3 min read
Adding video to your car dealership’s marketing strategy is a great way to increase engagement and online traffic as well as foot traffic to your lot. In fact, a Think with Google study found that 60% of auto shoppers reported visiting a dealership after watching a video of a car they were considering. Here are some dealership video marketing strategies you can use to increase your sales.
With fewer and fewer consumers visiting car dealers to look for a vehicle, the more information you have available on your website, the better. 40% of shoppers who consumed online video say that it helped them discover a car they weren’t previously considering. Furthermore, HubSpot found that 83% of video marketers say that video helps them generate leads and potential customers because they would rather watch a video than read. If you want to sell more cars, video is a great way to go.
In addition to photos, consider using 360-degree spin videos on your vehicle listing pages that allow customers to get a closer look at each car. This way, they can see the vehicles from all angles and examine both the interior and exterior without having to come in person. Then, if they like what they see, they may visit your dealership sales team for a test drive or to make their purchase in their car buying journey.
Producing high quality 360-degree content can be time consuming and often requires purchasing new software and equipment. If you’d rather keep it simple, walk around videos are a great alternative. These can be taken by your sales team on a regular camera or even a smartphone and allows them to highlight key features and technologies of the car. Although the customer won’t be able to spin the car around and zoom in, they’ll still get a great idea of the vehicle’s benefits so they can decide if they’re interested in purchasing.
Outside of your product pages, there are many other ways to utilize video on your website. For example, on your “About Us” landing page, you could incorporate a brand video showcasing your dealership and team and detailing your mission to the customer. On your home page, you can use eye-catching video to highlight a current deal or promotion.
According to Statista, although over 91% of consumers will watch any kind of video, 30.6% want to see how-to videos and 28.9% want educational videos. If you want to establish trust with your customers, explainer videos can go a long way. You could even add a help section to your site where you use video to show people how to do routine maintenance on their cars like changing a tire, windshield wipers, or oil. This will show your client base that you’re knowledgeable and that you’re there for them when they need you.
In addition to sharing videos to your website and other platforms like YouTube, take advantage of (or start building) your social media presence using video. Between 2020 and 2022, daily video views increased 95%, and according to Biteable research, Facebook video ads got 480% more clicks than ones with a still image. As a dealer, it is important to incorporate video content into your social media strategy if you want to increase click-throughs to your website. As you’re doing this, keep in mind that short videos tend to work best, and many consumers are watching with the sound off, so always include captions where possible.
When potential buyers are either unable or unwilling to visit your dealership in person, there are still ways you can engage them virtually. For instance, you can take a video of a car you know they’re interested in, showing off features that you know are must-haves for that particular person and text it to your lead. Address them by their name and explain why this is the perfect car for them. Another great option is live video chat. Over FaceTime or Zoom, you can showcase cars to potential customers in a much more interactive way. This way, they can ask any questions they have, and they can ask you to zoom in or take a closer look at a certain part of the vehicle.
Along with using video on your website and with existing leads, make sure you’re also taking advantage of paid video advertising like OTT/CTV video. This type of ad allows you to display vital information about each car like make, model, mileage, location, price, and more to shoppers who are looking for that type of car, all within their favorite streaming platforms.
If you’re not sure where to start, ZeroSum’s Auto-Stream platform can build and distribute these videos for you. Book a demo today to see how easy it is to increase conversion through video advertising.
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