When Mark Zuckerberg announced in early January that Facebook’s News Feed feature was going to begin showing preference to individuals over businesses and publishers, the marketing world reacted with anything but serenity. Although stock prices initially fell, they mostly recovered when Facebook announced that this change would be geared towards allowing users to pursue more constructive engagement with individuals and encounter less erroneous or “untrustworthy” news stories.
However, in their attempt to pursue a more honest and unifying online experience, many publishers and businesses worry that Facebook has hindered their ability to connect with consumers. Many businesses today rely on social media to reach their customers and the public, and this change is not something they feel they can simply ignore.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t steps you can take to adapt, though. It is still unclear what the long-term effects of this change will be, but in the meantime, it’s the perfect opportunity for businesses to experiment by stepping up their online presence to better reach consumers and potential customers.
Video is one of the most volatile marketing opportunities in 2018, as we discussed in a previous post. In addition to many other positive trends, video has shown increased online interaction and overall engagement. Facebook has repeatedly stated that their change will emphasize content or “stories” that users are talking about, and research shows that video is an effective tool for sparking conversations.
While Facebook’s News Feed may be changing, your ad’s visibility will remain unhindered. Facebook ad targeting can be used to reach consumers as they’re browsing their News Feed with offers or products that they’re more likely to purchase.
Here at DOM360, we produce high-quality ads including carousel, collection and static ads that help dealers effectively reach potential customers. The real magic occurs with our custom audience DMP (data management platform) which we utilize for building target lists so that our client’s marketing dollars are used efficiently.
The more engagement your posts draw in, the more likely they are to show up in someone’s News Feed. This is especially true of posts that individuals share. Hiring a skilled creative team to produce shareable and engaging content for your page will help increase your social media presence, allowing your posts to be placed in front of more eyes.
We highly recommend that clients turn off automated RSS feeds or regurgitated OEM posts. This posting strategy was never effective to begin with and will now do more harm than potential good.
Google AdWords and Analytics are arguably some of the most useful tools in digital marketing, but not everyone knows how to effectively use them. Here at DOM360, all of our employees are AdWords certified, and we can create an ad campaign for you that will effectively reach your target audience.
As a Google Premier Partner (a designation that fewer than 3% of all Google partners maintain) we get access to beta features and support that allow our clients market-leading results.
Although owned by Facebook, Instagram offers a very different type of social media experience to users. Video content on this platform is especially popular, particularly when it comes to Instagram Stories. This feature allows users to post temporary (but savable) content. Videos especially can be useful for this feature, especially short ones.
For longer videos, dealerships could consider vehicle walkarounds or demonstrations, helping create an image of a friendly and accessible business.
The success of large brands on Twitter is something most people are familiar with. Denny’s, Moonpie and Wendy’s have all garnered a massive following due to their unconventional and humorous content. However, dealerships and small businesses can also benefit from a strong Twitter presence, especially since sharing is so easy and users can choose to have their timeline organized chronologically.
The ad targeting and capabilities for Twitter are especially robust. While many dealerships may have considered Twitter at some point in the past, now is the time to take a second look considering the scale and breadth of the platform.
If you’re interested in hiring skilled digital marketing professionals to take advantage of these opportunities, feel free to call us at 864-248-0886, email Success@dom360.com or contact your Account Executive for more information.
Sources: Digiday, The New York Times