Virtually every dealer I talk to agrees that video marketing is an essential strategy in today’s video-obsessed world. And most dealers do have inventory videos on their vehicle details pages (VDPs). But when it comes to next-level video marketing, many dealers hit a stumbling block.
That stumbling block is the sales team. Some people don’t like to be on camera and they don’t want to make videos. This makes it difficult to create videos that are proven to engage customers, such as lead response videos and personalized walkaround videos.
This is a significant obstacle. You have a team of salespeople who are great in person, and great on the phone, but when you put them in front of a camera, they freak out. How do you get a video marketing strategy in place when your employees don’t want to make videos?
Provide Training
Almost everyone feels camera shy at first. The best way to overcome this fear is by facing it head on. Hold a series of meetings where the whole team practices making videos. Make a lot of videos, and make it fun! After a few meetings, most employees will get over their reluctance.
Encourage the holdouts to keep trying. It may take a dozen or more videos before people really start to feel comfortable on camera. And if there are one or two people that really resist, there are other options.
One option is a voiceover. Take the footage from an existing inventory video and simply record a new voice track over the top of it, saying the customer’s name, answering their questions, and highlighting the vehicle’s features.
Another option is a picture-in-picture video. This allows you to take a pre-recorded inventory video and embed a smaller video of a person inside of it, such as in the right lower corner. Picture-in-picture videos allow the employee to “narrate” a new voice over for the video. This technique is ideal for people who are still a little camera shy, because the video insert is small and is not the prominent focus of the video—instead, the focus stays on the vehicle.
Provide Incentives
Try offering a bonus or spiff for the salesperson who makes the most videos every month.
Remove Obstacles
It’s understandable that a salesperson would feel self-conscious making a video while they are sitting in the middle of a busy showroom with people all around them. For lead response videos, designate a private, quiet area where salespeople can record their videos. Have camera equipment and appropriate lighting already set up.
Live walkaround videos require a little bit of time and good weather—or an appropriate staging area. If your salespeople don’t have time, outsource this task to your lot services provider or find another employee who is a video enthusiast.
Make it Mandatory
If you make “creating videos” a requirement, your salespeople may not like it at first. But with training and incentives, they will get used to it, just like every other technology you have introduced.
Salespeople are familiar with requirements such as having to make 50 phone calls, and sending out 50 emails daily. How about adding “make 10 videos” daily as a CRM task? Also, make sure your team sends completed videos through the CRM or via an app that connects to the CRM, so the dealership has a record of every transaction.
When you’re looking to hire new salespeople, include “creating personalized videos” in the job description, so new hires won’t be blindsided by this requirement when they start work.
When your sales team show reluctance to make videos, be understanding, but don’t back down. Personalized video responses are a powerful tool guaranteed to skyrocket customer engagement, and a strategy that dealers cannot afford to ignore.
