Improved Instagram Call-to-Action Buttons, Adjusted Character Counts on Twitter, and More!
News for the Week of September 19
Instagram Improves Call-to-Action Buttons and Video Links
Instagram is making improvements to its ads, updating the ways in which consumers can interact with them. The latest enhancements include several updates to the call-to-action buttons. Now, when users show interest in an ad, by resting on or around it or tapping on the profile name, the button will be highlighted. Additionally, the call-to-action button can now be extended into the comments section, allowing advertisers to include information like pricing, URLs, and ratings. Links in video ads can also now redirect to the destination URL, allowing shoppers to explore at the same time they continue to watch the ad video at the top of the screen. Viewers can also dismiss the video and opt to strictly browse the web page once they’ve been directed there. Dealerships, keep in mind all the ways consumers are looking to connect and interact with you online. Be creative and find ways you can post to your social platforms, like Instagram, and drive traffic via call-to-action buttons directly to your website. Consider sharing in-house events and specials to increase engagement and encourage more consumers to explore what you have to offer on your site.
Twitter Adjusts Character Count Again
Twitter recently announced it will stop counting media attachments like images, GIFs, videos, polls, and quoted Tweets in the character limit. These items will no longer reduce user character counts, so get ready to see some longer Tweets starting immediately. Additionally, when they appear at the beginning of replies, usernames will no longer be added into character counts. Dealerships, continue to connect with your customers via this platform and offer social customer service whenever possible. Remember, today’s shoppers are highly mobile, and they are digitally-driven, so when you connect with them via the platforms where they interact and share, you’ll make bigger strides toward earning their trust.
Twitter Adds Customer Support Details for Businesses
Twitter continues to stay up to date by adding some helpful new customer support details for businesses, allowing businesses to stay connected with customers by letting them know important information about services offered, like the help that’s provided on Twitter, Direct Messaging options, and hours of availability. These new features add valuable information to business profiles on Twitter, and now, when businesses indicate they provide support via Twitter, that information is added to suggestions when users search for a business, @mention a business in a Tweet, or search for a business in Direct Messages. Other valuable information, like offering hours of availability helps to curb consumer expectations by letting them know ahead of time when they’ll likely receive responses and interaction from the businesses they’re contacting. Businesses can access and activate these newest updates via the Customer support settings page on the Twitter Dashboard website. Dealerships, whenever you’re given the opportunity to offer more information and updated business access to potential shoppers, be sure to take full advantage of it! With Twitter’s latest updates, be sure to add information about your availability, as well as how you can help them via social. When you communicate and reach out to consumers proactively, you’ll stand out from the crowd.
Pinterest Adds Promote Button
A brand-new Promote button now allows businesses to quickly and easily launch campaigns on Pinterest. According to Pinterest, users are able to set up a Promoted Pin in as little as 9 seconds—as well as see impressive results in traffic increase. In addition to the Promote button, Pinterest is also offering its newly-released quick reference to help users set their goals, create the best possible Pins, and attract the biggest audiences. Dealerships, don’t discount Pinterest when it comes to your social media plan. With 110 million active monthly users, it’s expected to grow to 200 million by March 2017, so it’s worth your time to make a plan and see what Pinterest has to offer.
Facebook Messenger Updates
With the Facebook Messenger Platform v1.2, brand-new updates have been added, allowing brands to more easily be discovered via Messenger. New features include the capability for Messenger to act as a destination for News Feed ads. This means advertisers can add a call-to-action, like “Shop Now,” to their ads when they select Messenger as their destination for News Feed ads, allowing ads to directly open up a Messenger thread when clicked. Additionally, the enhanced mobile website in Messenger (currently in Beta), will allow users to more seamlessly interact with businesses via their mobile websites within Messenger. Payment and checkout experiences will also be simplified, improving the online customer experience. By the end of the year, Facebook expects to offer businesses the capability to sell products and services via Messenger, with payments fully integrated into messages, streamlining the entire process and ensuring customers never have to leave the app. Dealerships, online transactions are about to get even easier for businesses everywhere, and although you may not be completing entire transactions online, it’s important to get creative with your thinking in order to meet modern consumer needs. Consider offering online appointment setting or financing, and lean in to conveniences today’s consumers are looking for in order to be their top choice in the marketplace.
Custom Keyword Moderation Keeps Instagram Safe
Instagram users can now filter any words they consider offensive or inappropriate via the platform’s new Keyword Moderation Tool. In an effort to promote a safe and secure culture across the social platform for all members, this latest update allows every user to list words they personally find offensive—effectively blocking posts containing those words. This feature can be found by tapping the gear icon under the user profile; from there, a new Comments tool will show up. This is where users can list words that are to be hidden from their posts. Users can compile their own custom word lists or they can use the default words provided by Instagram. Dealerships, keep your eyes on all the great new tools coming out to help you keep your social feeds fun and customer-friendly. You may not be able to have your eyes on every post all the time, but by utilizing easy updates like Instagram’s Custom Keyword Moderation, you can ensure your feed remains free of words you want to avoid.
Tip of the Week – Quality Beats Quantity
One of the reasons many people become overwhelmed with building and maintaining their social media platforms is they think it’s necessary to post about everything—all the time. And that’s not the case. You want to be relevant, and you don’t want to bombard your followers with online sales pitches. So you look for a range of topics of interest. But what if today’s top news stories cover everything from gasoline shortages to Loch Ness Monster sightings to snowfall in the Andes to brand-new knitting patterns for holiday gifting? You gather ALL the things and post them across ALL the platforms, right? Wait just a minute. It’s time to step back and make a plan!
You need a plan for several reasons:
- It will save you time. Every post on every platform takes up your valuable time—and you already divide your time between managing a dealership, selling cars, and marketing to consumers, along with numerous other necessary dealership activities. If a post won’t bring positive ROI, it’s not worth your time. Skip it and save your energy for something your audience is really looking for.
- You’re building your brand. In order to get your customers to zero in on your brand identity, you must first be able to present a cohesive picture of what your brand stands for. A variety of content is great! But a variety of content that’s all over the board and serves no purpose to engage, educate, or increase brand awareness is an exercise in spinning your wheels. Instead, focus on sharing messages and content that will capture consumer attention and drive them to your dealership.
- You’ll earn street cred. Your followers are more likely to share content that’s relevant and valuable to them, positioning you as a thought leader they turn to often for insights and industry updates. Spend time building trust with your content—and don’t worry about extraneous posts that won’t garner traction for your brand. It’s great to share content from other sources; just remember to give credit and make sure it’s relevant to your audience.
- It will help you gain staying power. While it’s true hundreds of posts about every topic under the sun will make your name pop up in your followers’ feeds more often, quality posts will offer you evergreen content, AND keep you top of mind with consumers who are looking for trustworthy, interesting content. Focus on developing content that encourages engagement and interaction and maintains the attention of your online followers.
It’s great to keep your social platforms robust and full of great content! Absolutely do that. But keep in mind, it’s more valuable to supply relevant, trustworthy content that supports your brand and distinguishes you from the competition. Online platforms are already full of content; in fact, they’re practically bursting at the seams. You’ll stand out by offering information consumers want, while interacting and building back-and-forth online dialogue—and you’ll have a better opportunity to get to know exactly what shoppers are looking for, both online and when they get to your dealership. When it comes to the content you deliver, quality trumps quantity—so remain focused on delivering excellent content, and you’ll end up developing stronger relationships with your online consumers.