By Tim James

Dealerships sell more than just vehicles. They also sell accessories, parts, and swag. Consumers may not be interested in these other items at the time of purchase (or may not have been presented with any of these options). However, once they get home, or at some point decide they want to get their windows tinted, a bed liner for their truck, or need to upgrade a part on their vehicle — Now what? Well, that is where providing an amazing video experience comes in!

An article on MultiBriefs.com shares that there are three key stages where video is extraordinarily powerful in the buying process — no matter what a consumer wants to buy.

The three stages are Awareness, Consideration, and Decision, and they work as follows:

1. Awareness: When a consumer decides they want to purchase any product, most go online and research it. This is when a video experience shines. Whether it be describing the benefits of this year’s newest model, or an educational video on the best bed-liners for their new truck, followed by testimonial videos to back up the claims, video will get the most information to a consumer in the most emotional way possible. By utilizing video high in the buying cycle, dealerships can present themselves as a guide for their customers, building trust and showing a shopper they are a resource to help throughout the car purchasing process.
   
   But a curated video experience does so much more than just give the shopper the most information about inventory possible; it also gives the dealership the most information about a shopper possible. When a dealership gets a notification that a returning customer is looking at accessories, they know it is probably for a new vehicle and can target them with value proposition videos.
   
   A customer is looking at parts and repairs? Target them with specials, lease offers, and new model test drive videos that show why the consumer needs to ditch their worn-out vehicle and get into something safer, more reliable. Providing this experience puts the dealership a cut above the competition.
   
   
2. Consideration: Now that a consumer has decided they need or want one or more of these things (including parts), they then start looking where to buy them. My advice is to be that resource by providing explainer videos about the benefits of buying those items and getting them installed at your dealership. Many consumers find other retailers online or, even worse, a competing dealership where they purchase and have these items installed.
   
   Use your explainer videos to clearly illustrate to customers the benefits of conducting the transaction at your dealership. This could include facts such as your dealership will know exactly what the consumer needs based on the make and model of the vehicle, and that installation at the dealership is done by factory-trained technicians rather than the independent down the street.
   
   
3. Decision – The consumer has now moved down the funnel and is ready to purchase. In this stage, videos such as customer testimonials, FAQs, and personalized video communication can convince a customer to choose your dealership rather than the competition. Customer testimonial videos are powerful. Most dealerships focus on testimonials in sales but having them in parts, accessories and service can be just as powerful when it comes to gaining trust and establishing rapport.
   
   FAQ videos can be used to answer common questions about products, such as “How long will it take to get the bed liner?” “How long will it take to install?” “Will I be out of my vehicle for a day or two?” — You get the point. By providing this information upfront via video, you end up with an educated customer and no longer need to explain these things to the customer. The easy way to figure out which questions to focus on when making these videos is to simply ask your service or parts department about the most common questions they get from customers. Then make videos answering those questions.
   
   Finally, personalized video emails and texts help establish your sales team and dealership as a trusted source. People buy from people they like, and whether they are purchasing a new car or a new set of tires, video communication is the best possible way to get consumers to trust you and buy into the fact that your dealership is the best place they can go for anything they might need regarding a vehicle.

Dealerships can sell more than just cars, and they can sell everything in a more impactful way by giving their shoppers a high-quality video experience. Consider taking your video marketing strategy to the next level with your entire inventory, from cars to bike racks and repairs, by providing the best online shopping experience to your shoppers.