I recently watched “The Social Dilemma” on Netflix. The documentary raises many questions about how social media is used to engage consumers and influence behavior. But while the documentary focuses on the negative aspects of how social media can affect personal lives, for business owners and marketers there is a clear takeaway. Social media is a powerful tool that can be used to influence opinions and purchase behavior.
Why not use this tool in a good way? In the documentary, one of the technology experts mentions how wonderful it is to be able to use the internet to find anything instantly. The example he gives is how a person can click on a button to watch a video of a car, and in less than 30 seconds they know where to go and buy that car.
As a dealer, social media can be used to reach active car shoppers and provide them with the information they need to make a purchase decision. Video is the ideal way to accomplish this, for several reasons.
Videos Create an Emotional Response
Although people may need new cars, the types of cars they purchase are based largely on want. Certain features may be desired, but the decision of which car to buy is largely driven by personality, emotion, trends or the promise of reward, such as social status.
To differentiate your dealership, generate an emotional response in viewers by creating inventory videos with voice-overs that focus not just on the features but also on how owning the vehicle will make the buyer feel.
Videos are also ideal for establishing a trustworthy brand image. Consumers want to buy from brands they like and trust. According to a Gallup study, “Businesses that optimize this (emotional) connection with customers outperform competitors by 26% in gross margin and 85% in sales growth.”
Videos Are Memorable
According to Social Media Today, 72% of customers prefer learning about a product or service through a video, and users retain 95% of a message when they watch it through video. Takeaway? The best way to raise brand awareness and make your brand more memorable is with video.
The right combination of narration, visuals and motion invites viewers to experience your product and brand instead of just hearing about it or seeing it. Because more of our senses are involved when watching a video, it’s easier to recall content from a video versus from reading text alone.
Videos Get Shared
One of the most powerful aspects of social media is that users share content with their friends and family, greatly expanding the reach of brands and influencers. Most often, the type of content that’s shared is video.
More than 4 billion video views happen every day on Facebook, and while overall engagement on Facebook posts has dropped in recent years, engagement for video posts has increased to over 6%, according to Facebook. If your dealership has a Twitter page, it’s worth noting that tweets with video attract 10 times more engagements than tweets without video, according to Twitter.
You don’t need to hire an ad agency to create videos. Use a cell phone, get creative and experiment with different types of videos designed to engage, excite and inform your audience.
Social media is a powerful tool for reaching new customers and influencing purchase behavior. Many dealerships post vehicle inventory videos on their website VDPs but fail to leverage the power of social media. To achieve maximum ROI with your dealership’s video marketing strategy, be sure to distribute your videos across all social media channels. It doesn’t take any extra time and can be done automatically with hosting platforms designed to optimize video distribution.
