Numbers are down for dealerships across the nation, and a recent story in the says that auto dealerships are being hit harder than anyone in the current–and we should stress mild—economic slump.

But does that have to mean a dry spell for your dealership?

We won’t lie to you and say there’s something your dealership can do to significantly increase demand. If people are buying fewer cars for a few months, that’s just the way things are. That doesn’t mean you have to take this lying down, though. There might be fewer people buying cars, but if you can bring more of them to your dealership, you can even things out for you and your sales staff and make the higher ups very happy indeed.

The best way to counter the slump, of course, is bump up your outreach efforts with the fastest-growing type of marketing media around. Which, according to both consumer data and marketers and business owners, is video.

Why is Video Growing So Fast?

First of all, video provides both sound and images, which most consumers have already preferred over just one or the other—or text—ever since video first came along. Video engages the senses we use the most, and that keeps consumers the most engaged. That’s the underlying reason for all of video’s success.

Second, we’re in a perfect technological storm that makes video easier to produce, publish, and view. Affordable high-quality cameras, cheap server space for storing videos on websites and “in the cloud,” fast networks to make uploading and most importantly viewing a breeze, and mobile devices that can play video any time, and place have all led consumers to not only prefer but expect video almost everywhere.

Savvy marketers across all industries are catching on in a big way. That’s why there’s a growing amount of video competing for their attention.

How Can Your Dealership’s Videos Stand Out?

There’s a lot of video out there, yes. But that’s doesn’t mean there’s a lot of good video out there, and chances are there’s a lot of headway to be made when it comes to video outreach by dealerships in your area.

First and foremost, your videos need to give consumers what they’re looking for. On a dealership’s website, that’s mostly going to mean information. Videos that answer common questions and explain vehicle features in a quick, understandable, and friendly way should be the foundation of your video marketing efforts. Videos should also only be as long as they need to be to get the message across, and if they run more than two minutes should be easily navigable so viewers can find the exact information they’re looking for.

Next, make sure your videos are properly encoded so they load quickly, and properly tagged for search engines to find them. With all that—and proper localization and SEO for your site altogether—your video outreach can cause your traffic, your phone calls, and your sales to skyrocket!