Social media is a powerful tool that can be used to influence opinions and purchase behavior. According to Facebook, 50 percent of time spent on Facebook and Instagram is watching video, which means if you’re on social media, you need to post video content on a regular basis. Depending on the platform, recommendations are to post a minimum of three times per week, and up to three times per day.
Creating that much video content can be challenging for dealers due to resource limitations. However, new solutions are available thanks to artificial intelligence (AI) that can help dealers with video content creation. AI can take a single set of inventory photos and generate multiple types of videos; including interactive videos, manufacturer incentive videos, personalized trade-in offer videos, and short-form videos. These videos can then be posted on a dealership’s social media channels.
Video on social media is the best medium for conveying information for several reasons.
Videos generate an emotional response
When a person needs a new car, the type of car they purchase is based largely on want. Certain features may be desired, but the decision of which car to buy is largely driven by personality, emotion, or the promise of reward such as social status.
To differentiate your dealership, generate an emotional response in viewers by creating inventory videos that focus not just on the features, but on how owning the vehicle will make the buyer feel.
Posting photos with text-only descriptions will get some results, but the combination of video and audio delivers a far more powerful emotional impact, leading to more click-throughs.
Businesses that optimize an emotional connection with customers outperform competitors by 26 percent in gross margin and 85 percent in sales growth, according to a Gallup study.
Videos are memorable
A dynamic combination of visual images with narration invites viewers to experience your product and brand. According to SocialMediaToday, 72 percent of customers prefer learning about a product or service through a video, and users retain 95 percent of a message when they watch it through video. The takeaway? The best way to raise brand awareness and make your brand more memorable is with video.
Because more of our senses are involved in watching videos, it’s easier to recall the content 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 four billion video views happen every day on Facebook. If your dealership has a page on X (formerly Twitter), it’s worth noting that posts with video attract ten times more engagements than posts without video.
You don’t need to hire an expensive ad agency to create short, entertaining videos. Use a cell phone, get creative and experiment with different ideas to engage, excite and inform your audience. Or, use a video platform that can automatically create video content using nothing but your existing inventory photos and AI technology.
Social media is a powerful tool for reaching new customers and influencing purchase behavior. While many dealerships post vehicle inventory videos on their website VDPs, they 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.
