Over the course of my years of dealership social media management, one idea has taken hold that I just can't let go of: Running an effective dealership social media strategy is a lot like playing pinball. 

You remember pinball, right? That quintessentially American, quarter-consuming pastime that has been relegated to the back corners of dingy bars or the basements of faithful collectors. The game of three balls, two flippers, and lots of points.

What does pinball have to do with a car dealership's social media strategy? More than you might think. Be prepared to be inspired!

Please enjoy this video and let me know which pinball machine is your favorite. I think mine is either Xenon or Dirty Harry. 

 

"You don't need fancy camera stuff--just use your phone."

The retail automotive industry isn't the only industry in the world talking about the need for video. Dealership staff aren't the only people hearing the message that the only thing you need to make watchable, interesting video is your mobile device.

Let's look at this phenomenon through the lens of the newspaper industry. I invite you to watch these features produced about the same event by competing newspapers - The Wichita Eagle and the Wichita Business Journal -  so we can discuss their differences in effectiveness and approach.

In this Wichita Business Journal feature, visual journalist Kellen Jenkins used a DSLR camera and shotgun mic, mounted on a monopod, in the main room:

For the Wichita Eagle, reporter Dan Voorhis shot this feature only on his handheld iPad in a quieter office: 

Are there differences between these two videos? You bet! Let's break them both down...

Wichita Business Journal: 

Notice that, despite the talking in the background, my voice comes through loud and clear, and the movement in the background adds some visual interest to the scene. Kellen achieved a shallow depth of field shot, which means that by setting his camera to a low (wider) aperture, he focuses on his subject (in this case, me) and blurs out the background so it is less distracting. Depth of field techniques are one of the primary distinguishers between amateur-looking video and a more professional looking production. Also notice that Kellen instructed me to look at him and not directly into the camera, a common interviewing technique. I also felt more comfortable with this shoot because I recognized I was dealing with a video professional.   Kellen comes from the dealership world and has extensive experience as an inventory photographer, which I thought was an interesting coincidence.

Wichita Eagle: 

I'm glad that we went to a quieter location to shoot this video, as iPad/iPhone microphones pick up all sound equally, and the background noise would have been more distracting. However, because we had to do this, we were at the mercy of this small office with a plain wall. Notice how when I look directly at the camera, it feels kind of like a mugshot, and the lack of stabilization equipment is not ideal.

Conclusion: 

I find this example significant because it parallels what is happening in the retail automotive industry right now. The Wichita Business Journal, which has a much smaller subscription base (and presumably fewer resources and a smaller budget), has invested in real camera equipment and a trained operator, and the result is far superior. In the case of the Wichita Eagle, the main newspaper in Wichita, it seems that upper management issued an edict that the existing reporters must all "do more video," provided no additional equipment or training, and then ended up with a video that, well, looks and sounds like it was shot on an iPad. Sound familiar? Yes, your smart phone or tablet does technically shoot HD video, but that is not enough. Training and equipment make the difference, and neither have to break the bank.

As the television and radio spokesperson for Super Car Guys here in Wichita, you could say I know a thing or two about internet haters. Our high-energy advertising has propelled the Super Car Guys brand to massive success and is going strong coming up on three years now, but, as with any marketing that takes a bold position—we receive our share of complaints, hate, and general nastiness. 

 It’s interesting how much advice I get from people who have never personally been in my situation. “Complaints just mean your ads are effective,” some will say. “Haters gonna hate,” others assure me. All of that well-meaning advice works fine on an intellectual level, sure, but here’s the thing—It’s different when the trolls are talking about you. Your face, your voice, your wedding ring. It’s taken some getting used to, so I’d like to share one of the ways we’ve advanced the conversation about kindness and respect in Wichita and the surrounding areas…

We'd been talking about a public service initiative we could get behind, to use our extensive marketing reach for the good of our community. We landed on Anti-Bullying Awareness, so I reached out to the public school district administrative offices to see if we could plug in to something they were already doing. Through the grapevine, the massively talented singer-songwriter Jenny Wood heard about our intentions, and reached out to me to let me know she had written a song about bullying called “Don’t Let Them Get in Your Head,” which was largely based on her own experiences growing up and as a touring female musician in a male-dominated industry.

So, we got together and decided to make a music video for Jenny’s song, and the way our community came together to help us make this happen was inspiring. We approached Valley Center Intermediate School president Greg Lehr, telling him that not only did we want to shoot the video at his school, we wanted to get an indoor drone shot of the entire student body rocking out in the gym—and we wanted to do it by the end of the week. 

He said yes, so we started sending out press releases and making arrangements.

The shoot was a huge success.  Jenny sang a few songs for the students gathered in the gym to get them pumped up, and told them her story about how bullying shaped who she is today. Jenny’s vulnerability and passion resonated with the kids, and they were excited to be included in the project.

Keep in mind that Valley Center is a small town about 20 minutes outside of Wichita that tends to get overlooked. The kids were excited to see me there, as well, so I got this clip of them singing the Super Car Guys theme song: 

See here for a 10 o’clock news segment covering the shoot: 

We spent the rest of the weekend shooting the video on the school grounds, which featured three fictional stories of kids of different ages who deal with different types of bullying—Physical, verbal, and online. 

Here’s the official music video for “Don’t Let Them Get in Your Head”: 

In addition to the music video, we crafted a PSA campaign in which a :30 TV spot sent viewers to a website where they could watch the music video and sign an anti-bullying pledge with the promise of receiving a free #BullyFreeICT wristband. To date, we've sent out over 2,000 wristbands.

Here’s the PSA:

 
Once the campaign launched, another TV news program covered the campaign, and I got some air time to talk about my experiences: http://www.kake.com/home/headlines/Music-video-produced-in-Kansas-aiding-to-stop-bullying-330778542.html

All of this is great, but what sticks with me the most is the story of Kyndal, one of the stars of the music video who was born with Cerebral Palsy. Kyndal had been a victim of bullying herself, until her parents transferred her to a small private school where thankfully she has found some relief. She and her parents trusted us enough to let her appear in the video, and I think you’ll agree that she turned in an amazing performance. 

We held a video premiere party at a restaurant here, and Kyndal got to be the star of the evening. Not only was she featured on the event poster, but was recognized with thunderous applause to the packed room.

As the video started and tears streamed down Kyndal’s parents’ faces (and many others), it occurred to me that we had facilitated one of those moments this family would look back on for the rest of their lives. 

Once the campaign got rolling, Kyndal was asked by several other elementary schools to talk with their students about bullying, and she accepted, making the inspiring transition from being someone defined by her disability to being a leader.

This, to me, is what makes automotive marketing so rewarding, and I’m grateful to be part of an organization that recognizes the value of moments like this.

Takeaways:

1. Keep the local news on speed dial—they love stories about both internet trolls and large groups of people getting together to do something positive
2. Learn to create high quality content, especially video—organizations of any size now have the power to change the world.
3. Get other people involved. The surest way to inspire people to share your content is to feature them in it.
4. Act from a place of genuine kindness, and you'll be blown away by how many people want to help you succeed. 

Great dealership video does not come from scalable technology products, algorithms, or dashboards.

Could that be why it works so well? 

What we sometimes forget when we’re reviewing the latest shiny digital object is how adept internet users are at perceiving insincerity. This BS-detector is like their sixth sense. When was the last time you were impressed that a spam email contained your first name, for example? 

The gap between being personal and just appearing personal seems negligible, but it’s actually huge. 

Four key ideas, as presented by Google’s Senior Product and Solutions Specialist of Automotive Jordan Hyatt, should be kept in mind when creating video content:

    1.    Authenticity is everything.

    2.    Sharing is the social currency.

    3.    People want to watch moments that matter.

    4.    Talent is valued over fame.

Isn’t it strange how authenticity is listed as the first and most important consideration for a YouTube viewer, yet it’s the first thing that we as marketers seek to replace with an artificial substitute?

Thank goodness authenticity isn’t artificially scalable--What a confusing world that would be.

Like great music, great video is not produced by an algorithm or a dashboard—it takes work. But just like learning an instrument, you get better with practice. If you start by learning the fundamentals, you'll know how to shred in no time at all.

Driving Sales Executive Summit is for dealership professionals who refuse to blend in to the crowd, fit in to the mold, or think inside the box. DSES is, in other words, a conference for those who want to BREAK OUT.

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Just what is it about Pinterest that is capturing so much attention right now? I’ve read a lot about how dealerships need to embrace this new paradigm of social sharing, but not much discussion about why Pinterest is the new “It” thing. Here are a few thoughts for consideration...

Okay Pinterest, why photography? That’s like, so last century. It’s been said that Pinterest has boiled down the essence of what makes Facebook so engaging and removed the impulse toward nasty comments and drama, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Take a look at the pictures you seem to see the most of, those idealized representations of our most basic desires for food, shelter, and companionship. With video, the viewer has to move at the speed of the narrative, whereas with Pinterest, the Pinner is free to move as quickly or as slowly through the pins as she pleases.The most popular pins generally tend to have ample "room" for the Pinner to project herself into (a room, a building, a garden), or frame only one item (a cake, a necklace, a pan of enchiladas).  Thus, a Pin Board takes the form of an ongoing choose-your-own-adventure comic strip drawn in rustic pastels that promises greater self-awareness in exchange for the revelation of impulse.

I love Jon Crowley’s comment on Quora about how Pinterest is “successful because it feels like you’re being creative, without the related effort,” but with this dismissal, we shouldn’t dismiss the fact that there is art in selection. Because of the inundation of choices that mass production has thrust upon the average Joe (and Jane), the wall between creating art and expressing aesthetic preference has been torn down, and the pop culture cannibals (from Andy Warhol to Lady Gaga) are in command. A movie star must choose the right dress for the Oscars, a DJ must choose the right track to rock the party, and to be like them, we have to choose well, too. The world of Pinterest never considers necessity, only choice.

Pinterest is it right now because there we can reconcile our personal love of stuff with our public mistrust of all things “corporate.” While advertising is trying ever harder to make us fight, (Mac vs. PC, Dr. Pepper 10 is not for women, Marmite Lovers & Haters, and on and on), Pinterest’s landscape of abundance and ingenuity is serene. We want to consume and to look good doing it, but we need assurance that what we’ve found is what we want, not what someone else wants for us. Here, pinning delivers.