It’s time to get serious about video.
The writing is on the wall for the digital marketing industry as we know it. The true scale of the rampant and systemic fraud in the digital ad space is coming to light . Apple continues to annihilate online annoyances with their iOS ad blocker. With the introduction of Red, YouTube’s ad-free subscription service, even pre-roll best practices will soon be a thing of the past.
Communications giant Cisco has predicted that by 2019, 90% of all internet traffic will be video traffic, which means that video will not be just a mode of communicating online, but the primary method through which information is transmitted.
So, it’s time to learn how to make content that customers actually want to watch.
As car people, we prefer manual transmission whenever possible, and yet, we’re bombarded by industry messages that suggest we turn our marketing on automatic. Here’s the thing – There’s no automatic way to make great video. That’s what makes it great. That’s why it represents such a massive opportunity for your store in your market right now—Your competitors probably just don’t want to bother.
Great video is algorithm-proof. There is no gimmick or shortcut. By now, all of us can probably name some digital marketing investments we now regret, but I can’t think of a single video I’ve ever taken part in—behind the camera or in front—that I wish I hadn’t done. Video is always a good idea.
So what keeps us from shooting like rockstars at the dealership? Here are a few objections I commonly encounter.
Objection #1: I’m not creative. It’s too bad that people in the “creative” industries go to great lengths to make the rest of us feel this way, and often times, these feelings are very deeply rooted in who we are. For me, it goes back to all those times in art class when I just couldn’t figure out why my drawings weren’t as good as everyone else’s. Good news, though—there’s no magic to video production. It’s just work like anything else.
Objection #2: Video is too expensive. So is a telephone system. So are computers. The truth is, high quality video equipment gets cheaper all the time and is worth the investment. Learn how to do it yourself with your own stuff, and you’ll save thousands of dollars.
Objection #3: We don’t have time to make video. We all get busy. Sometimes it’s a wonder how the dealership phone gets answered. However, we have all the time in the world for what we find important. Video is one of the things that separates the merely “good” from the “legendary,” a distinction that is more important than ever. Learn the fundamentals of production, and you might be shocked at how little time it takes.
For 2016, I’ve made it my personal goal to teach as many dealers about in-house video production as I can, to condense my years of trial and error into a streamlined, efficient learning system. Coming this spring, Dealerography will do just that. Dealerography is a training system that teaches the fundamentals of in-house video production in the dealership setting, so that you too can shoot like a rockstar.
I’d love to hear about your goals, challenges, and successes with dealership video. Sound off in the comments below!
