By Brian Cox, president, Flick Fusion

The practice of using inventory videos to better merchandise and market vehicles is nothing new. Many dealers are old pros at using inventory videos to engage and convert more car shoppers into leads—not just on their website Vehicle Details Pages (VDPs) but across multiple channels and touchpoints.

While inventory videos form the basis of a sound video marketing strategy for dealers, there are many more ways to connect with customers and leads using video. In this article I’ll discuss three of the hottest video trends and how dealerships can incorporate these trends into their video marketing strategy.

Live Video Calling

When COVID-19 hit, video conferencing stocks soared. Almost overnight, live video calling became mainstream. Consumers not only enjoy video calling, they have come to expect it! Is your dealership meeting their expectations?

Have your sales team use a video calling app to perform live vehicle walkarounds with leads. Choose an app that can be used cross-platform and on any device. Live video calls are ideal for establishing rapport and building trust with customers, while answering all of their questions in real time.

In the service department, advisors and techs can live stream video calls to show customers worn-down parts that need to be replaced or repaired. Providing that visual proof to customers helps to increase service recommendation approvals. 

Interactive Videos

Interactive videos are fun, immersive and highly engaging because they put car shoppers firmly in control of their own viewing experience. Interactive presentations are ideal for taking your vehicle merchandising to the next level. The vehicle is showcased in a video with clickable “hotspots” that pop up to reveal detailed information to viewers, so they can learn more about features they’re interested in.

In various studies, interactive videos are proven to increase time on websites, increase recall of content and increase purchase intent. Interactive videos are a great way to make your inventory stand out from competition on third-party auto shopping sites and on your social media channels!

Personalized Videos

Your marketing vendor is probably pushing you to do more personalized campaigns, with good reason. Consumers love marketing that’s catered just to them!

Dealerships can use personalized videos in several ways. When responding to a lead, don’t just send a generic inventory video. Personalize it by recording a new, customized voice track over the existing video. Use the customer’s name, answer their questions and tell them why the vehicle would be a good fit for them.

Video technology also exists that allows you to insert a “video inside a video.” The salesperson uses their computer camera to videotape a quick, customized presentation for that same generic inventory video. When a lead opens the video, they’ll see the inventory video, along with a smaller insert video of the salesperson narrating.

Both of these personalized options only take a few minutes and are great tools to increase your lead response rates.

The use of personalized videos also involving leveraging customer data and viewer behavior in order to show the right video to the right customer at the right time. This can be done automatically by video hosting platforms that incorporate this technology. This feature is ideal for use in video ad and email campaigns. If someone is shopping for a truck online, you don’t want them to see an ad for an economy car!

If your dealership has successfully used inventory videos to merchandise and market your vehicles, think about expanding your video marketing strategy in 2021. Take advantage of these three hot video trends to connect with more customers and exceed their expectations.