social media via your website, making you more accessible and making it easier to start up conversations about purchases, incentives, and deals that may be going on.

Facebook Live Video and Collages

Facebook continues to bring the updates, and users are sure to enjoy this one.  Live video and collages are now available, allowing users to bring to life all the moments they’ve captured.  The live video enhancement allows users to share real-time action, sharing in-the-moment thoughts and experiences.  Users are able to discover live video from individuals followed directly in their News Feed, and by subscribing to a feed, users will be alerted whenever a broadcaster goes live.  Currently, this feature is being tested in the U.S. with a small population of iPhone users.  The collage feature allows users to group photos and video together into a scrolling, moving collage that is sharable.  Simply by tapping Photo, users are able to see recent camera roll moments and can then edit and arrange photos into a collage.  Currently rolling out on iPhone, Android users should see collage availability in 2016.  Dealerships, continue to stay active on Facebook.  Because it’s the online social platform where your customers are interacting and sharing, you’ll want to use the latest and greatest features to stay relevant and share updates.  Try making a collage of your latest inventory or even your ugly sweater holiday party!  When you share fun content, it helps to humanize your brand and connect you with your customers.

LinkedIn Mobile App

Look for a rebuilt and enhanced LinkedIn mobile app that is now streamlined into five core areas: Your Feed, Me, My Network, Messaging, and Search.  In an effort to make the app more user-friendly and easy for users to connect and engage with other professionals, LinkedIn worked to develop a more intuitive and simplified mobile experience.  Now available globally, LinkedIn users will find it even easier to stay up-to-date and informed with what’s going on in their professional circles.  Dealerships, remember the importance of leveraging your professional networks as well as building your consumer audience.  Take time to post your educational and industry-specific content via LinkedIn, and you’ll stand out as a trusted and knowledgeable leader.

Instagram Partners Program

Instagram recently introduced the Partners Program as a way for businesses to thrive on their social platform.  Offering experts focused on excellence and ready to guide businesses toward a growth trajectory on Instagram, advertisers of any size can now take advantage of these partners to help them get results.  Their partners specialize in Instagram’s unique marketing tools and are able to simplify the process for businesses as they navigate and achieve their advertising needs.  Key areas of expertise include ad tech, community management, and content marketing.  The program is starting with 40 partners around the globe as it kicks off, and it is expected to grow as it achieves success.  Dealerships working to stretch their advertising dollars and leverage the power of social media should continue to look toward popular sites like Instagram.  Engage followers and start conversations by continuing to post compelling photos that show what’s unique and likeable about your dealership.  Instagram is a great place to show off your culture, happy customer photos, and even in-house celebrations like birthdays and holidays.

Tip of the Week – Turn Your Customers Into VIPs

Everyone wants to feel special, and when your dealership takes the time to give online followers, customers, and potential shoppers the royal treatment, you’ll end up with increased online participation and more loyal followers.  It doesn’t take a lot to let consumers know you’re in their corner.  In fact, you’re probably already doing several things at your dealership to show your appreciation for shoppers every day.  Now it’s just a matter of ensuring you carry your day-to-day actions over to your online social platforms to build on what you’ve already started.  Check out these quick ideas to get you started:

• Make it easy to contribute and interact.  Your audience follows you for a reason, and that’s because you’ve proven you have something of value to add.  They also want to participate and interact, so make sure you make it easy for them.  For example, asking them to use a hashtag is easy, however, creating a video may seem daunting to some users.
• Ask for opinions and feedback.  It’s one thing to sit back and wait for people to contribute; it’s quite another to request feedback from people you consider valued community experts.  Let your audience know you respect and look forward to what they have to say by specifically requesting their input.
• Offer prizes for interaction.  It’s hard to find anyone who is opposed to getting a prize, so if you’re asking consumers to do something for you, reciprocate with a gift in return.  It doesn’t have to be huge, but consider offering a gift that’s substantial enough to make it worth consumers’ time to participate.  For example, if you ask consumers to create a post-purchase video or leave feedback for others to see, offer a free oil change when they post.
• Learn about your customers.  In addition to putting great content out there for your audience to consume, be sure you’re doing a good amount of social listening as well.  When you know your customers, their likes, and the things they want to hear about, it shows—and they’ll be more willing to form relationships with you when you’ve taken the time to get to know them.
• Give them a reason.  Let consumers know why you are there interacting with them.  They want their voices to be heard when it comes to the way businesses do things, so let them know you’re there to listen to what matters to them.  When they have a valid reason to interact and share with you, they’ll feel like the valued resources they truly are.

When you let your consumers know they’re VIPs, you’re letting them know they are important to you.  Especially on social media sites, this means their engagement, feedback, and input is integral to helping you make the best decisions for your business.  Consumers who feel important and valued by your dealership are likely to feel a greater sense of loyalty and trust, and not only will they turn to your dealership when it’s time to buy, but they’ll also spread the word to their friends.

The image used in this post is from FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

December is here, which means the holidays are right around the corner. When we think of ​Christmas, several things come to mind, one of them being good ol’ Saint Nicholas—or Santa for short. 

The holidays are the perfect time to appeal to consumers and find innovative ways to bring in-market shoppers into your dealership. A simple way to attract more business is to employ some fun and festive ideas throughout the season to show shoppers you appreciate them and are working hard to earn their business.  There are several ways your dealership can spread the joy of the season—much like the jolly old elf himself—without packing on holiday pounds or wrangling a herd of reindeer.  Check out our best tips below:

1. Be jolly. The holidays are a bustling and happy time, and shoppers are likely more upbeat. Be sure to encourage your dealership’s employees to get in the holiday spirit and spread the joy.
2. Play Christmas tunes. A survey done by LifeWay Research shows 70% of Americans find Christmas music enjoyable, and other research backs this up, confirming shoppers prefer listening to holiday tunes while shopping.
3. Provide snacks. Santa generally enjoys a nice glass of milk and some cookies at each stop, and although that may not be the snack you want to provide, offering food of some sort is always a good incentive.
4. Give gifts. Probably the strongest pointer you can take from Santa is that of gift giving. If your dealership offers giveaways or small gifts to those who visit, you’re providing consumers with a major reason to come see you instead of your competitors.
5. Deck the halls. Make sure your dealership reflects the holiday season by decorating your showroom floor and even your lot. This creates a sense of holiday spirit and makes your dealership more noticeable to those passing by, which can catch the eye of new customers in the market for vehicles.
6. Provide an experience. Santa offers a fun, upbeat Christmas experience for children during the holiday season. By creating an overall holiday experience in your dealership, you’ll create a festive environment for your consumers and their families, offering them more incentive to stay and shop.
7. Hire Santa. Parents and families are always looking for great places to visit Santa. When he’s at your dealership ready to receive kids’ holiday wishlists, it could be the reason your dealership is chosen for a visit—as well as a shopping trip for the parents.
8. Offer sales. Santa is sure to get some of his toy-making supplies and gifts during some of the best sales of the year, and if you want more customers to end up buying their holiday gifts off your lot, you’ll need to provide awesome deals, too.
9. Get involved. Santa is someone you always see out in the community during Christmastime. A great way to get noticed and to show consumers you care about your community is by getting involved, helping out local charities and families, or even holding an event that people can participate in to give back to the community.
10. Make a list and check it twice. The holidays are busy, and the best way to make sure things continue smoothly is to stay organized and plan ahead. Schedule posts, use a marketing calendar, communicate with employees, and utilize the organizational systems that work best for your dealership.

The holiday season is one of the busiest times of the year and being more like Santa can drastically benefit your dealership this season. If you give back a little, create a festive atmosphere, offer some great sales, and overall, provide a happy holiday to your shoppers, your dealership will be looking forward to a great New Year.

By now, pretty much everyone has heard about the power of social media and the effect it can have on businesses that are leveraging it to enhance their bottom line. What may or may not be known—even by the businesses that are using social media to their advantage—are the actual numbers that are churning behind the scenes of specific social campaigns. So how can companies get to the nitty-gritty and really know how hard their campaigns are working for them?

Measuring Your Social Media ROI

A common misconception among business professionals seems to be that it’s impossible to measure the return on investment when it comes to social media, but that’s simply not the case. While it is a task that takes diligence and the right technology, it is most definitely possible—and necessary for those who want to be the most successful—to measure the success of online marketing campaigns.

Consider the companies that use roadside billboards for advertising. The billboards are huge and may (or may not) catch the attention of drivers who pass by. The problem is that marketers have no way of measuring who has seen their messages and who simply drove by without noticing a thing. That is essentially what marketers are doing if they post information online without following up by studying the analytics and discovering the actual return on investment.

A great example of recent success with social media marketing happened with the Kansas City area’s largest and most prominent Ford dealership, Gary Crossley Ford. This dealership hosts a dog adoption event annually, but this year the event had quite a different turnout than in years past. Why? It can all be attributed to the fact that this year the dealership took a completely different tack, and instead of pouring thousands of dollars into a traditional marketing campaign, they chose to strategically post their event using social media marketing. The results were nothing less than astounding.

In addition to a full house—a much larger turnout than previous years—the dealership celebrated finding homes for every dog that attended the event and having onsite veterinary professionals who microchipped 70 pets at no charge to the owners. The dealership was able to quantitatively measure attendance and reaction to this event with advanced technology designed to offer analytics, professionally curated and custom content, and improve employee engagement and advocacy—all in one easy-to-use tool. Simply stated, Gary Crossley Ford was able to watch the success happening in real time as the numbers increased on their analytics dashboard.

How Did It Work?

It may sound like a small neighborhood event, so how did the dealership manage to get such a great turnout for a pet adoption? With the help of the FuzeCast app, Gary Crossley Ford was able to encourage employees to post the event to their social media pages with one easy click. Not only did their employees share the event with their friends on social media, but those friends in turn went on to share it with even more people. The cycle of online sharing continued until the post had reached over 5,000 likes and had been shared on personal Facebook pages over 200 times. That is the power of social media marketing at work!

This event alone ended in a viral effect that goes to show that it doesn’t necessarily take big marketing dollars and a traditional approach in order to accomplish a great return on your investment. When businesses focus on creating messages that are tailored to their consumers, the high-impact, lower-dollar approach of social media marketing will effectively tap into a consumer market that has a propensity to engage and interact.

The image used in this post was provided by freedigitalphotos.net.

Automotive Future 

Autotrader’s recent Car Buyer of the Future study shows only 17 out of 4,002 people prefer the current car-buying process, with the rest saying they want significant changes. This means the industry needs to take a closer look at what consumers are looking for in order to determine how their needs can be met. Dealerships across the country are making changes to ensure they are able to compete and offer consumers the innovations, service, and process updates they demand when shopping for vehicles. In order to do this, take a look at who’s shopping at modern dealerships and what they’re saying:

• Auto consumers are discerning online shoppers. More than 6 out of 10 turn to dealership websites when seeking information regarding used vehicles. What does this mean for you?

While your website isn’t the only site shoppers will use, it is an important one, and it should be easy to use, updated frequently, and contain enough vehicle-specific information to entice shoppers to visit your dealership in person for more in-depth information and to do a test drive.

• Shoppers have more information than ever before, utilizing an average of 24 research points before making a decision regarding where and what vehicle to buy. This explains the reason you may be seeing a decrease in foot traffic while still selling cars. Shoppers arrive on your lot having already done a majority of their research, and are likely nearing a purchasing decision. What does this mean for you?

Getting in front of consumer research is important, which means you’ll need to boost your online presence and be a reliable resource when shoppers are doing their research. Also, when consumers set foot on your lot, your sales professionals should be prepared to meet educated, fast-paced shoppers with reliable, transparent information.

• Nearly half of auto shoppers are millennials. A multi-device, mobile generation, they are changing the way most industries do business. Auto dealerships are learning these consumers crave authentic communication and shy away from being sold. What does this mean for you?

As the number of younger shoppers increases, your dealership can build its customer base by ensuring your online content is optimized for mobile and by engaging shoppers through meaningful online interactions that offer authentic conversation and honest information updates.

• 72% of consumers would like to complete credit and financing paperwork online. No one wants to wait any longer than necessary to do paperwork, and most respondents said credit and financing paperwork stands out as a key way dealerships could enhance the overall buying experience. What does this mean for you?

Consumers are accustomed to the perks of being able to click, pay, and ship in just about every other industry. Although it may not be feasible to complete an entire transaction online, dealerships are finding ways to cut down on the time shoppers spend in-house. Consider things like online credit and finance forms as time-saving options for shoppers.

• Working deals is a traditional step when it comes to selling a car, but today’s younger buyers want to cut to the chase. AutoTrader’s Car Buyer of the Future study confirms over half of shoppers surveyed would rather start making a deal online, with 45% saying they would rather remain anonymous until they lock in a deal. What does this mean for you?

When you are able to consider ways to shorten the deal-making process and offer clear-cut pricing, shoppers will be more likely to trust you and want to work with your dealership. Get to your bottom-line deal as quickly as possible to prove to customers you’re on their side and working to save them time and money.

When your dealership is able to get to the bottom of consumer pain points, you can place yourself in a position to offer helpful and viable solutions. Consumers are fast-paced, online-savvy, mobile-oriented—and they are looking for a dealership that can meet their needs in the most forward-thinking ways possible. You may not be able to complete a 100% online transaction, however, there are creative ways to cut down on the time spent doing paperwork, waiting in the dealership, and haggling over price; and these details will be appreciated by shoppers in today’s rapidly moving marketplace.

The image used in this post was provided by freedigitalphotos.net.

News for the Week of November 30

Snapchat Story Explorer

Snapchat introduced Story Explorer, a unique way for users to share experiences through the eyes of the community.  With Story Explorer’s technology, after viewing a Snap, users can see more of the story simply by swiping.  Snaps of the same moment have been curated by Snapchat into easily-accessible moments, viewable from a variety of perspectives, allowing users to feel like they are in the middle of the scenes they truly enjoy.  Stories are themed based on events, such as sports, holidays, and awards shows, with Live Stories expiring after 24 hours.  Dealerships can benefit from this newest Snapchat feature by introducing stories of their own, especially when it comes to highlighting special events and promotions.  Interact with followers and engage your audience to encourage even more viewing and sharing of your stories.

Native Video Support for Twitter Kit

Twitter recently announced its latest update, native video support, which is now live for iOS and soon to follow for Android.  Users are now able to watch full-screen videos and GIFs without opening a webview or leaving their app.  Even better for users is the fact they won’t have to do any additional work in order to get this feature; apps that are running the latest Twitter Kit for iOS8+ will support this functionality automatically, making updated video viewing instantly accessible.  Continue using Twitter to post engaging videos, and think of new and creative ways to engage your audience.  Successful dealerships are not only getting creative with their posts, but they’re also getting back to basics by reminding customers of important things like dealership opening and closing times.

Vine Discovery Tool

Vine recently added a new discovery tool for iOS, offering users a brand-new way to find and watch Vines.  When watching a Vine, users can now simply swipe left to see more, offering an easy way to access new material.  Additionally, Vine is being introduced to the Apple Watch in an app that offers two feeds: Favorites and Featured.  With the Apple Watch, just like with other apps, users are able to like and Revine.  As social video sharing becomes more widespread, it’s important for dealerships to get involved by continuing to explore new and exciting ways to interact with consumers via this format.  The quick and appealing visual nature of video make it a natural way for your customers to share and interact, both with each other and with your brand.

Facebook Work Chat Messenger

Facebook at Work recently introduced its Work Chat app for Android, an app for users on Facebook at Work.  Allowing users to chat either one-on-one, in groups, send photos and videos, and call colleagues across the globe at no extra charge, this app is available for Android users via Google Play.  Functionality for iOS is upcoming and will likely be available soon.  Work Chat is only available for select companies currently, and users must have a work account in order to access the app.  Dealerships, continue to stay tuned to the latest and greatest from Facebook, as it remains the giant in the room when it comes to connecting with and engaging your consumers.  Focus on providing relevant and educational content, and shoppers will continue to seek you out via online platforms as you emerge as a thought leader.

Snapchat Chat Prompt

Snapchat recently added a chat prompt feature, allowing users to send a direct message when viewing a story.  Simply by swiping up while viewing a snap, users can send a private message to the original snap poster.  Once a message is sent, the original poster receives a notification and can jump into the private message thread.  This latest update makes communicating and starting a conversation based on individual snaps much easier.  Although the chat feature has existed for a while, the ability to tie the chat directly to a specific snap clears up any conversation confusion.  Dealerships, if you haven’t experimented with Snapchat as a way to create and share original content that’s appealing to modern consumers, there’s no time better than now!  Try sharing holiday events or promotions with this popular app.

Tip of the Week—Go Back to the Basics

There’s a lot to remember when it comes to marketing your dealership and interacting with consumers via social media, and it can be overwhelming.  There are rules and content and keywords…and the list goes on.  But it doesn’t have to be complicated, especially when you just want to get started and go in the right direction.  The following are good mile markers along your social media journey, and it’s helpful to check them every so often:

• Get to know your customers.  Don’t assume you’re talking to an audience that has all the same marketing and purchasing needs.  When you take the time to get to know your consumer base, you’ll do a better job of providing the communication and content they need to make informed marketplace decisions.

• Get to know your platforms.  There are several social media outlets, and it’s nearly impossible to keep up with all of them.  Choose wisely based upon the amount of time you have to spend and where your target market is spending the majority of their time.

• Communication is important.  It’s a two-way street, and when you interact with consumers via social media, be sure to be there to react, respond, and answer questions that may arise.  You’ll be seen as responsive and trustworthy, and you’ll build your credibility in the process.

• Ask questions.  We are in the habit of disseminating quite a bit of information to our consumers—and that’s a good thing.  But every so often it’s a nice change of pace to shake things up and ask a question.  It will help you get a read on your consumers and see things from their perspective.  Consider a fun consumer poll to cook up some interaction amongst your followers.

• Stay up to date.  Seek out posts that update you on the newest trends in social media so you’re able to connect and share alongside your consumers.  When you’re using the same apps, features, and platforms, you’ll be more relevant and interesting to those who follow you.

• Know your brand.  This may seem simple, but unfortunately there are dealerships and businesses that forge their way on social media without a plan and without a cohesive understanding of their own brand.  When you know your message and exactly how you want to portray it to consumers, you’ll succeed in earning recognition in the marketplace.

Instead of becoming overwhelmed by the thought of spending hours dedicated to boosting your dealership’s social media presence, take matters into your own hands by getting back to the basics first.  Fewer things are more important than truly knowing your own brand and understanding your customers, so begin there.  Use the tools that are at your disposal and present your dealership’s genuine personality in order to gain loyalty and trust among your online followers.  It’s time to get out there and get social!

The image used in this post was provided by freedigitalphotos.net.

Social Media News for the Week of November 23

Brand-New Google+ ​

Google will look different for users due to its latest updates to Google+. Latest improvements focus on Communities and Collections, placing those features front and center for Google social media users to access and use more easily. Communities alone averages around 1.2 million new joins per day, and although Collections is the newer of the two, it is growing even faster. Communities and Collections serve as gathering places to share common interests, and the redesign by Google makes them easier to access and more streamlined. Google+ is now focused around interests and is more user-friendly, as well as mobile-friendly. Working to make the experience more consistent across web, Android, and iOS, Google has rebuilt it to offer users a pleasant experience, no matter what screen device they’re using. Dealerships with an online presence can strategize to spark conversations about your brand on these popular platforms. Optimize word of mouth advertising by engaging consumers in relevant conversations regarding subjects that affect them and link them to your brand.

GIF Creation Simplified on Tumblr

The latest update from Tumblr allows users to GIF, edit, or post any video on their iOS devices via the Tumblr app. Not yet available for Android, this functionality should be following soon. For iOS users, however, look for simplified GIF (and burst) creating capabilities. Previously, it was more of a hassle to make GIFs, but with Tumblr’s latest update, users can simply open a photo post, choose a video or burst, and make a GIF. From there, it can be cropped, trimmed, looped, sped up, or slowed down at the user’s discretion. For dealerships looking for a fun way to spice things up online, try creating fun GIFs to catch consumers’ eyes. GIFs are easy to consume, shoppers are used to seeing them in their online media, and they add a bit of fun to the everyday messaging most businesses send out. Get creative and find ways to incorporate your message grab attention with a GIF.

Hello, Vine Remix!

Vine recently introduced remix to the social media world, giving users the opportunity to recreate, remake, and collaborate with audio from any Vine on the network. When Vines gain popularity, users want to recreate their own versions of them, and now, with Remix, users can create their own Vines using any audio simply by tapping the “…” under a Vine and selecting “Make an audio remix.” Additionally, users can now discover more Vines that use the same audio clip, allowing the source Vine to be located as well as the many Vines that may have stemmed from it. Song metadata has also been added to Vine search, allowing users to search for specific songs via the Explore page. Dealerships, consider using Vine to introduce sales promos, incentives, and service specials. Don’t underestimate the power of video sharing when it comes to getting your brand recognized by a broad consumer base.

YouTube Translation

In an effort to make content more accessible to a broader international audience, YouTube introduced translation tools available in 76 different languages. Translation features include community-contributed subtitles and CC (crowdsourced video subtitles), translated titles and descriptions, and translation marketplace (ability to order professional translation services directly from Video Manager). According to YouTube, 60% of a channel’s views come from outside the creator’s home country, meaning that potentially 2 out of 3 people who access that channel might speak another language. In early testing, translation features doubled watchtime—and even tripled in some cases—depending on language and demand. Dealerships, think about leveraging any multi-language tools and capabilities at your disposal, as there is a high demand for multilingual services. Start by ensuring your basic content and communications are available in the core languages of your local consumers to build better relationships and earn shopper trust.

Tip of the Week—Make Your Customers the Heroes of Your Story

Keep your customers in mind when you’re posting updates to your social accounts, and you’ll be sure to keep them coming back for more. No one wants a social media feed that’s log-jammed with nothing but sales pitches and offers, so instead, provide quality content that offers information on relevant topics of interest. Check out some tips to get you started when it comes to posting information that keeps your followers interested and looking for your online content:

• Post reviews and comparisons. Do some research and post quality reviews of the most common vehicle comparisons and reviews.
• Update consumers on financing trends. When something’s new in the financing world, update shoppers so they get trustworthy information regarding purchasing and leasing options.
• Give seasonal tips. Write posts that include safety and how-to tips for seasonal travel or vehicle maintenance.
• Post industry news. Stay up-to-date with what’s going on industry-wide and share highlights, links, and articles with your followers.
• Share community service activities. Let your followers know you’re interacting with the community and helping those around your dealership by posting stories that highlight your community activities.

Remember to ensure that your posts add value rather than pressure consumers to purchase, and you’ll be well on your way to earning loyal followers who enjoy and benefit from what you have to say. Be creative and think of new ways to reach and broaden your audience via your social posts. In doing so, you’ll position yourself as an industry leader and be the go-to dealership when the time comes for consumers to buy.

The image used in this post was provided by freedigitalphotos.net.

How to Track Consumer Behavior and Leverage What You Learn

If your dealership is able to take advantage of the right tools, you can easily tell which consumers are in the car-buying market and what vehicles they’re searching for. This knowledge, however, means your employees’ approach is key in making sure they attract potential customers instead of scaring them off.

Why Your Approach Could Turn Consumers Off

Many consumers don’t know why, but they do know that every time they reach out, their phone blows up with sales calls or they start receiving emails containing information about exactly the products they’ve been looking for—even though they haven’t communicated that information directly to you. Since your dealership may be able to gain insight into the consumer journey without individual shoppers handing the specifics to you, it’s important to approach the situation correctly and delicately in order to bring potential customers to your dealership instead of sending them running in the opposite direction. In order to approach your target consumers in a strategic manner, here are some tips to keep in mind:

Check for social network connections. If someone at your dealership or a friend of a friend knows the consumer you’re targeting, make that connection. Get in contact with your connection and use that contact to reach out to your consumer target, referencing your mutual connection.

Check for previous business. If your consumer target has visited the dealership for service, send a message with a deal for the service previously received along with a subtle image of sales or deals on several vehicles—one of which includes the vehicle he or she is interested in. If the consumer target previously bought a car through your dealership, simply check in and offer up potential monthly payment price differences that would make a different vehicle a possibility.

Send a generic email. Don’t be pushy or too straightforward, but instead, if there are no social connections or previous business deals between your dealership and the target consumer, try a generic email for an event or current deals that may reference and include vehicles of interest to the consumer. By creating a generic email or list of vehicles, it’s not obvious you know exactly what consumers have been searching, and they won’t be overly cautious about how you acquired the information when they didn’t provide it to you.

Avoid over-calling. Generally, the last thing modern consumers want to deal with is a call from someone trying to sell them something. They’d rather offer up an excuse and cut ties afterwards, which is bad for your dealership. Finding other creative, noninvasive ways to get in touch and plant the seed is a much more profitable path for dealerships to pursue if they are looking to gain a customer or bring back a previous customer in today’s market.

When you’re executing a creative approach to obtaining consumer information that hasn’t been specifically handed over to you, it’s much easier to get a positive and interested response when you avoid coming on too strong. You’ll end up scaring off consumers when they have no clue how you obtained, for example, the exact make, model, and year of the vehicles they’re looking to purchase.

The image used in this post was provided by freedigitalphotos.net.

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.

The image used in this post was provided by freedigitalphotos.net.