More automotive dealerships are using YouTube to drive sales than ever before. So how can you use it to drive fixed ops leads as well? By creating quality content optimized for search. Sound familiar?
Adam Stewart, VP Consumer Goods at Google, wrote an article last September about how important video is to automotive dealers. In summary, video helps car shoppers; become aware of vehicles and dealerships, compare and contrast vehicles, and bring them to a dealer for a test drive. Similarly, creating fixed ops videos can do the same for your service and parts departments. Building awareness and educating potential customers through a visual medium is powerful. Whether it’s the users primary source of information or adds to your site’s current content, video is a great way to show your audience!
Why YouTube?
It is no surprise to most that Google has a stronghold on the search engine market. However, some people don’t realize that YouTube comes in second place most often.
via jumpshot and Rand Fishkin
YouTube held about 3% of the search engine market share in quarter 2 of 2019. From about 230 billion total searches in the United States, that 3% equals 6.9 billion searches. YouTube also reaches more 18- to 34-year-olds than any TV network.
The usage is great, but how do we know car shoppers or drive service seekers are among this crowd? According to Google, “75% of auto shoppers say that online video has influenced their shopping habits or purchases.” If your customers are searching for cars and sales, they are likely looking for services when they need them.
Your customers are on YouTube, and the data proves it.
If you’re looking to add value to your existing YouTube channel, building service-related content is a no brainer! Potential customers may find your dealership through your “Walk-Around” videos, but they may stay or come back for your fixed ops productions.
So… your customers are on YouTube, dealerships are on YouTube, how do you get on YouTube? Here are my 5 ways or steps, you can create and use this very powerful channel to service your fixed ops marketing campaigns.
Content
What kind of videos should you make? Sales departments create “Walk-Arounds” or “About Us” videos. The purpose of these videos is to educate viewers about a specific model, while the ladder builds awareness.
I believe these formats can be used as inspiration for your fixed ops videos. “Walk-Arounds” can inform “How We” video. A production of “How We Can Help Your Oil” for example, give an overview of how your service technicians conduct a particular service.
“About Us” productions can highlight the service department specifically, instead of sales or an overall dealership view.
These are just two examples of content you could produce. Doing some research can unlock many ideas.
Research
Many of my SEO blogs have mentioned research in the past (Voice Search in Auto Industry & 8 Steps for Build Your Dealerships Blog), and this one is no different!
Let me reiterate- Research is a fundamental step in everything you do related to SEO and content marketing. Understanding what your audience wants and is looking for is vital. This information provides you with direction and purpose. It grounds your work and paves the driveway to success.
Finding out what people may search for on YouTube through tools such as the Keyword Tool, strengthen your knowledge and ideas for the video content you are about to create.
Production Value
When creating this video content, you need to keep in mind its value; meaning, the way it looks, sounds, and feels. Sure, your videos can be shot with an iPhone, edited in 10 minutes, and uploaded…
Will this make you stand-out? Does this reflect the level of service and care your service center provides?
Just thinking about production value goes a long way. Step-up your camera game buying a digital camera (DSLR), add some a small lighting kit, edit your videos like a pro; all of which only marginally costs you more money and time. Here is some equipment you can buy right now at a great value, all of which provide you with everything you will need to shoot and edit your service videos:
Camera Bundles
- Canon EOS Rebel T7 – $465
- Canon EOS M50 – $700
- Canon EOS 80D – $1,300
Additional Equipment
Editing
- iMovie – Free
- Filmora – $60
- Adobe Premiere Pro – $252/yearly*
Please think of this equipment universally; you may need it for content for your Google My Business, website, social media accounts, and more.
Don’t be afraid to be creative! Add something you have not seen from other service centers.
If you don’t want to produce videos yourself, there are many options. Reach out to a local contractor, student, or production company.
Title, Description & Tags
Writing a title and description for your videos is similar to writing meta titles and descriptions. Best practices include; creatively utilize keywords, being honest and accurate, asking a question or using numbers/dates if applicable, and sticking to recommended lengths-
Maximum title characters = 100
Maximum description characters = 5,000
Just like meta titles and descriptions, keyword research is vital! Know what your targeted customers are searching for and what they are interested in. This is essentially what your video is about, correct? So be accurate and creativity when coming up with its title and writing its description.
Tags are one of the only SEO features YouTube offers. By tagging your videos in the proper categories, you are correctly identifying your video and helping YouTube place it.
Additional Features
Cards – Cards are subtle call-to-action items embedded within your video. They are represented by the “i” in the upper right-hand corner of your video. Once a user clicks on the “i” a box will expand with additional videos, playlists, channels, a link, a poll, or a donation.
End screen – Like cards this end screen is another call-to-action. As your video is coming to an end or has ended, a thumbnail will appear with a link to add videos or playlists.
Conclusion
Looking to build awareness, educate customers, and drive leads- start making YouTube videos. Developing a comprehensive YouTube playlist of videos for your service department can benefit your marketing efforts in numerous ways. These videos help build awareness, educate your audience, and ultimately drive service leads. YouTube is the second biggest search engine on the web, and just like Google, your customers are using it! Leverage this medium by creating highly educational, creative, well-produced videos for your audience. By following some of the tips I have laid-forth above, YouTube can play a crucial role in your fixed ops marketing campaigns.
