Social Trends is Now On Air!

In a world of ever-changing ways to communicate it is imperative that companies find ways to cut through the noise and get their message across to their audiences. Sticking with what has worked in the past is often a good strategy, unless those tactics are losing ground.


Email has long been an effective tool, but with people’s inboxes filling up each more and more each day with less-than-important noise, email is becoming an increasingly more difficult means to this end.


Social Media too has proven it can be effective and will likely to have longevity, but already we are becoming hardened to the volume of non-important noise and messages that comes across our newsfeeds and timelines on a day-to-day basis.


Despite being a company that offers a platform for auto dealers to manage their Social Media efforts, we at SOCIALDEALER recognize that Social has its limitations as well.


Fortunately there is a relatively new tool out there that gives people and organizations a way to get through to their audiences. It’s called Google+ Hangout On Air and if you haven’t yet taken the plunge into this new platform then there is no better time than now to do so because SOCIALDEALER is taking to the On Air frequency as a way to bring ever more value to its own tribe of Social Media gurus, novices, and wannabes.


What is Hangout On Air?


A Google+ Hangout is essentially an online meeting room complete with audio and video capabilities that make it possible for a small group of people (up to 10) to interact with one another as if they were all sitting in the same room together. The Hangout is supported by your web browser and no plugins or applets are required.


What’s unique about Google+ Hangout is that while a live video thumbnail of each person is displayed at the bottom of the Hangout window, a larger display sits above these thumbnails showing a live feed of the person doing the talking. As each person chimes into the conversation, Hangout automatically displays this person in the larger window, switching around from person to person much like the cameras do in a studio setting, bringing the person presently talking to the forefront on your TV screen.


The “on air” aspect of this is optional. As the host of a Hangout you have the option to broadcast the Hangout live on your YouTube channel for anyone else to watch. In fact you can even embed the YouTube video code onto a page on your website for people to watch their instead.
While the folks watching the live On Air broadcast can not participate in the Hangout discussion itself, Google+ broadcaster have learned to use Twitter and G+ hashtags that allow people to chime in via these social mediums to ask questions, respond to the discussion, Tweet soundbytes from the show, and more.


Welcome Social Trends On Air


What began as a newsletter a few years ago and soon afterwards also a blog, Social Trends is now expanding its horizons and reach into the world of #HOA, or Hangout On Air. Beginning March 2013, SOCIALDEALER will be launching a series of On Air broadcasts for all to see.


These broadcasts will be designed to educate the automotive audience about things going on at SOCIALDEALER that benefit our dealers and partners. Our Hangouts will introduce new partnerships, unveil our latest innovations, and train and coach people about best practices that we apply with our dealers. Most importantly these Hangouts will not only be educational but also fun and entertaining too.


In the beginning we will run a live #HOA every other week on Friday’s at Noon CST. You will be able to watch these broadcasts from the new Social Trends On Air page on our website.


The Hangouts will be conducted co-hosts Zach Betz and Ryan Gerardi who are leading the way here at SOCIALDEALER with this new approach to educating our audience. Most Hangouts will include at least one or two guests that will be announced prior to each broadcast in the form of a blog post, so be sure to subscribe to the Social Trends blog if you want to receive email alerts each time we announce a show.


During each broadcast viewers will be able to Tweet us using the hashtag #SocialTrendsOnAir to join in on the fun and ask questions and what not. In fact, we want to encourage our fans to Tweet that hashtag between shows to help build awareness around it and chime in about Social Trends while we are off air.


Ways to Join the Fun


To join in on all the fun you have a few options:


Option A.) Subscribe via email to the Social Trends blog. You will receive an email alert each time we update our blog, including show announcements.


Option B.) RSVP to the Social Trends On Air Google+ Event page. This is a one-time action that will put the event in your Google calendar, send you reminders, and also updates we make to the event page.


Option C.) LIKE the SOCIALDEALER Facebook page and keep an eye out for invites to the events we create for each show. This will put SOCIALDEALER Facebook activity into your newsfeed and give you a chance to RSVP to each individual event. Because of the way Facebook events work you would have to RSVP to each event invitation for each show.


Of course you can do multiple options too.


Wish us luck and let us know what you think by leaving a comment here to this post. Share with your friends you think might be interested and be sure to get connected with us in at least one of the three ways we recommend.