We know car buyers are shopping 20+ websites on average before they purchase. By contrast, NADA reported that these same shoppers are physically visiting just 1.2 dealerships prior to buying. That means the battle to get more customers is happening online, before they even get to your store.
With that in mind, have you secret shopped your own dealership? What type of communication are your sales people sending out? Throughout the initial car-buying process, shoppers are inundated with plain text emails from third-party sites and your competitors, so it’s vital that you set your dealership not just apart from, but above of the competition right out of the gate.
This is where video email enters as a critical part of your sales strategy. People love video. It’s more engaging, more personal, and allows your emails to stand out in a cluttered inbox. Dealers across the country have seen a significant increase in response rates and showroom traffic when a personalized video is sent as the first communication. When you consider the 1.2 dealerships shoppers visit, that means they’ve all but won the business already.
So where should you start? The first step: research and analyze the initial personalized email that goes out to a new lead. Take note of what you like and don’t like. Next, you’ll want to secret shop your competitors, so you know what you are up against. After you’ve done the research, the final step is creating a process to send a personalized video email as the first communication to a new lead. Depending on your goals and how your dealership is set up, this might be a video introduction from the sales rep or BD team member. A vehicle walk around is also a fantastic way to engage your customers with video in that initial outreach.
Here’s the good news: you don’t need Hollywood production equipment or fancy scripts. Just your mobile phone or a webcam on your computer is all the hardware you need. The key to making a great video is to just be yourself. Act natural. The nice thing about video is that you can re-record. If you don’t like it the first time; do it again. Just remember that it isn’t about being perfect… it’s about making progress. And, of course, sending a video email as the initial response is just scratching the surface in terms of how video can help your sales and service. After you get that going you’ll want to review all the automated emails triggered out of your CRM and identify where video will make an impact.
Video is here to stay and will only continue grow in the years to come. Don’t let video scare you and don’t continue to look for reasons why your dealership is not ready for video or why your staff won’t or can’t do it properly. There are proven blueprints on how to properly implement a video strategy for your dealership and there are many other dealerships that are already using video to drive sales while delivering a better customer experience. Be among the 1.2 dealerships that shoppers take their business to when they get offline.
Don’t miss Jason Price’s informative session at Digital Dealer 24, “Drive More Showroom Traffic With Video.” By attending this session, you’ll receive useful information on how to engage new and existing customers through video. Register today to take advantage of 100+ sessions in marketing, sales, management and more!