One of the most effective means of content marketing, i.e. promotional activity that involves the production of original content revolving around a commercial proposal, is video production.
According to MotorK, the automotive sector is the fourth largest in the world in terms of videos uploaded on YouTube – the second largest search engine in the world, which involves around a third of all internet users worldwide – while overseas evidence shows that effective management of the video tool can become a powerful ally for the growth of a dealership’s turnover. The example of a US dealer who, thanks to a well planned editorial plan on YouTube, managed to increase sales by more than 30% in one year. What’s significant is that this figure dates back to a time before the pandemic outbreak, when the digitalisation of the industry had not undergone the flare-up we have witnessed. It is legitimate, then, to think that it is even more necessary to look at video as a partner to successfully reach a digitally inexperienced, but attentive and interested customer.
5 reasons to start a YouTube channel to boost car sales
- Video car reviews are the second most popular channel for the average user looking for a new car, preceded only by the in-home test drive and followed by the digital showroom.
- In every industry, information provided via video draws more users’ attention, increasing the length of sessions on a site, for instance, and decreasing bounce rate. On average, a video ad has a conversion rate of 7 to 1 compared to a promotional photo.
- Human beings have less and less ability to concentrate – we have gone from 15 minutes at the beginning of the century to eight seconds today – and learn by sight, hearing, and emotion. Video format is able to quickly combine all these patterns, with great leverage on the emotional aspect.
- With a good-quality video, we can quickly draw attention using the eight seconds of concentration, conveying empathy, familiarity, and trust.
- Google, the world’s leading search engine, tends to reward sites that contain videos: an important aspect for one’s organic positioning.
The ten steps - plus one - to get the most out of your video
Despite this window of opportunity, the number of dealers on YouTube remains low. Why is this? Making quality videos, following a precise editorial line, and managing a channel is hard work and requires some level of investment. For these reasons, dealers might feel discouraged from embarking on such a project. With our guide we want to help you step by step in building your dealership’s YouTube channel, overcoming the “it’s not for me” misconception.
- Have clear ideas, a solid strategy and, follow the 5W rule:
a. know exactly who to address your content offer to (WHO),
b. where (WHERE),
c. what time of the day (WHEN),
d. what kind of content (WHAT)
e. why (WHY) - Create a channel and include the link to your website, phone number, and shop address: the main goal of a dealership is to bring quality audiences to their channels, including their website. Posting videos on YouTube and adding them to your site enriches your editorial offer, and significantly increases your organic traffic
- Have a solid script that gets straight to the point: publish in-depth videos, even large ones that can be up to 10 minutes long. Longer videos really need to have something exceptional that captures emotion and attention
- Have a granite integrated lead generation strategy. This means always having quality lead generation as your guiding star. A YouTube video is essential for luring new contacts at relatively low cost, either organically through videos of your own production, or through advertisements on channels of specific interest. The important thing is to land the audience on relevant pages that can channel them towards specific actions, such as requesting a quote, or establishing contact with the dealership
- For this reason, it is of vital importance to have a professional, structured, mobile-first responsive website, updated in real time with the latest news and promotions available. We at MotorK are your trusted allies with WebSparK
- Handle title, tags, categories, descriptions. You can enter the name of the car model, the make, and much more in the tags. YouTube will help you to fill in the tags to make them easier for users to find
- Monitor comments and ratings, and use them as a tool for interaction and engagement with customers
- Integrate your YouTube channel with your website and your social ecosystem (more on this in a future post)
- Update the channel at least once a month, because algorithms and users prefer fresh content
- Alternate between different types of content, from car presentations to more educational maintenance content, make your customers ambassadors for your brand by publishing their testimonials
- + 1. Rely on a tool such as WebSparK, the MotorK web platform on which to give space to your videos, and thanks to which to transform your site into a powerful tool for maximising traffic acquisition, and lead generation performance
If you wish to learn more, we recommend visiting our WebSparK page.
