Car Dealer Video Marketing
If you’ve always thought of online and viral video as the dominion of stupid pet tricks, stupid human tricks, and just stupid stuff in general, it might be time to reconsider what a powerful marketing tool online video can be for your car dealership.
Admittedly, videos of cute animals behaving strangely and celebrities behaving badly tend to generate more buzz than even the best online car dealer videos, but there is still a great deal to be gained by producing and distributing videos that showcase your dealership, your brands, your personnel, and your business philosophy, just to name a few possible video topics.
In fact, even if your dealership is already harnessing the power of video by including short clips or slide shows of the cars in your inventory, there are still countless other ways to leverage the power of video to sell more cars.
Imagine creating a video that entertains, educates, and inspires potential buyers so much that they pass it along to their friends. And those friends pass it along to even more friends, and so on. That’s what we mean when we talk about a video going viral. When a video goes viral, it can be seen by thousands, even millions of people, in a very short time. Some of those people are ready to buy a car. The rest of those people will think of your dealership first when they are ready.
Now, we aren’t suggesting that you go to the lengths that BMW did in their viral video campaign “The Hire.” Nor do we mean that only videos that go viral are effective. You can easily give yourself a competitive edge and create a buzz about your dealership with videos that are seen by just a few hundred people in your immediate area.
So, as you consider where video fits into your online dealership marketing strategy, take a look at some of the most common questions we get from dealers who want to know how to use video to sell cars.
What Can Online Video Do For My Car Dealership?
In a word, everything. Everything your traditional media campaigns can do, and plenty of things they can’t. For example, well-produced, properly optimized, and broadly distributed video can:
•Drive More Traffic to Your Website
•Keep Visitors on Your Website Longer
•Distinguish You From Competitive Car Dealers In Your Area
•Expand Your Brand Awareness
What Kind of Videos Should My Dealership Have?
The possibilities are nearly limitless. Or at least limited only by your imagination and daring. There are safe choices and there are bold choices in car dealer video. Each type has its place and can add value to your website and your marketing efforts if they are well done.
Safe Choices Include:
•Global\Make\Model Inventory Videos
•Individual Inventory Videos
•Dealership Showcase Videos
•Department Showcase Videos
•Frequently Asked Questions Videos
Bold Choices Include:
•Parodies
•Insider Secrets (with a touch of parody)
Where Should I use Video?
As many places as possible. Your website, of course. But also in all of these places:
•Your Email Newsletter
•Traffic Generating Sites like Cars.com and AutoTrader.com
•YouTube
How Much Will It Cost To Produce A Video?
There’s no one-size-fits all formula that we can offer. Ultimately, your investment will depend on which type and how many videos you plan to have produced. Most dealers use some combination of the video types listed above to appeal to the broadest possible audience and have their message seen by the most people possible.
Relatively speaking, however, you can expect to pay less and get more from online video than from many of your more traditional media campaigns.
How Do I Get Started With Online Videos to Promote My Dealership?
Simple. Give us a call, send us an email, or fill out our online form and let us know what you’d like to accomplish with your online video campaign. One of our dealership video marketing specialists will be glad to answer your questions and get you started on your online video strategy.