Dealership Video 101

It’s no secret that the use of vehicle videos sells more cars. Consumers of today need to be informed as well as entertained when shopping for a new or used car. 

Here are some tips to successfully implementing video on your website:

Start with a system that has video capability built in on all pages and allows you to embed videos from third party sites (YouTube, Metacafe’). This has several advantages we will talk about in future articles, but for now suffice to say it is crucial for SEO that this feature is available with your Dealer Management System.

Now that you have the ability to record and upload videos to your site the question now becomes what to record and where to place the video? Let’s start with the homepage. There is a hierarchy to the homepage video playlist that varies depending on the type of car dealership  New car dealers should focus on the latest and greatest vehicles and concept cars being released by the manufacturer as their number one video. Number two and three on the list should include current specials only available at that dealership and as a last resort the nationwide video produced by the manufacturer.

Used car dealerships homepage video can vary greatly due to the type of car they sell and the clientele they service, but it should include a combination of ”universally” funny, informative and relevant videos. Make sure if you decide to go with “funny”, the video should be entertaining from the first second it plays and should not exceed 30 secs. Informative videos should include a brief intro explaining who you are and where you are located, then talk about the types of vehicles you offer then follow up with a call to action – “come down today for a test drive and receive a free xxxx” , “first 100 people to call in and mention this video will receive $500 off the purchase of any vehicle in stock” and so on.

Funny video basics:

• choose popular videos – search Youtube for “funny automotive videos”
• poll your staff to make sure the video chosen is actually funny
• rotate the videos daily

Informative video basics:

• length of video should not exceed 1 min (30-45 sec is optimal)
• first 7 sec must capture visitors attention (think good looking spokes person combined with best car on the lot)
• insert customer video testimonials (two or three at 5- 7 sec apiece)
• end the video with a call to action – incentives, discounts, freebies or special financing
• static image includes dealership phone number and address

Relevant video basics:

• choose an extreme video based on vehicle heritage
• Subaru = rally racing video
• Jeep = off road hill climb
• Range Rover = rock climbing or muddy river crossing
• BMW = road racing performance (track video)
• Camaro = 1/4 mile drag race (or should I say 1000 ft)

Look for more information and tips about video and audio production in future articles.

Internet Marketing for Dealerships That Works!

I talk to dealers on a regular basis.  When I talk to independent dealers who are just getting into the car business, they tell me about 90% of their promotional budget is spent online.  They may try a print ad here or there, but remain very skeptical of the results.  And most of them tell me they don’t invest anything in classified advertising, feeling this ad format is past the point of being effective.

On the other hand, when I speak with independent dealers who have been in business for awhile, their advertising budget is typically spread more broadly across classifieds, print, and some online.  The question here is, are they doing this because they get a good return on investment from each of the different media, or because it used to work, so the assumption is that it must still work in 2009.  Most of the stats tell me this can’t be true.  Newspaper readership is down significantly, 80% of customers start their search online for a vehicle, and craigslist is hugely popular in local communities. 

The most successful independent dealers that we work with are aggressively and proactively leveraging many Internet tools to sell cars.  Not all of them use the same tools – some rely on enhanced vehicle pictures, others aggressively list vehicles online using craigslist, AutoTrader, oodle, Google, cars.com, and even international listings, while some find a competitive edge through SEO, vehicle video, blogging, and “puff” vehicle descriptions. 

The important points:

1. Decide what tools work best for you and use them to their full capacity.
2. Test the different tools available to you.  Most are very low cost, low risk and can be hugely effective in online lead generation.
3. Whatever you do, do it 100%, because if you don’t someone else in your area will. 
4. DETAILS, DETAILS, DETAILS – Internet shoppers want complete information available online, with just a few mouse clicks. 

When dealers had to pay “real money” for classified ads, they invested the time and effort to make the ad appealing, interesting, and added a “hook” to entice customers to call.  What I see many times is the same care is not paid to online listings because so many of the tools are very low cost or free.  You’re missing a HUGE opportunity here.  We encourage our customers to be more aggressive in using the tools we make available to them – they are affordable AND effective.  To find more information about how we can help you cost effectively leverage the Internet to sell more cars, I’ve provided links to some popular tools:

Etch-A-Word – text annotation for vehicle pictures – great merchandising tool!

International Online Listing Sites – broaden your reach and sell more cars

Video Customer Testimonials – the most effective advertising

Google Search Marketing – Patented search technology from AutoXloo

Live Chat – Connect with your customers instantly on your website

Dealer Community Network – online dealer to dealer trading community

Dealership (in) Efficiencies

Dealerships should be continually looking for ways to cut cost and increase efficiency, but this is often not the case. It’s only when they are forced by a weak economy, lagging sales or increased competition do they decide to act. Unfortunately this approach can be very costly, if not outright deadly to a dealership in today’s ever changing market.

Some of the best ways for dealers to stay ahead of the curve is to research their options online as well as visiting all of the popular trade shows like the NADA, NIADA and Digital Dealer to name just a few. There you will find the latest “best practices” and the most advanced technologies that allow the informed dealer to excel even in tough economic times.

Maintaining status quo is no longer acceptable; dealers need to embrace technology that will decrease time to market and the effort it takes to manage their current marketing campaigns. Now the decision is no longer, should I make a change, but choosing a company that will consistently bring leading edge technology and have the ability to adapt to changing market conditions.

Here is a hint – don’t go with a company that makes you sign a contract! Once they have you locked in for two or more years there is no motivation for that company to offer you anything new and innovative that will help you sell more cars.

AutoXloo offers a complete Dealer Management System that is second to none and at a price point that offers more bang for the buck than any other comparable system on the market today.

Call 727-475-4455 to schedule a free live demonstration today and discover for yourself why AutoXloo is an industry leader.

Live Chat Leads!

Live Chat is one of the most underutilized features car dealers have at their disposal. Live chat has been used for years in other industries with great success and it is only recently that the automotive industry has begun to embrace this simple, yet very effective technology.

What isn’t too surprising is that there is a whole market of people shopping for their next car during work hours.  Since they are unable to pick up the phone and call the dealership directly they look for other means of submitting a request or question. Unfortunately most dealers still only offer email as the only alternative.   Unfortunately due to poor response time, this method has become frustrating for both the consumer and dealer not to mention it’s a great way to lose a sale to another dealership who is utilizing live chat and is able to answer not only the customers initial question, but can keep that customer engaged in conversation long enough to get the sale!

To be truly effective Live Chat must be manned during normal business hours and the sales staff trained how to properly funnel the customer’s Q&A’s to capture the lead.  In doing so you will find that customers who utilize this technology are usually the ones who make a purchase.

At the end of the day it still comes down to….. the dealership who gets the most leads will sell the most cars. You don’t have to be the other guy – look into upgrading your current system today.

Dealer Website Traffic – Convert to Solid Sales Leads

There’s a term that John Jantsch uses when talking about converting sales leads to sales. He talks about getting people to KNOW-LIKE-and TRUST you.  Sure, the inventory you carry matters.  And yes, the price also matters.  But don’t underestimate the power of KNOW-LIKE and TRUST in getting people to start a conversation with your dealership, and ultimately to buy a car from you, and to establish a long term relationship with you.

AutoXloo offers their Multimedia (Web 2.0) Tools, which gives you several opportunities to create KNOW-LIKE-and TRUST connections with customers as soon as they hit your website. We tend to talk about the features/benefits of the technology that we offer and forget that really the most important consideration is the establishment of trust, communication, that leads to more sales.

Establishing KNOW-LIKE and TRUST on your website:

KNOW

• Live Chat –supports instant online chat between your customers and sales team.
• Enhanced “About Us” Section – take the time to craft a story about how and why your dealership is different from others, the care you take in deciding what inventory to carry, the awards your dealership has won, how you’re involved in the local community. Many customers will never read this section – but some will. And it matters very much to these people what you have to say.
• Current Commercials – if you run TV and radio spots in your local market, be sure to include these on your website.

 LIKE

• Video Introductions of Sales Team – video communicates “likeability” better than any medium on the Internet today. A friendly introduction, connecting on a human level can go a long way towards establishing a collaborative vs confrontational sale.
• Video Introduction of your Service Department – this is a great way to promote the most profitable department at your dealership.

TRUST

• Dealership Blog – gives you the opportunity to build trust with the local community.  It’s an expanded and more personal “about us” section that a customer can review to get a sense of your trustworthiness and likeability as a dealer.
• Service Blog – think of the potential here. Build a library of service preventative maintenance tips and WHY it is important to have your vehicle serviced on a regular basis.  Position your service team as a group who is a “trusted authority” available to help customers, not to upsell them based on quotas. Building a service business from a position of “trusted authority” can go a long way towards profitably building your service business.
• Video Testimonials – Besides a personal individual referral, customer testimonials, captured on video, is the most powerful method of building trust with your customers.  Across all industries, and all sales professionals, is the core knowledge that a referral from one customer to another is gold in trying to develop new business.
• Vehicle Video – When a customer is on your lot, considering a vehicle, one of the first things they do is a “walkaround”, checking out the overall condition and styling of the car they are considering.  Vehicle video can capture this same experience and allow customers to shop from the convenience of their home.
• DETAILS – DETAILS – DETAILS – Internet shoppers are used to having information available with a few mouse clicks.  Make sure you have tons of information about your dealership, your vehicles, financing options, warranties, and other information that customers consider before buying a car.  Even if your customer doesn’t read the details line by line, which dealer will they trust more – the one that gives basic vehicle information or those that provide detailed information about the vehicle and the dealership? Details can be provided via descriptive text, interesting pictures, and video.

 None of this has to be a full time job. There is lots of new technology that simplifies producing this information and much of the information can be reused and repurposed.

The important thing to remember is that the multimedia tools available for your website today give you the opportunity to more actively and immediately engage your customers on your website and can convert web traffic to solid sales leads.