Videos: Are You Skillful or Just Gliding It?
Many dealerships have “value proposition” videos, but the issue is that their approach is to have those videos noticed by “the right shopper.” Social media channels like Facebook, TikTok, and others are excellent for branding, high-funnel messages, and the occasional mid to low-funnel contact. The majority of the visitors to this website are mid- to low-funnel shoppers, but there is one location where many more people (every day) will watch your videos than there will be on all of the social media networks put together. Have you figured it out? It’s “your” website, that’s correct.
Listen, it’s quite easy. Getting your video content in front of the right customer at the correct stage of the purchase cycle is one of the most crucial elements of a video marketing strategy. Driving mid to low-funnel traffic to your website costs you thousands of dollars per month. Your value proposition (and testimonial) films should be displayed on THIS, THE MOST IMPORTANT touchpoint. However, they are prominently shown on your SRPs and VDPs next to your New Model Test Drive and VIN-specific Inventory Videos, not on a “videos” tab tucked away on your menu.
On your VDPs, you want to “make the car the star”. But remember this: Most customers are just as interested in finding a dealership they can trust as they are in buying a car. This is something you already know, and your “on the lot” sales technique is built around it. Applying the same reasoning to your “online lot,” instead of hiding your value proposition and testimonial films somewhere on your website, will increase your sales in a way that will astound you.
Since many years ago, video marketing has reigned as a strategy to connect with and cultivate connections with consumers. Many organizations are quickly spending more of their marketing budgets on it as a result of this knowledge. But simply “doing” video marketing is insufficient. Every dealership should have a plan in place and begin with the end in mind. The message you deliver to customers is crucial, just like with another form of marketing. Knowing how you want your dealership to be seen by customers is an important aspect of strategy. What makes your dealership special? What is unique? Is there a feature of your dealership that your consumers adore? Do they have any pet peeves? Your objective should be to identify the distinctive, endearing qualities of your dealership and communicate them to customers since people buy from individuals they like.
According to a recent post on Entrepreneur, it’s critical to connect the dots between your video marketing approach and business plan. Some dealerships intentionally present themselves as wild and insane. Take Winston Salem, North Carolina’s Frank Myers Auto Maxx. In his advertisements, the proprietor, Tracy Myers, has created characters and narrated amusing tales. However, he also makes it clear that his salespeople are non-commission and customer-focused. Here’s an illustration: https://youtu.be/2B4SlESB2Xk
You can watch the entire Emmy-nominated short film he made about the history of his dealership here: https://youtu.be/ietWhebVMQY. The key is that he does this because IT WORKS, not because he just wants to be insane. How did he find out? USING DATA. Even when he receives emails from individuals expressing disapproval of his film, one thing is certain: they saw it. His customers are incredibly loyal.
Your car dealership can tell a tale. There are many other types of videos you may make to share it with your audience; you are not required to make brief films in order to do so. You can start with value propositions, client references, or regular promotional films high in the funnel. You can play inventory films with your dealership’s distinctive messaging and branding as the buyer progresses down the sales funnel. Finally, at the bottom of the funnel, you may reinforce your points with post-sale films and video emails.
To discover whether your message and video are effective, you simply need to decide what kind of message and video you want to spread. You won’t know what works without data, and you risk spending time and money on a plan that isn’t producing the desired outcomes. Never again say, “Buy, Buy, Buy.” Customers who view your videos and advertisements are already aware that you are a car dealership and that you want to sell them a car. By copying every other vehicle dealership, you run the risk of having customers tune you out or, worse, fast-forward and not watch at all.
There are a lot of other techniques you can use video for, but I’m not going to talk about those here. Dealerships need to decide WHO they want to be and WHAT they want to convey, which is the point I’m trying to make. to tell that tale in all of their video (and other) promotions. More significantly, that narrative ought to be conveyed in all of their marketing. Maintaining consistency helps keep a brand in people’s minds. Brand identity is important, and your marketing funnel should be in line with it. Make decisions on what strategy is effective using data.
It is essential to make these judgments; therefore, if you don’t already have a platform that can provide you with the level of data you require, you should look for one. You cannot determine the effectiveness of your plan by looking at Facebook “Likes” and “Comments” (or any other platform).
What objectives is this film trying to achieve, you might ask? Does it fit into my larger marketing plan? Does it reflect my dealership’s character or communicate my dealership’s story? The most crucial question is: How can I know whether it’s working?
Continue doing it once you’ve answered these queries and looked at the data to see if it is effective. Change course if you find that some elements of your plan aren’t working or connecting. Every company fails at marketing sometimes, but that doesn’t stop them from trying again. You will eventually discover that “special sauce” that connects with your customers, moves them down your marketing and sales funnel, and assists you in reaching your objective of raising revenue.
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