Given the competitive landscape today, if you have a website or use social media for your auto shop, including auto shop videos is a must if you want to engage your audience.
As an auto shop owner, you understand how important it is to stand out from your competitor. Video marketing is another way to promote your business and attract new customers. A video doesn’t need to be a significant expense, but it does need to be taken seriously.
If you’re not sure whether to add this medium to your marketing strategy, here are some reasons why you should market your garage with auto shop videos.
Build Trust
Most people don’t know what goes on behind the scenes of an auto repair shop. With videos, you can create a positive image of your auto shop and auto repair industry in general. Auto shop videos allow you to make the auto repair industry more transparent and give the viewers a sense of who you are and gain popularity and trust within your community.
Honestly, people don’t look forward to visiting an auto repair shop for repairs or maintenance. Some may feel that their ignorance of how cars work makes them an easy target for bad mechanics. It is an inconvenience at best and feels like going to the dentist at worst. By creating auto shop videos, you could educate consumers and dispel the negative stereotype that mechanics are looking to rip people off or that it has to be a time-consuming process.
Through auto shop videos, you can highlight your skills and show that you’re an expert in car repair. One good idea is to share important car maintenance tips and how you can avoid costly repairs in the future by doing them. Displaying your knowledge and professionalism can help you build trust and set yourself apart from the competition.
Here are a few examples:
Create Content People Will Engage With
People absorb information in different ways, some like reading, while others enjoy videos. Even consumers themselves report that video is the most preferred content over any other from a brand or business.
Videos have a higher engagement rate than all other types of content because it’s convenient and effortless to consume. You want to capture your audience’s attention, but you also want to keep it, so make sure your videos aren’t too long. According to Wistia, optimal video length can vary for explainer videos. Videos up to 2 minutes get the most engagement, but if you feel your viewers will benefit from more depth, it’s perfectly fine to go 6 to 12 minutes.
One of the good things about video is that it can be repurposed for all types of advertising. You can use videos on YouTube, Facebook, emails, website, etc. With a single video, you can get different shareable marketing pieces to reach your audience.
More Website Traffic
Not only do consumers love videos, but Google and other search engines love video as well.
If you include video on your website, your visitors will typically stay longer, and this signals to Google that you have good high-quality content. Including video can increase your search engine rank on Google and improve your chances of showing up first for search results.
This coveted top rank is essential because it’s believed that video traffic will be 80% of all internet traffic by 2021. If you want your auto shop website seen, and you do want your website seen, then auto shop videos are the way to go.
An Amateur Can Do It
If you own a smartphone, you have the power to shoot and edit video. It’s like having a little movie studio right inside your pocket. If you’re not the most tech-savvy person, you can always ask for help. I can bet that there’s someone at your auto shop that can work a smartphone and post to YouTube.
Although some smartphones are capable of producing 4K videos, your videos don’t have to be high production quality. In fact, a “raw” video may appear more authentic and can have even more appeal to some viewers.
To give you an idea of what can be done with video from a phone and basic editing, look at this example:
To make a comparison as to what a professional video may look like, take a look at this:
Have Fun!
Creating auto shop videos has never been easier, and it’s an opportunity for you to share helpful information that people are already searching for on Google. You’re helping educate consumers, and you’re helping build trust and credibility for your auto shop.
Have fun with it! You may be a little camera shy, and the videos may not be great at first, but you’ll get better the more you do it.
If you’d like other ideas about how to market your auto shop, check our Auto Shop Marketing & Advertising page for more great information.
By Eric Shafer
