Over the past few months, we have shared sneak previews of sessions that will be held at 2024 Digital Dealer Conference & Expo (#DDCE2024)! But the introductions we have written have left attendees wanting more.
To that end, session leaders have offered an expanded explanation of what is in store at their session in Las Vegas. Dealer Synergy’s Tianna Mick offers a deeper insight for the session titled How to Leverage the Power of Video to Immediately Increase Engagements, Conversions, Volume & Gross.
In the competitive world of automotive sales, utilizing and leveraging video can transform how dealerships engage with prospects/customers, drive lead conversions by 67 percent, increase sales conversions by 68 percent, lead-to-close rates by 65 percent, and ultimately boost gross revenue! In the industry, we hear this time and time again – but how do we create a comprehensive guide to planning, implementing, and maximizing the power of video in your dealership? More importantly – how do we make it a culture within the dealership?
Planning for an Effective Rollout
Creating a successful video strategy begins with careful planning. As Franklin Covey teaches, habit #2 to “Begin With The End In Mind” is vital to ensure you have a set strategy and game plan when implementing using video for your dealership.
- Define Your Goals: Establish clear objectives for your dealership’s video strategy. Clear goals will guide your content creation and deployment strategies!
- Understand Your Audience: Know what your prospects/customers want! Research indicates that 71 percent of consumers expect personalized experiences, and 76 percent get frustrated when these expectations aren’t met. Tailor your video content to address their specific needs and preferences based on your dealership culture.
- Select the Right Tools: Choose platforms and tools that will optimize your dealership’s video strategy and can be seamlessly implemented into the dealership and sales process. BombBomb, for example, offers impressive ROI statistics: it increases customer engagement by 5x, doubles email open rates, and boosts email click rates by over 224 percent, with 73 percent of those clicks on video!
- Develop a Content Calendar: Plan your video content…in advance! Schedule regular updates to maintain consistency and ensure you cover essential topics, from new vehicle showcases to service updates and special promotions. Similarly to a social media influencer having a set schedule for posting, you need to develop a Content Calendar and be consistently A/B testing your content. Consistency is key!
Implementing a Video Culture at the Dealership
For video to be truly effective, it must become an integral part of your dealership’s culture. Real transformation begins when you involve as many people in the process as possible. Many innovative ideas and strategies in the dealership only involve a small number of people; as a result, the culture change never sticks – and we’re right back where we started again. Remember, the more dealership team members that are involved, the better the outcome and longevity for maintaining Video Culture at your dealership!
Establish Individual Goals: Set specific goals for each department’s team members to create and send emails using video. This not only encourages participation but also allows you to track progress and ensure everyone is contributing to the video culture!
Provide Training: Educate your team on the benefits and techniques of using video. Not all team members will be able to pick up using video instantly. It’s vital to have consistent training on all aspects of video: How to use the video camera on your smartphone, and how to utilize your video software; additionally training should cover everything from shooting quality videos to effectively engaging customers through personalized video content! You can create a training curriculum that addresses a different part of video each week and then assign your team with homework that correlates to that week’s lesson.
Review Success in Sales Meetings: Regularly review the success of the video emails in sales meetings. Analyze metrics such as open rates, engagement, and conversion rates to assess effectiveness. This practice not only highlights the importance of video but also provides valuable feedback and opportunities for improvement!
Offer Incentives: Motivate your staff to use video by offering incentives for creating engaging and high-converting content. Spiffs are key elements in rewarding team members for using video and ensuring Video Culture is maintained at the dealership. Additionally, consider offering rewards for achieving or overachieving these goals, whether it’s monetary bonuses, extra days off, or flexible working hours.
Equip Your Team: Provide the necessary tools to your team, such as the right video platform/software, high-quality cameras (smartphones), microphones, and easy-to-use video editing software. The most vital tool you can equip your team with is TRAINING! Ensure your team is sharpening their video skills – and maintain accountability.
Integrate Video into Processes: Make video a standard component of your Sales Process and communication strategy. The automotive industry is driven by following processes. You can tell what’s important to a dealership by seeing what’s in their process. To increase utilization, add ‘send a personalized video’ to your follow-up process – and make it mandatory. Prior/Current customers have a 65 percent closing rate – meaning focusing on your ‘after the sale’ video strategy is just as important, if not more important, to retain your customers!
By establishing individual goals, reviewing successes, and providing incentives, alongside comprehensive training and necessary tools, you can foster a robust video culture within your dealership. Integrating video into your standard processes will ensure it becomes a lasting and effective part of your communication strategy.
Examples of Using Video in Dealerships
- Service Updates: Sending personalized video messages to customers regarding the status of their vehicle’s service, not only keeps them informed but also builds trust through a personal touch. As mentioned: 71 percent of consumers expect a personalized experience. Imagine your service customer receiving a short personalized video from their specific technician regarding their specific service and vehicle! Additionally, a Service Customer is 7x more likely to purchase where they service – it’s time to cultivate and pay attention to that specific market!
- Presenting Offers: Instead of communicating numbers and quotes over the phone or via text/email, use video! Video has sight, sound, motion, and emotion! Price is ONLY relevant in the absence of VALUE. We train our dealership clients to provide numbers on video and in front of the vehicle of interest – this psychologically put’s the prospect’s vehicle of choice in front of their eyes and will make them remember the value provided during their visit at your dealership.
- Showcasing Vehicles: Create virtual tours of the dealership or of new/featured vehicles. Highlight key features and benefits in a way that photos or text alone can’t convey. These videos can be shared via email, social media, or your on dealership’s website. For a more tactical strategy, we train our dealer clients to embed videos into their CRM’s action plan and workflows to automate video sending and maintain Video Culture at the dealership!
Best Practices for Video in Automotive Sales
Personalize Content: Address customers by name and refer to their specific needs. BombBomb statistics show that personalized videos can save time and shorten the sales cycle, reducing client touches by 70% and cutting the sales cycle by 140 percent.
Be Concise: Keep videos short and focused, ideally between 1-2 minutes. In this day and age of technology, consumers are trained to absorb short bursts of video content. TikTok studies show if you cannot capture and maintain your audience after the first 3 seconds of the video, 80 percent of viewers stop watching! Ensuring videos are 1-2 minutes will maintain viewer interest and delivers your message effectively.
Include a Clear Call to Action: Guide your viewers on what to do next, whether it’s scheduling a test drive, contacting a salesperson, or clicking a link for more information. Ensure each video has a clear task for the viewer to perform after watching the video. Having a clear call to action is vital to keeping the sales process moving forward.
Ensure High Quality: Maintain high production standards to reflect the professionalism of your dealership. Poor-quality videos can detract from your message and damage your brand’s reputation. Your videos should mirror the experience you would provide to your customers. Shaky hands, inappropriate camera placement, and bad audio quality can diminish your message, but more importantly, diminish your dealership’s value.
Monitor Performance: Regularly analyze each team member’s video performance metrics and use this data to refine your strategy and improve future videos. Make sure to drill down to the individual salesperson level, identifying who is excelling and who may need additional support or training. This specific focus on individual performance will help in tailoring feedback and fostering improvement across the team. For example, if an individual salesperson has a higher engagement/click-through rate on a specific video, review the content and replicate the strategies used to repeat the same success!
General Data and Insights
Personalization is crucial in customer interactions. With 71 percent of consumers expecting personalized experiences and 76 percent becoming frustrated when these expectations aren’t met, leveraging video can be a significant differentiator. BombBomb’s statistics highlight the effectiveness of video in delivering personalized experiences and driving customer engagement:
- Engagement: Personalized videos can increase customer engagement by five times.
- Email Metrics: Videos can double email open rates and boost email click rates by 224 percent.
- Sales Cycle: Personalized videos can reduce the number of client touches by 70 percent and cut the sales cycle by 140 percent.
- Conversions: Videos can improve lead conversions by 67 percent, sales conversions by 68%, and lead-to-close rates by 65 percent.
Integrating video into your dealership’s strategy will significantly enhance customer engagement, shorten sales cycles, and improve conversion rates. By planning effectively, fostering a video-centric culture, and adhering to best practices, your dealership can harness the power of video to drive substantial business growth and increase overall profitability!
DDCE2024 Events
#DDCE2024 is a 2.5-day event, Oct. 8-10, 2024, at MGM Grand in Las Vegas that will bring together automotive dealers, OEMs, thought leaders, and solution providers to power business growth and connections. The 2024 Digital Dealer Conference & Expo is your chance to discover innovative solutions and gain cutting-edge strategies, actionable insights, and new ideas to implement for maximum impact.
Digital Dealer Conference & Expo will include:
- Enhanced networking: more meetups and fun ways to connect throughout the event
- A Speed Networking program, which offers dealerships and vendors a relaxed yet efficient way to explore a variety of innovative solutions
- An expo hall with 120+ cutting-edge auto retail solutions
- 75+ actionable sessions
- Masterminds and interactive labs
- And more!
Digital Dealer offers full conference and expo badge options, as well as an expo hall-only option for Dealerships/OEMs. Digital Dealer Conference & Expo attendee badge types include:
- Dealership (exclusively for dealers and employees of a dealership)
- OEM (exclusively for vehicle manufacturers)
- Allied (anyone that supports, services, or sells solutions to dealerships falls under this category)
Click here to register now.
