Let’s begin with some recent statistics that are having a huge impact on your dealership’s ability to leverage the marketing power of the Internet:
• 88% of consumers conduct online research*
• 67% of US adults use search engines*
• 54% of search engine users use websites to buy products*
• 62% click a result they find on the first page of their search results*
• 90% click a result they find somewhere on the first three pages*
• 138 million Americans watch videos on the Internet every month.**
There are a few distinct trends represented here, both old and new, including the continued growth of e-commerce, the importance of the Internet as an influence on buying decisions, the dominance of online search, and the staggering rise of Internet video.
Does this last trend seem a little out of place? A little ahead of the curve? Trust me, it’s not. Video has plenty to offer your dealership right now, and in one particular way you probably can’t imagine.
Video Search Engine Optimization (VSEO) is the newest and most powerful search engine optimization technique around. It’s already been implemented by many dealerships across the country, both single-point and dealer groups, and they’re successfully using VSEO to leapfrog their competition in organic search results. Dealerships that have proven themselves masters of traditional search engine optimization are finding that they’re no match for these upstarts, and they’re rushing to add VSEO to their repertoire.
Using VSEO and relevant online video content, dealers can all but completely ensure that they show up on the first page of search results, usually as one of the top ten organic listings. The first step is to create or acquire and then post a diversified mix of video content, including:
• Happy customer testimonials
• OEM-style video footage
• Educational clips
• Walk-around videos
• Advanced computer animations
• Value packages
• Personalized messages
Doing this is now simpler than ever before, given how easy it is to afford and use high-quality digital video cameras, and given the video support offered by most major website vendors. The benefits go beyond VSEO, too: your video content will win you customers, entirely aside from the boost it will give you in the search results.
Optimizing your website to highlight its video content can put your dealership on the first page of search results in a matter of days (anywhere from 3 to 14 days, on average). It’s so successful because the search engines are moving towards a “Universal Search” platform, which makes it easier for consumers to find whatever they’re looking for (video, images, websites) in one place. Thanks to the logic of this new platform, the existence of properly optimized video content leads to faster indexing and quicker results for your dealership.
VSEO is big, but it’s just a part of the future of online automotive marketing, of course. Combining VSEO with other proven forms of online marketing - including traditional SEO, paid search, and third-party leads - is a great way to keep your dealership on track for future sales success, in both the short term and the long term.
Sean V. Bradley is the CEO of Dealer Synergy, an international training and consulting company offering a full line of products to help dealerships increase their performance by maximizing their resources. He can be reached by email at seanb@dealersynergy.com or on the Web at www.dealersynergy.com.
