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10 Must-Know Social Media Advertising Stats for Agencies In 2022

10 Must-Know Social Media Advertising Stats for Agencies In 2022

by | May 12, 2022 | Advertising, Agency, Marketing, Social Media

In the past, it was easy for us to identify where shoppers were spending time.

(Remember the good ol’ days with 3 TV networks?)

Now, we have to work harder to figure out where our clients’ audiences are. And while every audience is different, we know one thing is undeniable:

Consumers are using social media.

So where are your client’s audiences likely spending time? How do shoppers engage with the platform? And—most importantly—which social media platforms should your clients be on yesterday?

Click here to access our free MarketAnalyzer Tool and find out. 

Let’s dive into the top social media stats every agency needs to know in 2022. Feel free to use the links below to jump to each platform:

Social Media Usage Statistics & What They Mean

1. The average person has 8 social media channels and spends 2.5 hrs/day on social.  

You might be thinking that the social media usage of Gen Z and Millenials has played a huge role in the above statistic – but those aren’t the only generations active on social media. 

A whopping ~81% of the U.S population are social media users and use at least 1 social media channel.

And of all the internet users in the U.S, those aged 16-64 spend an average of 2 hours and 14 minutes/day on social media. 

Whether your client’s audience is Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, young Boomers, etc. – they’re somewhere on social media, you just have to find them…

2. In 2022, social media video ad spending will grow by 20.1% to $24.35 billion.

What’s up with the sudden shift in social media video ad spending? And what does it mean for your client’s ads?

Well for starters, video is probably the easiest form of information consumption, given that it’s more engaging by nature and generally feels like less “work.”

Why else would ~50% of social media users prefer video over other types of content?!

And with 85% of social media users wanting more videos from brands, it’s time to lean in…

So if you’ve yet to jump on the video train, let this sink in 👉   88% of people say that they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video.

3. 49% of internet users say they are likely to purchase from brands they see advertised on social media.

Have you ever seen an ad on social media for a product or service that you didn’t know you needed, but definitely wanted? 

I can’t even count the number of times I personally have been scrolling through social and discovered a brand or product that I ended up purchasing…

…Almost all of which were brands and products that I had NO idea even existed!

This is exactly why running ads on social media is a great way to maximize any brand’s reach and are so successful at turning shoppers into buyers. 

4. Internet users spend 33% of their time spent on a social media site or app.

Would you believe me if I said that the amount of time adults spend with digital media daily is more time than the time in a full 9-5, 480-minute workday?

482 minutes. That’s the average amount of time that people who are 18+ YO spend with digital media PER DAY.

And one-third of that time is purely devoted to social media. 

But this is a good thing for advertisers – it means that there is more than enough time each day to reach any target audience and proves just how suitable social media is for running ads. 

Facebook & Instagram

6. The average Facebook user clicks approximately 12 ads/month.

There’s simply no denying that Facebook provides businesses with a SEA full of opportunities.

With almost 3 billion users on the social giant’s platform per month,  we can guesstimate that each month, roughly 36 BILLION ads are clicked…

But just because Facebook has the highest number of active users, doesn’t mean results are guaranteed.

A lot of it is making sure that you know who your audience is on Facebook – do you?

And that’s not all, it’s important to create chemistry between your audience and ads – a total combination of targeted messaging, placements, etc.

Long story short, in terms of Facebook, it’s not a matter of IF there are opportunities, it’s a matter of HOW to maximize the opportunities on Facebook to get YOUR ad clicked.

7. 500+ million people interact with Instagram Stories DAILY.

The infamous Instagram Stories…are you 1 of those 500+ million who interact with IG Stories on the regular? I am…and by regular I really mean daily – if not hourly. 😅

So when I read that Images in Stories have a 5.65% higher tap-forward rate than videos, I wasn’t shocked – because I must admit that I contribute to that tap-forward rate. 

But why does the tap-forward rate matter? Because it means that users are less engaged with Stories if they’re full of images.

If you or your client are backing Instagram Stories with $$$,  the focus should be content that’s video-forward to drive the best results.

Snapchat

8. 40% of Snapchat users do not use alternative social platforms on any given day.

If almost half of Snapchat users are ONLY using Snapchat – how will your client ever reach them?

They won’t, but their competition surely will…

Without Snapchat Ads being a part of your client’s advertising strategy, they’re giving their competition easy access to a huge chunk of their market.

Don’t miss the opportunity to help your clients potentially reach 40% more in-market shoppers.

TikTok

9. Potential reach of TikTok Ads is 50.3% of adults in the U.S.

TikTok is the most-downloaded app in the iOS App Store, with over 70 million downloads worldwide.

AND TikTok has been the top app by U.S downloads every. single. quarter since Q1 2021. 

So it comes as no surprise that in the past 2 years, TikTok has penetrated the social media market and pulled off a 105% user growth rate in the US, taking the title of the fastest-growing social network.

But what may surprise you is that the majority of TikTok’s audience in the US are adults: 83% of TikTok’s audience are over the age of 18YO and 34% are over 25YO!

More importantly, TikTok ads have the potential to reach over ½ of the adults in the US (~131 million people).

And the audience on TikTok is super engaged, with engagement rates that blow competing video-based media platforms out of the water!

  • TikTok In-Feed Ads achieve 23% higher detail memory than TV ads
  • TikTok TopView ads outperformed TV by 40%

If there’s any time to start running TikTok ads for your clients, it’s now – BEFORE their competition beats them to the platform. 

Pinterest

10. 45% of people in the US with a HH income over $100K are on Pinterest! 

In lamens terms: Pinterest reaches the most users with HH income > $100K,  providing your clients with the unique opportunity to reach what’s considered the upper-middle-class…

An audience who is less hesitant to pull the trigger on purchasing your client’s product/service, and are 40% more likely to say they love shopping!

Users go on Pinterest to be inspired and to discover – which is why it’s no surprise that  80% of weekly Pinners have discovered a new brand or product on Pinterest.

And your clients need to take advantage of the opportunity to be present on the platform that 7 in 10 users consider their “go-to” place to find products or services that they trust. 

Key Takeaways

Social media is the one and only place where you can be CERTAIN to reach any target audience. It continues to grow in the number of users and amount of time being spent.

It’s by far the most powerful (and plentiful) advertising medium – no matter the industry or vertical…

There’s an opportunity for every business on social media, and if you or your client’s business isn’t taking full advantage of it…you’re missing the mark.

And there is NO reason why any ad spend should be allocated toward a platform unless you know WHO is on the platform – which is why you need to access our free MarketAnalyzer tool here to find out.

Ready to see how your agency can help any client reach the right audience, at the right place, EVERY time?

Use our free MarketAnalyzer tool to unlock the key insights you need..

Unlock the tool
4 Best Practices for Agencies to Improve Any Dealers Snapchat Strategy

4 Best Practices for Agencies to Improve Any Dealers Snapchat Strategy

by | Apr 5, 2022 | Advertising, Agency, Marketing, Snapchat, Social Media

Running Snapchat Ads is an effective way to showcase any dealer’s brand and inventory, YES!

But it’s definitely not the only way your agency can help dealerships reach in-market auto shoppers via Snapchat…

Snapchat provides a unique opportunity for businesses to build their brand organically. It doesn’t cost more $$$, it isn’t time-consuming, and it provides more value than you’d think!

Image Source: Snapchat

Click here to unlock the ultimate Snapchat Organic Guide and help any dealer get the best of both worlds (paid + organic).

Let’s go over 4 best practices that your agency needs to know to optimize any dealer’s content on Snapchat – and as a result, maximize the performance of their ads.

1. Be Fun And Creative 

Snapchat is different than other social channels like Facebook & Instagram; where business and brand content is mixed in with the posts from their friends and family.

Content from brands is totally separated from the content posted by friends on Snapchat and is placed in a user’s “Discover” feed. 

But the only way to show up in the “Discover” feed is by posting content that interests a user, is approachable, fun, plus creative. 

Snapchat is considered a more “chill” platform than others – merely in the sense that users expect content to be raw and for it to never feel like a straight-up production: organic or not.

So if there’s one thing your business should know, it’s how important it is for dealers to focus on posting content that’s user-generated. 

(The type of content that looks and feels organic, content that could be mistaken for something posted by friends or family.)

Why? Because user-generated content will resonate FAR more with a dealership’s audience than content that looks or feels like an ad.

2. Experiment With Various Content Styles

The initial launch of a dealer’s Snapchat profile is a chance to test content styles and learn what types of content engages users the most. 

From selfie-style and point-and-shoot videos to different length variations – options for content are endless on Snapchat.

Honestly, it can be overwhelming at first…

But your agency should find comfort in knowing that dealers have nothing to lose and everything to gain when experimenting organically. 

And remember – by testing organic performance, your agency will obtain insights that can be leveraged to maximize any dealer’s paid campaigns + develop their playbook for Snapchat.

This is why it’s so critical for your agency to encourage dealers to become “Snapchat scientists” and test, test, test. 

3. Create & Use Snapchat Filters

There are a ton of fun features that Snapchat provides its users to help spice up their content – from new graphics and stickers to filters and more! 

Filters are creative effects (or design overlays) dealers should be adding on top of their Snaps after taking them. 

They can add a filter of their Location (which will pull their dealership’s address under “Places”), add GIFs, the current time, and SO much more…

But one of the most important Snapchat filter dealers need to leverage is the Snapchat Geofilter. 

Snapchat Geofilters provide dealers with a way to create their very OWN geo-filter for their business and events!

When they create their own Geofilter, anyone on Snapchat in the dealer’s chosen location can use that filter on their own Snapchats (AKA, extra brand awareness!!). 

We’ve made it super easy for your business to help dealers create and use Snapchat Geofilters with a “How to Create a Snapchat Geofilter” guide, + a FREE Geofilter template!

Click here to download our Snapchat Organic Guide to get your hands on our Geofilter guide + customizable template and start helping dealers!

4. Promote OEM Snapchat Lenses

I think we’ve all heard of the “Metaverse,” where augmented reality and virtual reality create an enriched user experience (enter: Snapchat Lenses). 

Snapchat Lenses are playful augmented reality experiences that transform the way that users look, along with the world around them! 

And dealers have the opportunity to leverage Snapchat Lenses to curate engaging content that’s eye-catching with 3D effects, objects, characters, etc. 

While Snapchat provides an app for artists and developers to create Lenses, it is a bit complex…

But luckily, dealers don’t necessarily need to make their own lenses – they can simply search the “Explore Lenses” app for their OEM!

Brands like Toyota and Ford have launched AR versions of some vehicle models with a virtual walk-around, allowing Snapchatters a way to explore the interior or change the exterior color!

Check out these cool lenses: 

PRO TIP: Make sure that a dealer’s AR content is not just campaign-specific, but always on for continuous discoverability!

Snapchat Lenses are an awesome (FREE) built-in tool that dealers need to take advantage of as they create organic content and build their brand.

Maximize Discoverability “In A Snap”

It’s time for a quick recap of what we just went over – 4 of the best practices your agency needs to know to improve any dealer’s Snapchat strategy:

  1. Be Fun And Creative
  2. Experiment With Different Content Styles
  3. Create & Use Snapchat Filters
  4. Promote OEM Snapchat Lenses

Combined, these 4 best practices will help your agency take a dealer’s Snapchat strategy to the next level…

Yet there’s still more that your agency can do to help dealers take it even a step further, fully optimize their content, and TRULY transform their presence on Snapchat.

…It’s all in our Snapchat Organic Guide here.

Want to discover how your agency will round out any dealers strategy on Snapchat?

Download our “Snapchat Organic Guide: For Your Auto Agency’s Dealer- Clients” to find out the secrets for maximizing any dealer’s reach on Snapchat!

GET THE GUIDE
3 Reasons Why Your Dealer-Clients Need an Organic Instagram Strategy

3 Reasons Why Your Dealer-Clients Need an Organic Instagram Strategy

by | Feb 24, 2022 | Advertising, Agency, Instagram, Marketing

Organic content on Instagram is an influential tool that many businesses overlook. 😕

Unlike paid ads, it can be difficult – if not downright impossible – to prove direct ROI from an organic social media strategy.

But a strong organic presence on Instagram not only strengthens your client’s brand and increases awareness…it can actually improve the results of any dealer’s ads!

Let’s dive into the 3 reasons why your dealer-clients NEED an organic Instagram strategy:

1. Organic Content Increases the Success of Paid Ads

More times than not, businesses create ads based on assumptions. 👎

But what if you could produce content for your client’s ads that have been tested by their own audience, and PROVEN to work – for free?

You can: Simply post the content you and your client want to advertise organically first! ✅

Steal our 7 ideas for any dealer’s Instagram organic content here!

After 30 days, measure and see what content received the most Likes, Comments, and Views from Instagram’s built-in “Insights” feature.

Did your client’s audience engage more with short or long-form copy? What types of content caught their eye, kept their attention, and swayed them to double-tap? 

Once you identify your client’s top-performing content, THEN it’s time to leverage it and turn that content into an ad – now watch the results pour in! 📈

This strategy gives you the unique opportunity to test out various types of content – without draining your client’s budget. 

And using your client’s organic content on Instagram to guide their paid strategy (AKA the ads they’re backing with $$$), is an easy way to maximize results on Instagram.

2. It Builds Your Dealer-Client’s Brand

Did you know? According to Animoto, 58% of people say they visit a brand’s social pages before visiting their website. And that’s an 81% increase from 2020. 


Image Source: https://animoto.com/blog/video-marketing/paid-vs-organic-social

Click here to find out everything you need to know to help your dealer-clients optimize their Instagram profiles organically!

We’re all humans, and when we see an ad for a product or service that resonates with us, it’s only natural to be curious:

“What is this product/service?” “Who is the brand behind this ad?” “Does this brand align with my own personal brand?”🧐

These are all thoughts that happen organically 😉 and impact how users take action after seeing an ad. 

And all it takes is a simple click on the business’ Instagram profile to find out. 

Your business could be doing a great job at running ads for a dealership, reaching the right people at the right time with the right offer…

But if your dealer-client’s brand isn’t accurately represented on their social media profile – it could actually make or break the success of their ads (which hurts you both)! 🚫

Plus, organic posts are a great opportunity to showcase the people behind a business, their company values, and their passions as a brand.

This makes focusing on an organic strategy on Instagram helps dealerships spend time on their culture and team!

3. More Content = More Opportunities for Conversion

It would be unreasonable to think that one post has the power to sell a user on a product or service.

Especially when it comes to auto shoppers, who spend an average of 14:53 hours in the car buyer journey (from awareness to purchase), and who are usually making the 2nd largest investment in their lives.  🚙

Image Source: https://b2b.autotrader.com/app/uploads/2020-Car-Buyer-Journey-Study.pdf

Users need multiple ways to experience the value that any dealer will provide them before deciding to pull the trigger and choose your client’s dealership over their competitors.

This is exactly why the best way to turn a user into a customer is through multiple touch-points that build trust. 

And with trending hashtags, video reels, Instagram Live, and Stories, Instagram provides multiple avenues to reach shoppers in different ways.

The more content that your dealership-clients produce and post on Instagram, the more opportunities they have to reach a more qualified audience…

This means that they’ll have more opportunities to drive conversions – to make more sales and more $$$. 💰

The Value of a Strong Organic Instagram Strategy

Instagram’s platform offers so many opportunities for organic growth that are more times than not, ignored.

But now you know the 4 most important reasons why your dealer-clients need an organic Instagram strategy, and how it can actually help you both maximize success with Instagram. 

All it takes is a little bit of time and effort to get the ball rolling, and there’s no time like the present. 🏁

Start encouraging your dealers to optimize their organic strategy on Instagram, and make sure they’re aware of the opportunities they’re missing without doing so. 

Ready to find out how to help dealers optimize their organic strategy on Instagram ASAP?

Access our “Instagram Organic Guide: For Your Auto Agency’s Dealer- Clients” to discover best practices + get all of the tips and tricks they need to know!

GET THE GUIDE
BuyerBridge 2021 Annual Recap

BuyerBridge 2021 Annual Recap

by | Dec 27, 2021 | Company

It’s Time: 2021 Recap

Just like that, 2021 has come to a close – and I think we all are probably asking the same question: “Where does the time go?

…which is why as we head into 2022, it’s SO important to look back on and really reflect on where the time went; who we spent it with, what we spent it on, and remind ourselves of all that we’ve accomplished in such a short period.

January

February

  • One of our long-time team members, Miranda, welcomed a baby girl into the world!!! 👶 
  • Rachel got Facebook Blueprint Certified!
  • We officially replaced all instances of the Dealer Dashboard with the new and improved dashboard, bringing results to the BuyerBridge platform homepage.
  • We welcomed Sandra, Facebook Specialist, and Craig, Project Manager, to the team. As of February 28th, we earned the milestone of having our employees #WorkingFromWherever in 15 states! 🗺
  • We published a new blog on using the Offline Event Uploader Tool to prove Facebook ROI!
  • The Ad Ops team churned out tons of new playbooks, including campaigns for Honda Zero Percent Event, Ford Truck Month, Nissan Service, and Toyota Certified Pre-Owned. 

March

  • We launched our On-Demand Demo campaign that took users behind-the-scenes of BuyerBridge in an exciting video – shout out to our UI/UX Designer, Nathan, and Marketer, Lauren, who teamed up to make this 🔥video. 
  • Phil, Head of Ad Operations, joined the ranks!
  • Wow – March was a month full of employee certifications ✅:  Kristen &  Sarah became Facebook Blueprint Certified, and Sandra & Chris received their Customer Value Optimization badge! 
  • To be more in line with Facebook’s Best Practice guidelines, the Ad Ops team began creating new video ratio sizes for all accounts!
  • In March, we first began sharing our vision for “Omnichannel” social advertising, where shoppers’ actions are monitored and targeted across more than one or two platforms. (👀  Wait to see how this vision comes to life in upcoming months!)
  • The Creative Team wrapped Q2 with a whopping 110 Model Line Playbooks added to their arsenal! 
  • New Global Reporting Filters were added to the Dealer Dashboard, and Dealer Reports to provide users with the ability to further refine the data shown. 
  • We made the process of uploading offline events easier for users by advancing the Offline Event Uploader Tool design. 
  • Katelyn closed on her 1st house, and we all competed in a very competitive Egg Decoration contest…(Shoutout to Samantha for taking home the win with her rendition of Egg Starry Night!) 🥚 🤩
  • When Apple released their iOS 14 updates, we published documentation on Apple iOS 14 & Facebook Advertising to help agencies set their dealers up for success.
    • We also included a guide HERE to help agencies verify their dealer’s website domain in Facebook Business Manager. (Huge shout out to the entire BB Team for tackling this head-on!)

April

  • We dove into the BuyerBridge platform and all it has to offer in a new blog that “Breaks Down BuyerBridge.” 
  • To help agencies ensure their clients were set up for success despite the Apple iOS 14 updates released, we documented critical action items like pixel sharing & pixel event prioritization.
  • We deployed an update that gives users richer data when looking at the Facebook Advertising Report and Metric funnel!
  • A new customizable agency asset, “5 Key Facebook Campaigns Your Dealership Needs To Be Running,” was created for our partners to help their clients better understand the core of a bulletproof Facebook Ad strategy.
  • Katelyn finally got hitched after her wedding was postponed last year! 👰
  • With inventory at an all-time low, we shot a video walk-through of our Buyback Playbook that went over the benefits of Buyback ads + showed off our ready-to-deploy ads.

May

  • BuyerBridge participated in an exclusive test pilot for MSN Autos Marketplace.
  • All of our external communication and the BuyerBridge knowledge base was moved over to HubSpot – this was a big transition but we couldn’t be happier! 
  • One of our Partnership Managers, Chris, finished May at 150% quota attainment! (🤑  ROCK ON, CHRIS!)
  • Our Ad Ops team updated our Buyback Playbook to reflect the inventory shortage problem all dealers were facing.
    • Any mention of “Trade-In” and “Trade Keys” was removed and we added 19 brand new ads with “cash offer” and “buy back event” messages only. 
  • Agencies wanted more OEM-Specific Playbooks – so our amazing Ad Ops & Creative team created 4 brand-new OEM-Specific Playbooks! 🚙
  • We made a HUGE announcement…that Omnichannel Advertising in BuyerBridge was officially in the works! 🚀

June

  • Chaz joined the team as a Support Analyst and immediately hit the ground running!
  • Lorenz bought his 1st house 🏠   and Nathan P. got engaged 💍 ! 
  • 100% of the Client Services Team (Facebook, Creative, Performance, and Partner Teams) got their Snapchat Essentials Certification! 👻
  • Phase 1 of the BuyerBridge Monitoring System went LIVE to help our agency partners quickly identify any issues with client accounts, making them “unfireable”! 
  • We released new (editable) agency resources including a slide deck and one-pager to help our partners increase used-vehicle inventory for their dealer-clients using Buyback campaigns. 
  • We launched our PDF Performance Report Builder [V2] and provided agencies with the ability to easily create CUSTOM, personalized performance reports.

July

  • Danny completed the construction of his new home! 👷‍♂️
  • Our remote team was getting stuck in the “noise” of emails, Slacks, and meetings, so we set up an internal 4-hour time block on Wednesdays to increase productivity. 
    • During 3M Time, internal communication goes COMPLETELY quiet.🤫   (It’s been a huge success!)
  • To help agencies encourage dealers to reduce friction in the auto-buyer journey, we created new (customizable) agency sales assets for On-Facebook Destination for AIA!
  • There were over 100 dealers who added live inventory to MSN Autos Marketplace!
  • We began the process of re-documenting Onboarding the BuyerBridge platform to make sure it was super simple and easy for agencies to understand.

August

  • Facebook removed the ability for Marketplace listing automation, but BuyerBridge was there to pick up the pieces. We built a new Facebook Marketplace Management tool that made it easier for users to update, remove, and add listings to Facebook Marketplace!
  • We set Snapchat beta live as a new channel in the Omni dashboard for select agency users.
  • 4 new Onboarding articles were added to our support hub that helps users get started with BuyerBridge seamlessly. 
  • Our UI/UX Designer, Nathan, and Marketer, Lauren, teamed up AGAIN to completely overhaul the BuyerBridge website! 💪
  • Liz joined our team as a Partner Specialist! 💃
  • Chaz became Facebook Blueprint Certified; Samantha became Community Management certified while Joshua earned a Copywriting specialist badge; Phil, Miranda, and Rachel finished their Snapchat Ads Manager courses! 🧠

September

  • Phase 1 of the BuyerBridge Website overhaul was completed! 14 brand-new Landing Pages were added, and Nathan + Lauren proved teamwork makes the dream work. 💯
  • The BuyerBridge’s Marketplace Management Tool officially launched in September! We wrote a Q&A about the tool and explained how to troubleshoot Marketplace issues. 
  • To help agencies with getting their dealer-clients’ inventory back on Facebook Marketplace, we released 3 more new (editable) agency sales assets for our solution.
  • Shout out to the Ads Ops team, who willingly jumped in and aligned under a new team structure, and quickly organized around a new direction! 
  • In preparation for Snapchat Ads in BuyerBridge, our awesome developer, Ben, worked hard to ensure the Snap play deployment functional! (Go Ben! 🔥 )
  • Brand new pilot campaigns were launched on TikTok & Pinterest, + we added more A/B tests to further optimize our Snapchat campaigns.
  • The leadership team met in New York for our quarterly retreat for the first time since the pandemic! 
  • Samantha K., Chaz S., and Liz H. all received DigitalMarketer certifications ranging from Data Analytics to Email Marketing specialties, while Jordon S. and Chaz S. got Facebook Blueprint Certified! (LEARNING 👏  AND  👏  LEADING!)
  • WOW! Gearing up for the new year, the Creative and Ad Ops team added 31 new Model Line playbooks, and created 73 templates for 2022 Model Lines! 
  • Sarah was PROMOTED to Manager of Partner Experience! We appreciate all your hard work, Sarah! 🤩 
  • Omnichannel onboarding and reporting were set up in the BuyerBridge platform, helping agencies and dealers visualize their ad results across multiple channels.

October

  • BuyerBridge’s new and improved Market Analyzer Tool was released! This tool helps agencies identify which channels dealer-clients should be on, PLUS the exact advertising budget they should be spending on each channel. 
    • Watch our CEO geek out while going over how to maximize the MarketAnalyzer tool HERE! 🤓
  • We launched an “Unbeatable Buyback Strategies” campaign to help agencies solve the #1 problem for dealers right now – low inventory.
  • Facebook officially became Meta – and we wrote a blog going over what auto agencies need to know about Facebook’s new “Metaverse.”
  • In anticipation of Snapchat Ads being available in BuyerBridge, we created 3 agency sales assets to help agencies promote Snapchat Inventory Ads.
  • Miranda transitioned into a new role to help with documentation around all the powerful tools in BuyerBridgee, and led the charge with 8+ new support articles added in October! (Miranda = rockstar 🎸)  
  • BuyerBridge.io graduated to BuyerBridge.com!  🎓
  • We added a new BuyerBridge Partner Assets Portal for our partners to access and utilize the awesome animations + images featured on our new website.
  • With Snapchat ads becoming available soon in BuyerBridge, we created 3 Editable Agency Sales Assets for Snapchat Inventory Ads specifically! 
  • Our Leadership Team, Directors, and Managers all completed a Gitlab + Coursera course on “How to Manage a Remote Team” to help us be better leaders in a remote world.
  • In honor of one of our Core Values, “Learn and Lead,” many team members set up Google Classroom training courses to help our team cross-train and level up!
  • We began alpha testing ad campaigns on Pinterest, initiated “Buy Back” campaign tests on Snapchat, and launched full-funnel Messenger-based Lead Forms on Facebook!
  • Rachel joined the BuyerBridge Partner Experience team!
  • One of the most popular campaigns this year, the “Custom Order” playbook, was released!
  • Kristen, Rachel, and Sarah exemplified one of our Core Values, “Jumping In,” always doing much, much more than their typical job duties. We’re lucky to have them! 🙏
  • As a whole, shout out to the Engineering team for the biggest month of releases in our company’s history: MarketAnalyzer, Omni-Channel Onboarding & Reporting In-Dashboard, Marketplace Posting Tool!

November

  • Our VP of Marketing, Brooke, was selected for the SRQ Magazine’s 35 Under 35 Competition, which recognizes young professionals who have distinguished themselves with their leadership in the field. (WELL DESERVED, BROOKE!!! 🏆 )
  • The UX/UI team began designing our vision for a “creative studio” tool to help agencies and dealers alike create custom graphics easily for their ad campaigns. We can’t wait to release this next year!
  • We began testing a brand new Hubspot “Customer Portal” for better visibility of tickets. 
  • We hosted our “Seasonal Mixology” culture event, where we brought in one of Sarasota’s favorite bartenders to teach our team how to make (and shake) 3 fun drinks, virtually over Zoom! 🥃
  • 19 new Playbooks were launched in November: Ford Year-End Sales Event, Custom Order, Nissan & Chevrolet Service, Cadillac CPO, Co-Op Ready Playbooks
  • The Ad Ops team finalized a new 2022 BuyBack Playbook for the US and CA!
  • One of our partners had great matchback results: 10 dealers coming in under $200 cost per sale, 4 under $150 cost per sale, and 2 under $100 cost per sale. 💥
  • BuyerBridge’s Partner Manager, Chris, DOUBLED his quota last month – amazing! 
  • Miranda published 11 additional support articles to the BuyerBridge Knowledge Base QTD. 🎉 
  • Leveraging Co-Op for dealer-clients is critical, so we documented what the Co-Op program is and how to get pre-approved here.

December

  • We flew all of our managers down to Sarasota, FL to reflect on 2021, prep for 2022, and to talk about ways to be the best leaders in a fully remote world!
    • …and we invited our local team members to join the managers for some team bonding over dinner in Longboat Key, FL! 🌞 
  • The Marketing team organized one of the biggest events of the year, the State of Automotive, “5 Days of Omni-Social,” which gave agencies and vendors access to exclusive interviews with Pinterest, Facebook (Meta), Snapchat, and TikTok, plus over 23 FREE, brand-new resources. Catch the FULL recap here!
  • To celebrate the holidays, the entire team joined in on a virtual White Elephant gift exchange, where some of the gifts included a Burrito Blanket, Baby Yoda NFT, and a Portable Campfire! 
  • As a gift to all our team members for their hard work this year, we decided to close down our office in the final week of December to give everyone a chance to reset, relax, and be with their family and friends. 
  • We also hosted a Gingerbread House contest, where the only limit was our imagination…kudos to Justin for taking the “cake” with his New England Sugary Seaside creation!

Now Onto 2022… 

We feel lucky to be ringing in the new year with an awesome team, the best partners, and are super excited to see what 2022 has in store. 🥳

(If you’re not yet a BuyerBridge Partner, click here to let us show you how we make advertising for dealers across multiple platforms fast, efficient, and optimized. 

Thank you for allowing us to continue creating innovating AdTech and making day-day life easier for agencies. Happy new year!

What Auto Agencies Need to Know About Facebook’s New “Metaverse”

What Auto Agencies Need to Know About Facebook’s New “Metaverse”

by | Oct 29, 2021 | Advertising, Agency, Facebook

If the shocking announcement Facebook made yesterday sent your head spinning, you’re not alone.

If 2021 has taught us anything about the digital marketing universe, it’s that adaptability is virtually everything.

From iOS updates and cookie privacy changes to inventory shortages and the removal of Facebook Marketplace listing automation, auto agencies have risen to the occasion.

And now there’s a new disruption: Facebook is rebranding to “Meta.”

It’s only natural that this news has some agencies feeling misaligned with the “Metaverse” and concerned as to what it means for the advertising industry + their clients’ ads/accounts.

But we are confident that this change will enable agencies to help their client’s connect to local communities in more and meaningful ways.

Here are some FAQs for your agency on the new “Metaverse:”

Why is Facebook Renaming to Meta?

On Thursday, October 28th 2021, the colossal company, known as Facebook for 17 years, publicly announced that it would be renaming itself to “Meta.”

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s CEO, revealed that his company was expanding beyond today’s social networking, which is what Facebook has built on for over a decade. 

Considering the company now owned many apps and was fundamentally about connecting people, he said that using Facebook as the corporate name was no longer tenable. (Source: The New York Times)

Breaking Down “Meta” and the “Metaverse”

Facebook Newsroom released an article that details what exactly “Meta” and the “Metaverse” is:

Meta: “Meta builds technologies that help people connect, find communities, and grow businesses. When Facebook launched in 2004, it changed the way people connect. Apps like Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp further empowered billions around the world. Now, Meta is moving beyond 2D screens toward immersive experiences like augmented and virtual reality to help build the next evolution in social technology.”

Metaverse: “The metaverse will feel like a hybrid of today’s online social experiences, sometimes expanded into three dimensions or projected into the physical world. It will let you share immersive experiences with other people even when you can’t be together — and do things together you couldn’t do in the physical world. It’s the next evolution in a long line of social technologies, and it’s ushering in a new chapter for our company.”

What Does This Mean For My Agency & Clients’ Ads on Facebook Owned Platforms?

Our expectations are as followed:

  • There should be no immediate effects on your client’s existing ads across Facebook-owned platforms. 
  • You will still see “Facebook” labeled in your clients’ Google Analytics, advertising reports, direct invoices, etc.
  • If we DO notice any immediate changes, we will notify you as soon as we learn more.

IMPORTANT: It’s been made clear by Zuckerberg and the company that they will continue to invest in the already existing social media platforms under the Meta umbrella. 

“Building our social media apps will always be an important focus for us. But right now, our brand is so tightly linked to one product that it can’t possibly represent everything that we’re doing today, let alone in the future,” Facebook’s CEO said.

Additional Opportunities That the “Metaverse” Will Provide for Your Clients’ Ads

Our Facebook Partner Manager reassured us that Facebook’s new holding company, Meta, is “committed to helping you deliver on [marketing] objectives by reaching the right people and engaging with your customers – today and in the future.”

This Metaverse ideology will provide your agency’s dealership client’s with vast advertising opportunities in the years to come. The inclusion of virtual and augmented experiences take center-stage of this new environment and have the power to potentially change your agency and its advertising for client’s, but the world as we know it! 

BuyerBridge is looking forward to finding out more about these new media opportunities and what they mean for agencies.

Does Your Agency Need to Refer to Facebook’s Platform as “Meta”?

You don’t have to! Facebook and its other apps, such as Instagram and WhatsApp, will maintain their individual logos, branding, and names – they’ll simply be associated with the “Meta” name.  

Side note: Some instances like “Facebook for Business” Facebook Business Page have in fact been swapped to “Meta for Business,” BUT certain sites including facebook.com/business remain unchanged and Facebook-focused. We will keep you informed about any additional changes.

What IS Changing & When to Expect Changes

According to Meta’s announcement, the company’s corporate structure is not changing, and the metaverse concept will likely take years – potentially a decade or more – since the concept is theoretical right now. That said, it will begin trading under the stock ticker MVRS beginning on Dec. 1, and is expected to begin branding some of its virtual-reality products as Meta, shifting away from the original brand name of Oculus.

Next Steps

We want you to take comfort in knowing that we don’t currently see any critical changes that require you to take action with regards to your clients’ ads or their accounts. 

BuyerBridge is on top of this trending topic and will continue to provide more valuable information for you as it becomes available. 

We can’t wait to see how auto agencies will benefit from transporting to the Metaverse!

To stay in the loop as we navigate this shift together, subscribe to our blog and Facebook page!