Urbandale, IA—April 16, 2018—Flick Fusion announced today that Lehel Reeves has joined the company as Director of Partnerships and Business Development. In his new position, Reeves will oversee the creation and management of synergistic partnerships that will raise awareness for Flick Fusion’s leading video marketing technology, and increase sales and create greater ROI for auto dealerships.

“Lehel’s experience and track record in the automotive industry are exceptional and he is already making an impact due to his energy and enthusiasm for our products, and his extensive industry connections,” said Tim James, COO of Flick Fusion.

Previously Reeves was president and co-founder of Wheels TV, where he spent eleven years developing and managing partnerships with a number of prominent vendors including CDK Global, Dealer.com, Cox Enterprises and Autotrader.com. Additionally, he co-managed operations and represented the company at automotive marketing conventions and industry functions.

“Flick Fusion leads the automotive industry with their video and mobile video technology and a team well-known for exceptional customer support,” said Reeves. “This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a company that has highly-respected leadership and compelling products, and I look forward to contributing to its continued growth.”

Flick Fusion’s award-winning Smart Flicks platform allows auto dealers to create, automate and elevate their video marketing strategies to maximize reach, engage customers and increase leads and sales.

For more information, visit www.flickfusion.com

About Flick Fusion

Flick Fusion offers a full-solution video hosting, marketing and distribution platform to automotive and other inventory-based industries. The platform delivers automated, integrated and rule/behavior-based, including geo-targeted, video content in real-time, across multiple touchpoints and throughout the entire purchase cycle.

Flick Fusion makes it easy for dealers to create desktop and mobile-friendly vehicle inventory videos, video email and customer engagement videos such as testimonials, service department overviews and more. Videos are proven to capture more buyers' attention, advance organic SEO rankings, generate leads and increase conversion rates. The Flick Fusion system builds emotional value and customer loyalty for more than 3,500 brands and preferred partners.

Urbandale, IA—April 3, 2018—Flick Fusion today announced that its flagship video marketing platform, Smart Flicks, has won a 2018 Automotive Website Award (AWA) for the Best Website Merchandising Software. The award was presented to Flick Fusion at a ceremony hosted by PCG Companies on March 22nd at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, NV. 

“We’d like to thank PCG Companies for a great event and everything they do to help provide dealers with the education and tools they need for successful website marketing,” said Tim James, COO of Flick Fusion.

A statement posted on the AWA website summarizes why Flick Fusion’s Smart Flicks platform was honored with the award:

“As the PCG team researched the newest edition of the Smart Flicks platform, it became apparent that multiple tweaks, customizations, and new apps have been added through the years to make a stronger product. Dealers using Smart Flicks have had direct input to help identify product improvements. Flick Fusion has responded with new iterations, reports, apps, or codes that made Smart Flicks even smarter.

The science and technology of displaying inventory and offers on a dealer’s website is continually changing, along with today’s consumer expectations of their shopping experience. Award recipients in the Website Merchandising category continue to enhance existing products and deliver new solutions to help this area of our industry grow.

We congratulate Flick Fusion for being named a 2018 AWA winner for Website Merchandising and thank them for participating in this year’s review process.”

Flick Fusion recently exhibited at the NADA Convention & Expo, where it showcased both Smart Flicks and VidCom, its recently released mobile communications app. VidCom combines the power of video email with the emotional impact of live-streaming video communications, and was featured in an Automotive News Show Daily article titled “7 Things to Check Out at NADA.”

For more information visit www.flickfusion.com  or call 515-333-4337.

About Flick Fusion

Flick Fusion offers a full-solution video hosting, marketing and distribution platform to automotive and other inventory-based industries. The platform delivers automated, integrated and rule/behavior-based, including geo-targeted, video content in real-time, across multiple touchpoints and throughout the entire purchase cycle.

Flick Fusion makes it easy for dealers to create desktop and mobile-friendly vehicle inventory videos, video email and customer engagement videos such as testimonials, service department overviews and more. Videos are proven to capture more buyers' attention, advance organic SEO rankings, generate leads and increase conversion rates. The Flick Fusion system builds emotional value and customer loyalty for more than 3,500 brands and preferred partners.

Live video is taking over. If you have been on social media anytime lately, you probably noticed the barrage of streaming Facebook Live videos. In addition, videoconferencing has replaced boring teleconferences on just about every major platform. Why? Because, while we supposedly live in a super connected world, people are, in fact, less connected than ever. We communicate via text in short sound bites that are constantly misinterpreted. Emails are frequently misunderstood and social communications via platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are often incorrectly perceived.  This is because the majority of human communication occurs through visual cues such as body language, tone of voice and facial expressions… and you cannot see any of these through text or email.

Why the rise in live streaming with telecommunication companies and social media platforms? Because it’s engaging. Video, in itself, is engaging. But add in another dimension where it is not pre-recorded, but live, and conversations occur in real-time. It takes video to the next level as a communications tool.

If you think this is not already happening, let me tell you, it is. And it could be creating problems for your dealership if it’s happening on a salesperson’s personal Facebook profile or on a Facebook page they created to represent the dealership. First, if it’s happening on the salesperson’s personal profile or a Facebook page they created, there is truly no dealership connection, record of the conversation or ability for oversight. Second, when salespeople are representing the dealership, those conversations with customers belong to the dealership, not the salesperson. What happens if the salesperson says the wrong thing – even innocently?

Now don’t misunderstand my point here as live streaming video is an excellent way to engage customers. The customer can talk to a salesperson as if they were on your lot. The salesperson can walk out to the vehicle the customer is interested in, do a walkaround and interact with the customer live while answering their questions and showing them features they are interested in. It’s like taking a phone call to another level. Live streaming will certainly grow in used, just as video-conferencing has. If you are not doing so already, you would be wise to investigate solutions that allow these types of engagement between consumers and your dealerships in a way that’s measurable, and controllable, while enabling customers to communicate in the way they prefer and find the most productive.

Here are 62 statistics about live-streaming that are important to know. This blog would be a book if I went into all of them, but the key point is that live-streaming is quickly becoming the medium of choice for consumers for brand interaction.

In our era of smartphones with built in Facetime and Google Hangouts, consumers are utilizing real-time live streaming to connect with their loved ones and friends because it’s more intimate and personal. And that is spreading to the retail world. Consumers can gain a more intimate and personal connection with your dealership in the same communication manner. Whether it’s from a one-way video call (the customer can only see the salesperson) or a two-way video call (both can see each other), they are equally effective.

People want to deal with people. This is easy to do via live-streaming, right from the comfort of their home. Salespeople have a much better opportunity to build rapport and trust and help the customer while telling the car’s story. They can show customers what they want to see – all in real-time.

Oh, and just a quick note in closing, as I don’t want to make you work too hard -- for those of you too young to remember the Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers song “Islands in the Stream,” the title is a word play on the title of that song – stream – streaming video – get it?

With shoppers flooding the streams of video, your dealership needs to be the island they can rely on for great content, a personal connection and to get exactly what they want in the format they choose to engage.

Urbandale, IA—March 12, 2017—Flick Fusion today unveiled the Video Warrior Package, a complete turnkey solution with all of the video marketing components that an auto dealership needs for success, including inventory videos, test-drive videos, video email and automated value proposition videos. The Video Warrior Package is customizable and the video production process can be entirely automated if a dealership has limited resources. 

“Most dealers have tried video, but without the right strategy they tend to have limited success,” said Tim James, COO of Flick Fusion.  “The Video Warrior Package includes a strategy built right into the technology, so dealerships can be as involved as they want to be, or not involved at all, depending on their preference.”

For a limited time, Flick Fusion is offering special pricing on the Video Warrior Package that includes everything an auto dealer needs to implement and accelerate a video marketing strategy. “Auto dealers that utilize this entire package will see an instant uptick in website traffic, video views, lead conversions and appointments,” said James.

The Video Warrior Package includes:

Automated Inventory Videos. Flick Fusion’s video generation system (VGS) extracts photos and data from dealers’ inventory management systems and automatically creates stitched photo videos with Human Voice Over. Inventory videos are then automatically posted on dealers’ websites, both on the search results page (SRP) and the Vehicle Display Pages (VDPs), ensuring that the right content is where shoppers are looking for it. These automated inventory videos are then distributed to third-party shopping sites, including Autotrader, Cars.com and Kelley Blue Book.

To create the best shopper experience, a dealer can display the VIN specific video and an additional four videos. “When a shopper lands on a VDP from an organic search, paid search or third-party search, it’s imperative that the dealer creates an emotional response in that shopper before they hit the ‘back button’ and return to their search,” said James. “By populating these four additional slots with value proposition videos, a dealer can see as much as a 300-400 percent increase in video views, along with a spike in return visitors to their website.”

Inventory video add-ons in this package include CarStory integration, CarFax integration and Flick Widget. The Flick Widget is a home page dynamic banner that displays up to eight videos that a car shopper viewed during their previous website visits. By tracking car shoppers’ behavior, Flick Fusion is able to get the most relevant content in front of the right shopper at the right time.

AutoFlicks with Landing Pages. AutoFlicks are virtual test-drive videos of all the newest makes and models. These videos can be used to create a virtual showroom on a dealership’s website, sent out in emails and newsletters, posted on social media platforms, displayed on a showroom kiosk and attached to VIN-specific listings for instant videos of new car inventory.

With the Video Warrior Package, dealers will also receive the bonus add-on of Flick Fusion’s video landing pages. These dynamic video landing pages can host test drive videos plus an entire library of video assets such as TV commercials, testimonials, how to videos, FAQ videos and value proposition videos. Landing pages help to build trust and increase the organic SEO value of websites.

Interactive Banners. Only Flick Fusion allows dealers to filter options to serve up the right message on the right video to the right shopper at the right time. Interactive banners are ideal for re-targeting website visitors and geo-targeting potential shoppers at specific locations, such as a competitor’s showroom.

Automated Value Proposition Videos. The Video Warrior Package includes automated value proposition videos for those dealers that don’t have the time or resources to create their own video assets.  Though these videos have automated content, they are creatively customized to each dealership and their location. Video titles include:

• Pre-Owned Vehicle Standards
• Fair, Upfront Pricing
• Better Trade Values
• Respect for Your Time
• Our Informed Staff
• Service: Facilities & Technicians
• Service: Comfort & Amenities

“We researched what customers want from a dealership and created a series of videos designed to emotionally engage and build trust with shoppers,” said James.

The series of automated videos also includes a series of automated finance FAQ videos to answer car shoppers’ most frequently asked questions.

VidMail – No video marketing strategy is complete without video emails that can be used in newsletters, campaigns and the lead follow-up process. VidMail allows dealers to set up autoresponder video e-mails, saving personnel valuable time. VidMail also delivers the ability to capture video from a desktop webcam or mobile device when used with the VidCom App, Flick Fusion’s award-winning video communications mobile app.

The VidCom App allows dealership personnel to deliver videos via email and/or text to customers from one platform that dealership management can both track and control.  The VidCom App also enables live-streaming video calls regardless of smartphone platform, so customers can connect with dealership staff, whether in sales or in the service department.

Total Live Package. Flick Fusion’s Video Warrior Package includes bonus tools that allow dealers to streamline their full motion video marketing process. Whether the dealer has a lot service capturing their inventory videos or they producing them in-house, using Flick Fusion’s Live Video Uploader enables them to upload those videos from a smartphone or any other recording device, in any size and in any format.

Additional tools that enhance the Total Live Package include:

• Custom Voice Overs enable dealers to create unlimited customized audio track recordings for their inventory videos, which can add both personalization and increase emotion with shoppers

• AdVideo allows dealers to easily add any video asset to a website page and/or emails

• Vid2Pic automatically extracts in real-time inventory photos from a video, then distribute those photos back to the inventory provider for immediate distribution to their website.

For more information about the Video Warrior Package and Flick Fusion Video Marketing, visit Booth #2032C at the NADA Convention & Expo in Las Vegas, NV. To schedule an appointment click here, email sales@flickfusion.com, or call 515-333-4337.

About Flick Fusion

Urbandale, IA—March 5, 2018—Flick Fusion today revealed the three biggest misconceptions that auto dealers have about video marketing. The three reasons auto dealers are not implementing video marketing strategies based on Flick Fusion’s internal research are: (1) videos are expensive, (2) videos are time consuming and (3) videos provide little to no marketing ROI or attribution.

“Video marketing is actually one of the cheapest forms of content and the least time-consuming for dealerships to create, because most of the process can be automated,” said Tim James, COO of Flick Fusion. “In addition, there’s no other media out there that gives dealers more insight into what customers are interested in, and the touchpoints they are viewing on, than video.”

To change these misconceptions, James offers auto dealers three tips to implement an affordable, successful video marketing strategy.

To keep expense and time at a minimum, look for a video marketing solution that automates the entire video production process. Libraries of stock videos offer choices that require little time or investment, and can be customized to a dealership’s brand by adding logos and photos.

To ensure maximum exposure for videos, dealers need to make sure they are getting seen on multiple touchpoints. “Many dealers post videos on their website and YouTube and that’s it,” said James. “Videos can and should be used in email marketing, display ads, social media, third-party auto shopping sites and in the lead follow-up process with customers.”

To measure video ROI and attribution, it’s necessary to host videos on a platform that can track viewer data and use the data to enhance the video content in real-time based upon each shopper’s individual viewing data. Many dealerships use YouTube as a primary hosting platform for their videos, which hurts them in several ways. 

First, YouTube-hosted videos offer no Video SEO (VSEO) value for a dealership’s actual website.  Even though a YouTube video may be embedded on a webpage, once the video is found on Google, the shopper is directed to YouTube to view the video and not the dealer’s website where it is embedded.  This is because YouTube claims all the SEO value for that video. The dealership’s website gets none.

Second, videos that are hosted on YouTube are at risk of being flagged by AdRev if they have any kind of music associated with them. AdRev is a company that leverages YouTube’s copyright polices to open a video up to the YouTube Ad Network by filing a copyright claim against virtually any video that has music.

The Copyright claim is often filed “on behalf of” the copyright holder even though the copyright holder may not have authorized AdRev to file claims on their behalf and may not even be aware that a claim has been filed. If the owner of the video has a legal license to utilize the music, they can easily have the Copyright Claim dismissed. Unfortunately, the video is immediately opened up to the YouTube Ad Network the instant that the claim is filed and other companies (including a dealership’s competitors) can run ads on their videos until the claim is released.   

Third, dealers have no control over which "Recommended videos to watch" YouTube will show to their viewers. After a car shopper finishes watching a dealership video, YouTube may recommend a series of other videos that fit that viewer’s viewing history, including video ads of a competitor.

Finally, YouTube doesn't offer a dealership the ability to easily access and utilize their viewer’s data outside of the YouTube platform. 

“This video viewer data is necessary to enhance the informational and emotional value of a video by updating a video’s content in real-time across multiple touch-points,” said James. “Relevant content attracts and engages more customers, increases time spent on a dealer’s website, boosts search engine rankings, improves CTRs and other metrics, and produces higher quality leads. This is really the name of the game when it comes to using video in your marketing successfully. Most dealerships just focus on the creation of video content and then they’re done. To use the power of video marketing successfully, you need a strategy that gets the right video content in front of the right shopper at the right time of the buying cycle. This takes a combination of content, exposure, and data and without all three your videos are simply enforcing these common misconceptions.“

For information about Flick Fusion Video Marketing, visit Booth #2032C at the NADA Convention & Expo in Las Vegas, NV. Schedule an appointment by emailing sales@flickfusion.com, or call 515-333-4337.

About Flick Fusion

Flick Fusion offers a full-solution video hosting, marketing and distribution platform to automotive and other inventory-based industries. The platform delivers automated, integrated and rule/behavior-based, including geo-targeted, video content in real-time, across multiple touchpoints and throughout the entire purchase cycle.

Flick Fusion makes it easy for dealers to create desktop and mobile-friendly vehicle inventory videos, video email and customer engagement videos such as testimonials, service department overviews and more. Videos are proven to capture more buyers' attention, advance organic SEO rankings, generate leads and increase conversion rates. The Flick Fusion system builds emotional value and customer loyalty for more than 3,500 brands and preferred partners.

Assuming your dealership has a video marketing strategy in place and that you’re getting good results, you may be ready to take your video marketing to another level.

To quickly review, the fundamental basic blocks of a video marketing strategy include:

• Content. Start with what you sell…your inventory.  Next sell them on your dealership with value proposition videos, customer testimonial videos, and service “how to” videos.   Also, sell them on your staff with personnel introduction/profile videos.  All of these content videos build trust with the shopper.
• Exposure. In addition to your website, your videos should be on multiple touchpoints like Cars.com, Autotrader.com, Facebook, and any other distribution points video is accepted to display. Also using video in email marketing and in the lead follow-up process garners great results when compared to traditional e-mail and phone calls.
• Actionable Data Collection. Where you host your video plays a very important role in the success of a video marketing strategy. Using public hosting platforms like YouTube and Vimeo do not help your SEO nor guarantee to keep your shopper on your site. Your dealership’s video should be hosted on a platform that allows your website to claim the SEO benefits of your video, and also has the ability to collect actionable data from your video viewers so you know who’s watching which video from where and with what.
• Data Utilization. Use the actionable data to create relevancy, to create or adjust your marketing endeavors so you are able to serve up the right video to the right customer at the right time.

Now that we have reviewed the core elements to a successful video marketing strategy, let’s take a look at kicking it up a notch.

Here are some additional elements to add to your strategy designed to even further increase your engagement, conversions and leads.

Empower Your Customers with Information
Today’s consumers want to be in control of the purchase process. Videos can have a significant impact in that process, with up to 90 percent of people claiming that video plays a role in their purchasing decisions, according to one report.

Although customers want to be in control, they still need information and a trusted resource to guide their decision. Why not become that trusted resource?

When it comes to car shopping, most dealers don’t have a lot of information on their website to help prospective buyers in their research and decision-making process. Why leave that up to the OEMs and third-party sites?

Part of this process involves deciding where to buy. Customers want to buy from a dealership they trust. One of the best ways to gain that trust is to provide the car shopper with information in a transparent way.

If you don’t already have a video showroom on your website, it’s time to add one. Then, create and add the following types of videos:

• Explain the difference between your brand’s trim levels
• Explain the difference between your brand and your top two competing brands
• Explain new features in a newly introduced product/brand
• Explain the sales process/what to expect at your dealership
• Explain the F&I process and products

These videos should focus on educating the shopper. Their purpose is to gain customer trust, so the videos should be focused on your customers’ needs and your dealership’s expertise.

Virtual Reality Video
Virtual Reality (VR) is already mainstream. The good news for dealers is that creating VR videos doesn’t require a lot of expensive equipment or time. You can create VR videos in approximately the same amount of time as you can a regular video.

VR videos are highly engaging and will differentiate your brand, at least until the rest of the Jones’s on the block catch up. If you want a captive audience, start by creating and posting a few model review videos on your website in VR first as these will be more relevant longer then an inventory specific video.  To get even more engagement you can then distribute them through email and your social media channels.

Watching a VR video is a completely different experience than watching a regular video; if you haven’t tried it yet, you should! The experience is completely immersive, memorable and emotional.

You don’t have to start doing VR videos for every piece of inventory. Focus on creating a VR video for your new models and make them both educational and fun, if possible. As the customer is sitting in the front seat, guide them through what they’re seeing, touching and feeling.

Consumers can experience VR videos if they own a smartphone and a pair of VR goggles or headsets. All that's required is downloading an app that can play virtual reality videos.

Live Streaming Video
Today’s consumer demands instant information and transparency during the car-buying process, and live-streaming video calls are a great way to establish a connection, build trust and provide information in an immediate and transparent manner.

Live streaming is another technology that you may want to consider incorporating into your sales process. Allow your shoppers to connect in real-time with your team.  It’s not just Millennials that want their information now…Boomers do too!

Are you ready to take your video marketing game to the next level? Try these three video strategies designed to engage customers and increase conversions and leads.

Video marketing is becoming more important as consumers increasingly choose this medium over others. That’s exactly why almost every platform has shifted to a video-centric algorithm.  

I’ve spoken many times about the types of video a dealership should produce outside of inventory videos to create an emotional connection to your brand, dealership and employees. However, there is one thing I have touched on in the past that needs more attention. It is, in fact, one of the most important pieces of advice I can give:

The car should always be the star!
What do I mean by that? Regardless of the type of video you produce, the sole focus of each is fundamentally to excite and persuade a potential customer to choose your dealership and come in to buy a vehicle. But what about personalized walkaround videos, personal e-mail responses, why buy videos, or customer testimonials?

If you’re creating video content for your dealership and only take one piece of advice from me, let it be this: Make sure that the brand you represent, and/or the vehicle you are trying to sell, is visible in every video.

It’s great to send a personalized video email response to a customer. It’s certainly engaging and puts a face behind the name. But, while the personal video e-mail response will do that, the customer ultimately is considering purchasing something you sell.

Imagine how much more powerful a personalized video response would be if, instead of filming in front a background consisting of a white wall or other desks, it was filmed in front of the exact vehicle the customer inquired about. I’m not talking about a walkaround. Simply a little product placement.  There’s a reason major brands pay big money for product placement in movies, television shows and video games. That’s because it pays off! That Pepsi can that the actor is drinking out of may never be mentioned or referred to -- but I can guarantee you one thing… it was noticed.

Make sure that, when making a personal video response, why buy video, or while filming a customer testimonial, the background contains either a vehicle that you sell, the specific one the customer is interested in, or the vehicle they already purchased.

Video content is evergreen in that it doesn’t expire. It can float around the digital universe for an eternity if you want it to. Ensure that as many videos as possible promote not only your store and employees, but also the vehicles that you sell. You never know when someone will come across it and be impacted by it.

Many times, those accidental or unintended video views lead to relationships that span a lifetime. Make sure every piece of video content displays your vehicles – even if that’s not the video’s intent – and you’ll take your engagement and connection to the next level.

“Over the next three years, the biggest trend in our products will be the growth of video.”
-Mark Zuckerberg

If you’ve heard the news, many are proclaiming that Facebook is now even more pay-to-play than it already was. What do I mean? At one point, Facebook was raw and not filtered – you could view all content from everyone, just as with other sites, such as Twitter.

Then brand pages came along, interjecting branded messages if you liked their Facebook page. As more businesses hopped aboard, the user experience became more cluttered and viewers were presented with less of the content they really wanted to see.

With the introduction of boosted posts and Facebook ads, this paid-ad model has allowed Facebook to monetize the platform while giving advertisers a way to increase exposure. However, on January 11, Facebook announced that it will decrease brand exposure – even for paid advertisers – in order to “bring people closer together.” And marketers are scared.

Okay, so does this mean you as an advertiser should drop everything and abandon the platform as your content will now get less attention?

No, and here’s why: There’s a tip that came straight from the man himself, Mark Zuckerberg. Somewhat recently, Facebook began pushing publishers and businesses to post more video content – even going so far as to recruit celebrities and influencers to post their content natively to the site – and rewarding those that did with extended reach in newsfeeds. In fact, the preference for video continues to this day. And, as stated in the quote at the top of this blog, Mark Zuckerberg said it himself in Facebook’s Q3 Earnings Call.

I would highly recommend that if your dealership is not yet regularly making and producing video content, you should make real plans to do so. Of course, if you are already spending money on Facebook to promote your content, you could continue to pay to promote that non-video content, but you’ll soon be paying more money to reach the same amount of people. Think of it this way, promoting non-video content on Facebook is like putting your newspaper ad on the TV as a 30-second static image!

The equalizer, it would seem -- or at least a competitive advantage -- is to utilize Facebook’s algorithm preference for video in your marketing and social content. It could be that video content – especially video that is engaging and prompts interaction – is a lifesaver when it comes to connecting with your Facebook audience. If your dealership chooses to combine that video content with some sponsored posts, you could further increase engagement.

It’s becoming increasingly apparent that Facebook wants to be a platform of video content. They’ll reward you for doing it with increased exposure and, according to Mark Zuckerberg, it is the company’s focus for the next three years.

if you want to succeed in getting eyeballs on your message and engagement with your audience, video is no longer optional. So, go out and start making videos. That’s what your audience wants – and that’s what Facebook wants. Or become invisible. The choice is yours.

Interpreting meaning through communication can be hard.

For example, the simple statement “Fine.”

What does that word really mean? Ultimately, it depends on the context and, more importantly, how it’s said and the body language which happens in that exact moment.

When your significant other says “fine,” you darn well better know what it means, or you can be in a whole world of trouble! Or, if you tell a teenager they must clean their room before they can go out with friends, play video games or whatever they want, there are many ways “fine” can be expressed. If they say it loudly while slamming the door in your face, that has a much different meaning than if they say it in a low submissive but agreeable way.

Humans are masters of perception. We all communicate, and that communication comes across in different ways – be it vocal, physical, or via some activity.

But what does all this mean as far as your dealership and communicating with your customers? 

As marketers, with all the data available to us today, we can better interpret customer interactions and more effectively communicate with them than ever before.

An argument could be made that a customer’s digital activity can tell us more about their intent than a face-to-face conversation. Ultimately, the digital footprints a customer leaves throughout their car buying journey are, in fact, a conversation. You may not be able to see the customer, but they express their intent through their online activities.

That customer looking at your website and bouncing through your entire used car inventory, who also jumped around on third-party listing sites, is much higher in the sales funnel. They are having a conversation with you. Something along the lines of, “I’m in the market for a car but I don’t know what I want.”

A customer visiting your website, viewing every Honda Civic in stock, is not only telling you they want a Honda Civic but, if you want to get granular, also which trim level, price range and mileage restrictions they value.

Whatever they spend the most time viewing is probably the best fit for what they are searching for. An unlimited amount of data is out there to help you identify, define and motivate customers. You must just take the time to look at it.

Now that you know the customer’s intent, where they are in the funnel and what they are interested in, what’s the best way to communicate with them?

VIDEO!

While you have the secret-agent advantage of all this relevant data showing the customer’s intent, the customer still wants good old face-to-face interaction when it comes down to the sales process. Simply sending a templated email accomplishes nothing. It’s not personal, is not directed to them, fails to really interact on an emotional level, and usually has little relevance.

Of course, you “could” take the creepy road and tell them everything you know about them -- but that would likely be counterproductive.

The best way to engage a customer is through a personalized video response. They can see you, hear you and read your body language. If you’re sincere, friendly and engaging, and use the data you have about the customer’s digital journey to craft a personal response, the customer will be able to relate; rapport will be established infinitely better than any “Buy from us because we love you” e-mail template.

Don’t be afraid to send video email responses to your customers. Most of your competitors simply send those canned templates from their CRM with ZERO impact – if they even make it through the customer’s spam filter.

Make an impression and win business using technology that allows you to interact with customers the same way business has been won for decades… in person. With video you can now interact in person, without the customer even being in your showroom.

The statistics show that customers respond to video. They can read your personality and intentions more clearly via video than a written communication, because emotions are more clearly illustrated. And, more importantly, as a result they will connect with you better and choose your dealership to buy or service their car. Then everything will be just “fine!”

Amazon and Google are engaged in a war. Both produce proprietary hardware that consumers can purchase and use to access content through various means -- and the competition is getting vicious.

I recognize that, in terms of video marketing hosting platforms, YouTube is the 800-pound gorilla -- it certainly has large market share in terms of search and users. But recently, YouTube chose to engage in a battle with Amazon that threatens the usefulness of their platform. Why? Well, as consumers have grown used to accessing YouTube in different manners – via mobile phone, browser, connected device or streaming hardware – they now simply expect the same access, regardless of where they choose to access that video content.

Why should dealers care?

As in all marketing, dealerships should expect to benefit from the fruits of their labors. While technology has made the path of entry to different solutions easier, as a dealer, it still takes time and effort to create your content and messages.

When it comes to video marketing specifically, regardless of whether you are shooting video on smartphones, or have an elaborate professional setup, most of you probably still make the effort because you realize the value and exposure video content brings.

But, what if you do all the work and miss out on customers because companies don’t like each other?

Ah… the million-dollar question. I’m sure you’ve heard the expression “You get what you pay for,” right? Yes, YouTube is highly popular with dealers in the video marketing arena, for good reason. They are the 2nd largest search engine in existence and, more importantly, they are free.

Um, but hold on a sec… are they really, free????

What happens when a customer searching for vehicles gets blocked from watching that video you made of your inventory? What about when they get an “Access Denied” message when trying to watch that personal video response you made for them? Any of these scenarios could cost you a sale, which costs you money. Not so free then, right?

Well, that ease of access is no longer the case, and it could get worse. What am I talking about?

First, in October 2015, Amazon pulled Google Chromecast and Apple TV from its inventory and no longer offered it for Amazon customers to purchase, presumably to encourage use of its own Fire Stick product as a streaming solution.

Then, Amazon expanded its voice-activated hardware, Echo, to include the Echo Show, which includes a screen and video capabilities. At first, YouTube was available on this hardware. But soon after its debut, YouTube pulled access from the Echo Show because of how Amazon implemented it, which excluded some features.

Moving on forward, just last month, YouTube again appeared on the Echo Show, prompting many to believe that the companies had made up. However, apparently that was not the case. According to TechCrunch, Amazon simply developed a workaround to allow Echo Show users to access a web version of YouTube without Google’s knowledge.

Next, on the 5th of December, Google once again blocked Echo Show users from accessing YouTube content.  And it doesn’t seem like this battle is anywhere near the end.

On top of that, consider the data deficiencies, CRM integration or other workarounds staff go through to integrate inventory, or personalized video messages to your customers. The mere fact that videos hosted on the YouTube video platform could NEVER BE SEEN, even by those who TRY TO VIEW THEM on what’s arguably the most patronized company on the planet (Amazon), should concern dealers.

Neither Amazon (who is making inroads into selling cars on their website) nor Google particularly care about car dealers. There is much more revenue to be had in the marketing ad revenue world, as well as the cable-cutting trend that led them into the hardware business -- and Amazon is working on coming after a share of the pie that Google has carved out.

As the war between the two companies’ heats up, avoid becoming collateral damage and consider the hidden costs associated with hosting your video on these platforms. “Free” isn’t always free. Make sure you have a video marketing platform that protects YOUR interests. Ensure that those valuable, time-sensitive messages are delivered and can be viewed by your customers, and remove yourself from the battlefield.