4 video marketing use cases for the automotive industry
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 15 years or so, it should come as no surprise that video marketing has become one of the top methods for attracting and closing customers.
By 2024, for example, online video advertising spending is projected to reach as much as $120 billion. And it makes sense: More than 2.5 billion users access YouTube every month, watching approximately 1 billion hours of video in just a single day! And that’s just one outlet; it doesn’t even take into account other video websites or apps, or even personal video messages people send each other. It's no wonder, then, that 91 percent of businesses use video in their marketing!
The automotive industry, of course, is no exception. There’s a good chance you or your sales team has used video marketing from time to time. The question is: How successful have your efforts been? And how can you be more successful?
That’s why we’ve put together this handy guide to help you make better automotive videos. Let’s dive in!
What Is video marketing?
Put simply: Video marketing is the using video content to promote and inform audiences about your brand and products. Video can be used across a wide variety of digital channels, including:
- Your own website
- Your social media accounts
- YouTube
- Digital display advertising
- Email campaigns
- One-to-one messaging
Next to video marketing we've also put together this useful list of general automotive marketing tips to boost your website traffic. This could come in hand for any car dealership owner that wants to drive more online traffic to the website.
Video is popular because it quickly and effectively creates an emotional reaction in the viewer.
How to win with automotive video marketing
Here’s some good news: Automotive videos don’t have to be complicated, nor does a video production have to be expensive. In fact, you can create most of the videos you need with a smartphone. Here are four ways to use video in your own automotive marketing.
1. Tutorials: how-to and support videos
Today’s vehicles are far more advanced than anything that was sold just five years ago. Today, many vehicles have complex dashboard displays and software that allow owners to control a wide variety of features in their vehicle. Unfortunately, these features often go unused because customers either aren’t aware of them or they’re not sure how to use them.
You can make a good how-to video quickly and easily. Topics can range from setting up your vehicle’s dashboard display, how to charge an electric vehicle, or how to do other everyday tasks related to a vehicle. For example, check out these two videos from two different companies discussing how to set up a BMW app.
As you can see, neither of these videos have incredibly high production. They’re both likely shot and edited using a smartphone, likely with no special lights or other equipment. But that doesn’t take anything away from their quality! In each, the speaker is clear and informative, looking to be helpful to the viewer.
What’s more, these videos have gotten tens of thousands of views over the course of a year. That’s about 50,000 people who have been exposed to their brands…entirely for free. When was the last time your dealership got those kinds of impressions for free?
Ultimately, automotive videos like these can have a powerful impact on your dealership’s search engine optimization (SEO) and branding. They can be produced episodically, don’t require a ton of labor, and can have a long shelf-life while earning you exposure and trust.
2.Customer testimonials
Customer testimonials are incredibly powerful, especially when they’re made via video. Testimonials serve to provide social proof that a brand or a company can deliver on their brand promise. Having a customer talk about their positive experiences on camera builds trust, as it’s not a direct sales pitch AND it’s not some random, anonymous person. This is incredibly important, since buying a car is usually the second largest purchase a person will make in their lifetime.
Customer testimonials are best when they’re specific. To help achieve this, you can prompt your customers with questions like:
- What did you like about shopping at our dealership?
- What did you think of our sales staff?
- What challenges did you have and how did we help you overcome them?
- Why would you recommend us?
Taking this approach will help customers provide powerful statements that can make the difference for those who might not be sure about what they want or where to shop for their next vehicle.
3. Car walkthroughs / demos
YouTube is now the top destination for car buyers to do their research for a new vehicle. Typically, they’re looking for reviews and other content that can help them determine if it’s even worth looking at a car in the showroom. That’s why walkthrough and demo videos are such an important tool in your automotive video marketing toolbox.
What makes a good walkthrough or demo video? Simply put: Specificity and enthusiasm. Because you don’t know who will see the video and what their specific needs are, it’s a good idea to focus on a handful of features that really make a vehicle stand out.
For example, check out this walkthrough of a high-end Porsche.
Alexander de Pooter, the salesman in this video, enthusiastically talks about how beautifully designed the car is, what special design features are included on that particular model with that particular sports package, and what types of lights are used. He offers a number of specific details, such as the engine size and type, the wheels sizes, speakers, leather seats and stitching, and many more features.
Compare that with this video on a series of Chevrolets.
As you can see, you don’t need a fancy, high-end sports vehicle to make a video! Similar to the Porsche video, this salesperson talks up a variety of features that most car buyers will want to know. But he also explains why they’re important and how they benefit the buyer.
These two YouTubers have built a significant following online. They are leveraging the channel to not only promote their dealer brands, but also their own personal brands.
They’re positioning themselves as experts and are being rewarded for it with views, subscribers, and more. And ultimately, they’re selling more cars because of the time they’re taking to make these videos.
The best thing about making videos like these is that they’re very versatile. Sure, you can upload yours to YouTube, just like these two salespeople have. But you can also use them on other social media channels such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, etc. Those channels have been prioritizing short videos, so it’s a good idea to cut longer videos up into bite-sized chunks (about 30-90 seconds) to get the most out of them. Best of all, your videos—and consequently your brand—will get far more traction online when you can get people to engage with them on social media.
4. Personalized video messaging
Perhaps one of the most underutilized tools in automotive video marketing is personalized video messaging. Instead of broadcasting out videos through public online channels, personalized video messaging allows you to create short videos that are targeted to specific customers and their individual needs.
Personalized video messaging is 1:1 communication, and it allows you to talk to a single customer at a time. This approach is highly effective in the sales process because people tend to react positively and pay more attention to messages that are personalized to them.
As a car sales executive, you can leverage this approach to garner engagement, build trust and rapport, and close more sales.
Personalized video messaging is also highly versatile. You can use them to follow up with leads, confirm appointments, say thanks for a showroom visit, preview a vehicle ready for delivery, and more.
Get more tips for using video to sell cars. Download our ebook here > How to use video to sell more cars
Perhaps best of all, personalized video messages don’t have to be as polished as the types of videos we discuss above. They generally require less editing, and therefore are easier and faster to make.
Lastly, you can track whether a person has watched or shared your video, and how many times they’ve done that. That lets you know how engaged they are with the content, and therefore how close they are to making the purchase.
Want more ideas on how to leverage automotive video marketing? VentaVid is here for you! Schedule a demo with one of our video specialists to see how video can transform your sales process.
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