Video Content Is Essential To All Dealerships. And It Doesn’t Require As Much Effort As You Think.
Video marketing has reached the top of the mountain as king of all marketing mediums.
In the automotive industry alone, consider that more than 40% of shoppers who watched a video about cars or trucks visited a dealer as a direct result. It’s difficult to argue with such strong numbers.
Also consider that almost 75% of adults use YouTube. When considering the 18- to 24-year-old category, that number skyrockets to 94%.
Welcome to the world of fixed ops video.
If you’re not video marketing on YouTube yet, you’re neglecting a major opportunity to grow your dealership.
In this article, you’ll learn how to create video automotive marketing content for every stage in the buying journey of your customer.
1. Educating Customers
Users head to YouTube when they’re looking to learn something new. It’s difficult to imagine any topic that you can’t find on YouTube. In fact, YouTube creators upload over 300 hours of content every minute. A high percentage of these videos are educational.
To begin the video content marketing sales funnel, focus on educating your customers about who you are and what you do.
Dealership Walk-Around Video
The first step is creating a powerful dealership walk-around video. This doesn’t have to be a complicated production process. Your goal here is to show the customer a welcoming environment that they’ll feel comfortable in. You also want to detail the entire scope of what your dealership specializes in.
Make this video as short as possible. However, don’t sacrifice content. Five minutes or less is a good target.
Begin by figuring out your logistics. Proper sound and good lighting are crucial for any video shoot. Before you start shooting the full video, record a 30-second walk-through with the recording equipment you will be using. Play it back and check for any areas where you can improve lighting and sound.
Remember to always record your videos in landscape mode.
If your sound quality suffers, invest in a lav mic. You can attach one of these to an iPhone or Android to improve sound quality. They’re inexpensive and worth the investment.
Next, you’ll want to use your staff members in portions of the video. Featuring the people that work in your dealership creates a personal feel that customers will respond to.
When a customer comes into the dealership after viewing a video, they’ll recognize the staff members they saw on YouTube. They may feel like they already know them.
During the walk-through, implement short interviews with team members in each department. One question and answer will be plenty for each department.
Wrap up your video by inviting viewers to stop in for some free coffee and donuts when they’re in the neighborhood. Remember, this video isn’t intended to sell. The goal is to introduce your dealership to a new market.
Team Profiles
After you’ve created the walk-through video, the next step is creating content that customers will find useful when they watch your channel. Service department videos are a great way to do this.
Consider that 65% of people who took their vehicle in for service first heard about their chosen service center through video marketing efforts.
First, create simple profile videos of each member of your service team. Have the team members introduce themselves and talk a little about their experience. Each interview should be two minutes or less.
Compile those videos into one longer team video that introduces the entire service department to your viewers.
After this, use a similar approach with the dealership’s other departments. Create individual videos that introduce your sales, management, accounting, finance and customer service teams.
Of course, introduce yourself as well.
2. The Explanation Phase
Now that customers know what your dealership offers, they want to look at options.
Finance Department
Begin by detailing your finance options. Cover every type of financing your dealership offers. It’s best to do this with unique videos that focus on different buying situations.
For consumers with less-than-perfect credit, create a video that shows how you can still get them into the vehicle of their choice.
If you’re offering exceptional interest rates for buyers with impeccable credit, show them what the credit threshold is and how much they’ll be able to save.
Explain the advantages and disadvantages of financing through your dealership. Cover the nuts and bolts of what a buyer can expect when they finance through you.
Show off the Inventory
Test drive videos are another powerful way to market your dealership to customers. In the past two years, watch time of test drive videos on YouTube has grown by more than 65%. This marks a trend in online video consumption similar to the surge in electronics reviews a few years ago.
More than half of auto shoppers said they could be convinced to buy a car from a test drive video without test driving the vehicle for themselves.
That’s a great reason to start recording test drive videos.
Utilize salespeople with the most entertaining personalities to produce these videos. Customers watch YouTube for entertainment as much as they do for information.
Showroom Showtime
Another idea is to spend time making videos of your showroom. When new inventory arrives, produce walk-around videos of the new vehicles. Talk about what they offer. Show off how stylish they are. Take your viewers into the driver’s seat and put them behind the wheel.
The exciting part of selling a vehicle this way is that you can record as many takes as you need. Take time to get your sales pitch exactly as you want it. Once it’s uploaded to YouTube, it’ll keep selling for you even while you’re sleeping.
3. The Bottom of the Sales Funnel
This is your opportunity to begin closing the sale before the customer sets foot in your showroom.
In the Words of the Customer
Customer testimonials are a great way to begin sealing the deal. Every time you complete a sale, ask the buyer if you can feature them on your YouTube channel. Some will decline. Most of them will jump at the opportunity.
While you record, ask the customer how the sales process went. Have them talk about why they chose your dealership. Ask them if they’d choose it again.
Let them talk as much as they want. You can always edit the video before posting it on YouTube. Create an exciting feeling about shopping at your dealership.
Other buyers will take notice.
To conclude each video, record them driving off the lot in their new purchase.
Satisfied Service Department Customers
Take the same approach with customers that visit the service department. Ask them how long they’ve been frequenting your shop. Have them talk about their level of satisfaction with the work performed by your dealership.
Bring some humor into these conversations. Let your customers show their unique personalities.
Videos like these are best left unscripted. A satisfied customer will have a lot of positive things to say. Powerful customer testimonial videos are more effective than any written ad copy. Have fun with it.
Video Marketing Sets the Stage for Success
It doesn’t require expensive equipment and a trained video production team to find success with video marketing. All you need is a quality phone and some planning. Of course, if one of your team members is already an expert, put their skills to use.
