Last updated 2 months ago
Facebook recently announced some big changes to news feed which will affect your dealership’s marketing strategy. What are those changes and how can you adapt your Facebook marketing campaigns? Read our 6 tips below:
Photos
Facebook’s new news feed is packed with visual content, and they continue to emphasize Rich Photos. To prepare for the rollout of these updates, look for ways to include more photos in your dealership’s Facebook updates. Doing so provides the opportunity to gain greater reach, as that photo could appear in both a ‘photos-only’ News Feed or a ‘following’ brand News Feed. The increased focus on images will likely also extend to advertisements – so start thinking about ways to link your ads and visuals.
Copy
Facebook’s increased focus on images has also changed the way image captions will be displayed in users' news feeds. Image captions will soon overlay the photos, in order to maintain focus on the visual elements instead of text. Therefore any copy should be focused only on vital information needed to understand the photo or why the image is important, and how to take action.
Evangelists
With Facebook’s news feed changes, it’s incredibly important to identify and focus on your dealership’s advocates. That’s because the new Facebook News Feed allows users to look only at content posted by their friends – not brands. As your dealership’s biggest fans, your dealership’s advocates are most likely to share your updates with their Facebook friends. Find out all you can about these advocates, as they’ll be instrumental in your social media success. Share content that you know will be of particular interest to your advocates – and inspire them to share it with their communities, too.
Content
Facebook will be showing users their top-shared articles, therefore it’s in your dealership’s best interest to share your blogs posts to increase your potential viral reach. Of course, in order for your content to go viral, it’s got to be compelling – that means it needs to be helpful, relevant, informative, entertaining, or ideally, all of the above. With more emphasis on shareable content, your dealership needs to work hard to continually publish articles that engage your fans.
Integration
Content shared through third party applications, like Pinterest, will begin to see greater visibility in Facebook’s new news feed. By using Pinterest with the Facebook app, you’ll be able to capitalize on the social network’s images and ability to drive sales. Of people with Pinterest accounts, 21% have purchased an item after seeing it on Pinterest [via MediaPost].
Similarly, location-based check-ins will also get more exposure. With Facebook’s new Graph Search users can search for content based on their location. In fact, graph search results are often local, and as check-ins get more visible in news feeds, you’re creating more ways for potential customers to see your dealership in the friends only feed.
Likes
While we’re sure getting ‘Likes’ on Facebook has always been a priority for your dealership, Facebook’s news feed updates make them even more important. Every time someone Likes your page, a story is created in the new news feed that shows your dealership’s default and cover photo – giving your dealership more visibility and another opportunity to convert new potential customers.
How has Facebook’s new news feed changed the way your dealership interacts with your Facebook fans? Share your tips in the comments below.
Last updated 2 months ago
It can be hard to keep track of everything that happens in a week. That’s why we endlessly roam the Internet in search of some of the most interesting stories from the automotive and social media industries – so you don’t have to. Take a look at what we’ve found this week:
6 Ways to Build Customer Loyalty
“It’s tempting to concentrate on making new sales or pursuing bigger accounts. But attention to your existing customers, no matter how small they are, is essential to keeping your business thriving. The secret to repeat business is following up in a way that has a positive effect on the customer…”
6 Facebook Metrics Marketers Should be Measuring
“Do you track your Facebook marketing? Do you feel lost when you’re looking at your Facebook Page statistics? Well, you’re not alone. Facebook metrics can be overwhelming and most Facebook Insights terminology is still hazy for many of us. As a marketer, you know that what can be measured can be managed (and improved). So even if it seems complex, you need to measure your Facebook Page’s performance…”
26 Ways to Use Visuals in Your Social Media Marketing
“Have you noticed more photos on social networks? Do you have a visual component as part of your social media marketing strategy? Do you need some help in getting started or maintaining momentum in sharing more visual content and in creating a visual conversation with your audience?...”
When is The Best Time to Tweet?
“When is the best time to tweet? Buddy Media recently published a report titled Strategies for Effective Tweeting: A Statistical Review. The report is based on the data compiled from their analysis of user engagement from over 320 Twitter profiles managed by various brands. Based on their data they make several recommendations for how best to maximize the use of Twitter as a business…”
Understanding the Art and Science of Content Marketing
“… Implementing a successful content marketing strategy requires an alchemy of art and science. Great content – that which is useful and engaging – doesn’t happen easily or by accident; it requires experience and practice, the sort of which requires digital marketing leaders to recruit the right talent…”
Last updated 3 months ago
As part of the marketing mix, social media has a big effect on how you’re perceived by current and prospective customers. Therefore when establishing your dealership on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube – or whatever social networks your customers are hanging out on – you need to consider your core values, what you'd like to be known for, and the type of information that your target audience needs.
By taking the time to brainstorm and strategize about your brand, your dealership will be able to build a more effective social media strategy that helps you overshadow the competition. How can you develop a stronger presence on social media? Read our 8 tips below:
Define your dealership’s values.
Consider how your dealership does business, your particular areas of expertise, and what sets your dealership – and your vehicle brands – a part from the competition. Whatever you’re passionate about, this is the time to share it.
Understand how your dealership is perceived.
Even if you don’t already have social media properties set up for your dealership, it’s likely that your customers are talking about you online. Do some research to see what consumers are saying about your sales team and your service department, and track customer satisfaction survey results to see what consumers think you do well, and where you could improve.
Set goals for what you’d like to achieve.
Now it’s time to determine what you’d like to achieve on social media. Want more traffic, referrals, or revenue? Take note – and map out what you’re going to do in order to hit those targets. Build customer personas, set a tone for your communication style and create a list of focused, helpful topics that will engage potential consumers.
Build a home for your brand.
Once you understand your goals, you’re ready to establish your dealership’s web presence. Make your blog the center of your online communications, and join social networks as a more personal way to interact with customers outside of your dealership. Leverage your social channels to share your best content, along with other articles that your target consumers will find helpful, relevant and interesting.
Develop your network.
Identify influencers, seek out industry experts or high profile members of your community and build relationships with them through social media. Promote and attend events in your community to grow your offline social circle, and network with potential customers.
Blog! Blog! Blog!
It’s extremely difficult to build a network without creating original content, so start blogging! The goal is to give your community something interesting to share. Of course, a blog isn’t limited to text articles – think slideshows, images, videos or infographics as you develop your content strategy. Don’t forget to share your work on your dealership’s social media channels.
Engage your audience.
Don’t just share your own content. Become a resource for those in your community by retweeting and sharing valuable content with your online fans and followers. Actively participate on social networks, respond promptly to customer inquiries, and leave meaningful comments on community or industry blogs. It takes a lot of hard work to keep your audience engaged. For more tips, check out our 7 Community Engagement Essentials blog post.
Monitor your progress and adjust your strategy as needed.
Stay up to date on what’s being said about your dealership, your vehicle models, and your sales and service teams. Rebroadcast positive comments, and respond appropriately to criticism. In addition, you’ll want to monitor your progress as your dealership tries to achieve those goals that you set up to track your social media success. Don’t be afraid to change or adapt your strategy as needed.
How is your dealership working to establish a powerful social presence? Share your tips in the comments below.
Last updated 3 months ago
Social media is an important part of the digital marketing mix. It can help businesses drive traffic, build relationships with customers, and increase sales. While the channel certainly has a lot of potential, there are plenty of misconceptions about social media that are still hindering companies’ best marketing efforts. We share 5 of the biggest misconceptions about social media below:
You need to be everywhere.
Maintaining an active presence on every social network would not only be difficult, it’s a waste of time. Rather than simply creating a profile on every social media site you find, research the audience that populates various networks to see which are the best match for your target market. Focus on those networks and experiment with different types of content to see what works. With their large network of users, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are usually safe bets. However, if you find a channel isn’t working for you, don’t be afraid to let it go. Effective social media management takes time, so spend your time on networks that deliver the best results.
You can forget about your other marketing efforts.
Social media doesn’t make your other marketing extinct. In fact, it’s more effective when integrated with your existing campaigns. Look for ways to add social to your existing marketing strategy, rather than keep it as a separate entity or forget your other marketing efforts altogether. Add social sharing buttons to your website, share your best customer tweets in your email newsletter, and be sure to rebroadcast positive customer reviews to your social media channels. The more you’re able to integrate your efforts, the better the results!
You can save time by auto publishing posts to all of your networks at once.
While we wouldn’t recommend automating all of your social media updates, it is certainly ok to use schedulers to automate some of that sharing. However, we never recommend publishing one message to each of your different social networks at the same time. That’s because different social media sites favor different types of content and varying frequencies of updates. For example, images work extremely well on Facebook, and Twitter can be updated much more often than both LinkedIn and Facebook.
You don’t have to respond to negative comments.
If someone has had a bad experience at your dealership and writes about it online, it’s out there for the public to see. A non-response from you could potentially allow a small comment to spiral out of control and become a big issue when it doesn’t need to be. Customers know that sometimes companies make mistakes, and by admitting you’re wrong when you need to, you show that you’re listening to your customers and that their opinions matter. Sometimes a simple response can turn an angry customer into a loyal customer for life – but you need to respond appropriately. If you want to learn more about addressing negative comments, check out our article, “How to Respond to Customers Online on Behalf of Your Dealership.”
You shouldn’t use calls to action in your social posts.
Sure, a hard sell doesn’t work well on social media. But that doesn’t mean that you should avoid calls to action all together. It may seem forward to ask someone to like, share or retweet a post, but it works. Essentially, you’re asking an individual who is already enjoying your content, tweets, blog articles, etc. to share it with someone else if they like what they see. A simple call to action can actually generate more social activity. In fact, HubSpot’s research shows that the phrase “Please ReTweet” generates 4X more retweets.
Have you overcome some initial misconceptions about social media? Share those in the comments below to help your fellow auto marketers!
Last updated 3 months ago
It can be hard to keep track of everything that happens in a week. That’s why we endlessly roam the Internet in search of some of the most interesting stories from the automotive and social media industries – so you don’t have to. Take a look at what we’ve found this week:
The Real (and Hidden) Value of Social Media
“I’ve worked with thousands of businesses on their social media marketing strategies, and one of the things that I’ve noticed is that the focus is primarily on creating their social media assets, posting content on their assets and driving engagement on their assets. The problem is that the most valuable part of social media has nothing to do with any of your brand assets…”
The 10 Commandments of Social Media for Brands
“Fleeting as social media exchanges may seem, they can have a pronounced impact on business and their influence can echo far beyond a simple post or retweet. While the anonymous, public and often informal nature of Internet dialogue often leads corporations to relax their guard, it’s important to note: Managing a brand’s social media presence is a tricky balancing act. The key to being successful? Keeping things polite and professional, and constantly acknowledging your audience’s voice, while adding value or insight to customer exchanges…”
Creating a Social Engagement Plan in 4 Steps
“There’s no doubt that almost every business is (or at least trying to be) active on social media. But more often than not, you’ll find companies trying to engage with their audience on social channels with no plan or strategy. This post will walk you through a simple four-step social engagement plan to get you started…”
How to Make Your Facebook Contests Stand Out
“Facebook contests are a popular way for you to get your audience engaged and excited about your brand. More and more companies have adopted the use of Facebook contests to better track participation and engagement. With so many companies using contests… it can be hard to differentiate yourself. Your Facebook fans are pummeled with tons of advertisements and other promotions. So it’s important to stand out against your competitors…”
Pinterest Launches Free Analytics Tool for Business Accounts
“You remember a few months back when Pinterest rocked marketers’ worlds by introducing business accounts? We sure do. Now, Pinterest is taking it one step further by introducing an analytics tool for those accounts! Pretty pictures and data… I think this might be the marketing Holy Grail…”
5 Creative Ways to Use LinkedIn Company Pages
“Does your business have a LinkedIn company page? Have you noticed how other businesses are using LinkedIn lately? A number of larger brands are creatively using their LinkedIn company pages, and some of them are doing really cool things. Here are five brands using their LinkedIn company pages creatively…”
