Audiences are craving connection and personality. As vehicle sales and service become more complex, business conditions evolve and media consumption habits change, we want to see and hear people in a real-life context. The need to create relevant, engaging videos for your business has never been greater.
While many people know us for a rich history in automotive publications, Babcox Media, AutoSuccess’s parent company, has developed a thriving video and audio program. It’s been key for our customers who offer innovative products and tools to add authenticity to their company’s marketing efforts. They’ve used video to train, promote and sell directly, sometimes all in a single video. What makes a video successful in building a dealership's business? Here’s what we’ve learned working with automotive clients making hundreds of videos.
Five core tips to consider as you plan videos for your dealership:
- Good videos inform or entertain. Great videos do both. Mixing in the right visual content to keep the viewer interested is an art. The best performing videos have great content brought to the viewer in a conversational tone. Remember, we buy from people (and businesses) we are interested in.
- Proper planning prevents poor production. We will sometimes spend 4-5 hours planning for a 2-minute video. When we start a video project, we always try to define its purpose. Ask yourself what you want to achieve or communicate by making this video. In addition, define your target audience. How will you make your video speak to these viewers in particular?
- Keep it tight. Once you have defined your video’s goals, write a script and create a storyboard. Then revise until they are as good as you can make them. Rambling videos bore viewers, so keep your videos as brief and tight as possible.
- Fish where the fish are. We recently completed a 3-minute video for a client to use on their website. We asked them to look at the analytics of their site and they saw they had a lot of traffic coming from Facebook. We created a shortened version of the video for social media, removing some of the technical content and adding a more specific sales message. When you know where your customers find information about you, it's easier to create content that will keep them engaged with your brand.
- You need a video strategy. If you do not have a video strategy, now is the time to create one. I saw a stat in Forbes that 66% of US employees are working at least part time from home. In the same article they predict by 2022, 82% of all IP traffic will be video. The consumption of video content and the streaming of content from multiple personal devices is happening at a rate faster than anyone expected, especially over the past 4 months.
Now is the time for video. Yes, it’s more challenging now, but it can be done and is needed more than ever. Even with coronavirus restrictions, our video team, as well as our editors, found creative ways to be in the studio while safely social distancing to film an average of more than 80 videos per month. Utilization of our garage studio to help dealerships tell their story has been a business bright spot amid all of the other chaos and uncertainty. Your video strategy can be, too.
Your video content can take many forms and fill many channels. We do a wide range — from technical, 90-second maintenance tips found in our e-newsletters and websites, to longer 90-minute workshops and training via live stream available on our social media platforms. If your dealership story can be told more powerfully in visuals, give custom video a shot.
