Completion rate is a metric that video marketers keep a close eye on. A high completion rate for videos means that your video content is keeping viewers engaged—which for car dealers, means more leads, conversions, and loyalty.
When car shoppers disengage from videos prematurely, dealerships risk losing the opportunity to communicate key messages about their inventory, specials, and value propositions. This can result in decreased brand visibility, reduced lead generation, and ultimately, lower sales conversions.
For dealers, understanding why car shoppers stop watching videos and how to address these issues is critical if you want to maximize the effectiveness of your video marketing strategy. What causes car shoppers to disengage from videos?
Videos Lack Desired Information
One of the primary reasons why car shoppers stop watching videos is because they are not interested in the content. Consumers today have short attention spans and are likely to click away from videos that fail to capture their interest within the first few seconds.
Car shoppers watch inventory videos because they want to learn more about the vehicle. If your inventory videos contain the same information as what’s on the VDP, viewers may lose interest.
To combat this issue, create live walkaround inventory videos that quickly grab viewers’ attention and convey information in a way that’s entertaining. This can be achieved by starting the video with a compelling hook, such as highlighting a unique feature of the vehicle or sharing a fun fact about the vehicle make or model. Throughout the video, don’t just say what a feature is. Explain the value of the feature and why it makes this vehicle special.
Videos Lack Emotional Content
Buying a car is an emotional experience. Car shoppers might know what they want on paper, but when they see a vehicle in person, they often fall in love with a completely different vehicle than the one they had planned to purchase.
How do you get car shoppers to become emotionally attached to your inventory? Create dynamic videos that include more than just vehicle specifications. Have the narrator tell a story or share an experience. Talk about how driving this vehicle will make the owner feel. If it’s an economy vehicle, mention the benefits of owning a smaller vehicle such as gas savings and being able to squeeze into tight parking spaces. Sometimes, it’s the little things that count.
Another way to promote emotional attachment is to create a feeling of exclusivity. This works especially well with high-line or exotic makes and models. Tap into the emotions of buyers who enjoy the status of driving a nice vehicle. Use phrases like, “Nothing says you’ve made it like driving this vehicle,” or “Imagine the looks you’ll get when you arrive in this.” Differentiate this vehicle from every other vehicle.
Videos Lack Interactivity
When people are about to drop tens of thousands of dollars on a vehicle, the more videos you have, the better. There is no such thing as too much information for a decision as big as buying a vehicle, which is why offering multiple video formats is important.
In addition to posting walkaround inventory videos, provide 360-degree interactive videos. These videos are very popular because they allow the car shopper to control the viewing experience. Viewers can click and drag the vehicle around to any angle they want. In addition, they can click on different features of the vehicle, and pop-up windows appear with information about those features. Interactive videos increase viewer engagement rates and increase the amount of time that car shoppers spend on your website.
Videos are Poor Quality
Another reason why car shoppers may lose interest in videos is due to poor video quality. Grainy footage, shaky camera work, and low-quality audio can detract from the overall viewing experience and diminish the credibility of the dealership.
You don’t need a professional videographer to make quality videos, but you do need a little practice. Mount your smartphone on a gimbal to stabilize your footage. A mobile microphone will provide better audio quality than the phone’s built-in mic. If you are shooting outside, invest in a quality noise-cancelling lavalier mic to minimize traffic sounds.
The first few times you shoot a live walkaround video, the results will probably not be great. That’s okay. Practice makes perfect. Initially you might want to write a script and plan how you want to move around the car to best showcase its features. Eventually, you’ll get the hang of it and be able to produce high-quality videos in just a few minutes.
By addressing common video production issues such as content, interactivity, and poor production quality, dealerships can significantly boost completion rate metrics for their videos. More importantly, dynamic inventory videos will engage more car shoppers and convert them into leads.
