Why Dealers Should Ditch Commercials & Adopt Video to Close More Sales

Back in the day, television commercials helped dealerships immensely. Even just a few years ago, this was a profitable way to promote your business and inventory— but times are changing.

More and more people are ditching cable TV, with a whomping 60% of Americans cutting the cord when surveyed in January 2019. With commercial-free streaming services like Netflix taking over, television spots have become an outdated way of advertising.

It’s time to ditch the old-fashioned TV commercials with their grand production value and shoot videos yourself to post online. Video marketing can make a huge difference in your dealership’s brand awareness, website traffic and sales. 

Here are a few ways video can help your dealership:

1. Video is an excellent learning tool— perfect for those researching cars online.

Forty-two percent of car buyers look at inventory on your website as a result of watching online video, according to CBT Automotive Network. Video enables searchers to learn more about your inventory while their in the “research stage,” before they’re ready to come into your dealership. 

By posting educational videos, you establish yourself a thought-leader in your industry and show watchers that your staff is knowledgeable and trustworthy around all things automotive. Post walk-throughs of individual cars to show off your stock’s look and special features for both new and used models. Using software like CarOffer, you can even choose the pre-owned inventory you want to stock, to make more appealing videos.

Consider publishing videos about the importance of rotating your tires, how to check your oil, etc.— not just walk-throughs. Or, address how financing works, your warranties, etc. to break down bottlenecks in the buying process. Remember, you want watchers to know you’re there for all their auto needs!

2. Video can humanize your sales staff.

People are researching your dealership online before they even step foot in the door. What if you could show off your sales staff’s personality right on your website, to show viewers how friendly they are?

Record short videos of your staff to preview their unique specializations and experience. This is also a great place to show watchers that your team is made up of “real people.”

If your staff is comfortable sharing pictures of their family on the screen or is willing to talk about a hobby or pastime, that’s great! Many people have a bad impression of “the sales guy” and humanizing your team can help to make your staff feel approachable and welcoming. 

3. Videos can improve your SEO online.

Did you realize that your dealership videos can rank online on Google searches? That’s right. Users can find your videos with a simple search if optimized correctly.

In our other post “6 Ways to the Auto Industry is Changing & How You Can Adapt,” we discuss the importance of image optimization on your website— and video optimization is just as important.

If you add in the right keywords to your video description, sites like YouTube can appear on the search engine results pages (SERPs). After uploading your video, make sure it has accurate closed captioning or transcriptions, as online bots screen this text to know what’s best to serve on the SERPs.

Build out educational pillar pages or write in-depth blog posts and then embed your video there too. This will give your website even more SEO juice and increase your page and watch views.

4. Videos can increase engagement on your social outlets.

If your dealership works hard to maintain your Facebook page or other social outlets, videos are a great resource to share. They’re great pieces to post on your LinkedIn or to make Instagram stories out of too. You can even add a new social media profile to your list by making your own YouTube page.

According to Facebook themselves, 30% of mobile shoppers say video is the best medium for discovering new products. On Instagram, people look 2.2 times longer at cinematography clips than static images. 

Users are more likely to comment, follow and interact with you on social media when you use video. Plus, you can link your videos back to your website and increase your traffic there too!

Stuck thinking up social-media worthy topics? Try videos about your best selling brands, announcing new construction of your showroom, how you donated to a local charity, etc. Share it all!

5. Video testimonials leave a more lasting impression.

Searchers often want social proof that your dealership is the right place to buy their next car. They’ll be looking up reviews, and what better way to hear from real people than by featuring real people on video!

Ask a few of your long-term customers to come in and share their experience with your dealership in front of the camera for a discount on their next purchase. You can capture the smiles and laughs, and edit them together in one testimonial video to post on your website. 

You can even make an internal testimonial clip. Ask your parts, service and body shop departments what their favorite part about this job is or have them be the faces behind your Careers page video to give viewers a sneak peek into the dealership culture.

6. Video is a quick way to promote a new sale or promotion.

Instead of only sending out an email about your new sale, make a video about it too. Then, show it off on social or invest a few bucks in a paid marketing campaign. 

The days of the paper flyers and wacky waving inflatables are over; start getting creative about ways you can use video to bring your promotions into the digital sphere. Call your staff together for a strategy meeting and collab on how you’ll use video marketing to promote your specials online.

Bring Better Technology Into Your Dealership

Incorporating video into your dealership’s marketing strategy is a smart way to attract and serve new customers through a modern medium. 

But why stop there? Expand your horizons with technology improvements— company-wide. CarOffer’s innovative software is helping to eliminate your aging inventory problems and to stock better pre-owned inventory, all in just a few clicks. 

Request a demo to try our robust toolset today.