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MARKETING

Video Marketing: Taking Your Showroom

Digital

Make the buying process easier and more immersive for consumers, even when they aren’t in your
dealership

BY ERIK SCHEAR

The way that people go about buying cars is
shifting. Consumers no longer walk into the
showroom and leave it up to the salespeople
to give them the details. With so many on-
line tools available, buyers are taking things
into their own hands.

A 2016 report from the Harvard Business
Review notes, “The average U.S. car shopper
now spends 11 hours online and only 3.5
hours offline, including trips to dealers, do-
ing research.” Even more telling, 53% of buy-
ers would consider buying a new car online,
with no dealership or sales interaction at all.

As a result of this changing landscape, deal-
erships must adapt. Although we can’t give
buyers everything ahead of time, we can
give them the information they need and get
them excited about purchasing a car. That’s
where video comes in. video, fit a specific marketing channel, or ditionally, virtual tours help give buyers a
target a key demographic. 360-degree view.
Video can be a great way to target potential
buyers and, more importantly, it can take the For example, a video focused on safety While on the path to purchase, consumers
showroom beyond the dealership and directly would appeal most to mothers, while a vid- can browse a variety of websites or social
to the consumer. Let’s take a look at how. eo touting the vehicle’s horsepower may be channels that will provide information and
more applicable to auto enthusiasts and visual aids for the cars they are considering.
Keep focus on the key features young adults.
According to a study in Automotive News, Instead of waiting for a salesperson’s assis-
52% of auto enthusiasts watch videos to eval- Different features are important to different tance, consumers can take to their computer
uate vehicle performance, and 42% of shop- buyers, and video allows dealers to show the or mobile device and learn more about their
pers search inventory on a dealership web- right features to the right buyer using sight, purchase through explainer videos and in-
site as a result of watching online video. The sound, and motion. formation.
takeaway? Video works when done right.
Bring the vehicle to the consumer With virtual test drives and tours, consum-
Video provides dealers an opportunity to Video can make the buying process both ers discover what build, features, and color
immerse the consumer in all aspects of the easier and more immersive for consumers, they are looking for before stepping inside
vehicle—whether it’s the interior features, even when they aren’t in the dealership. the dealership.
the various exterior options, or footage of
safety tests, consumers can see things that How? The introduction of virtual test drives Use social media to spread your message
matter to them without having to go to the has permanently altered the process of buy- Social media is one branch of this growing
dealership. ing a car. tree. Users show their personality on social
media, and tend to let their guard down
Another benefit of video is that it’s flexible. Dealerships are now able to give drivers a when scrolling and absorbing the advertise-
Full-length videos can be trimmed in order feel for a car and its features without them ments that appear on their screen.
to feature the most important parts of the ever having to step foot in the vehicle. Ad- Continued on page 42
38 | GIADA Independent Auto Dealer AUGUST 2017