In the 2022 State of Inbound Marketing Trends by Hubspot, short-form video is the fastest growing marketing trend. It has the highest engagement and highest return on investment, Hubspot found.
For dealership owners, this is a trend to jump on at the risk of losing opportunities for more profits.
Learn More: State of Inbound Marketing Trends
Know the importance of short-form video
Short-form video is any video that is less than one minute. Hubspot says the optimal length of short-form videos is between 31 and 60 seconds.
According to HubSpot statistics, the fast-growing uploads are actually long-form videos, or videos over 60 minutes. These include webinars and virtual events. While Hubspot finds people are willing to watch longer videos, short-form videos receive a much higher engagement rate. In fact, 85% of content marketers say short-form videos are the most effective form of social media.
Learn More: 6 Short-Form Video Trends Marketers Should Watch in 2022 [New Data]
Maybe the most notable of all short-form video apps is TikTok. The potential for TikTok is much greater than viral challenges and influencers talking about their day. It can greatly expand your reach and allow you to directly reach a younger target audience.
The app has 1.2 billion monthly active users, including 138 million in the US, according to Omnicore. Statistics show that 75% are between 18-34, meaning TikTok is a great opportunity to reach younger buyers.
All these statistics mean that if you want to reach a younger base, you need to put effort into marketing on non-traditional platforms. However, putting content on TikTok isn't enough. You need to be creative to make sure you are standing out.
Find someone in your dealership to own short-form video production
One advantage of TikTok is you do not need to have any equipment to make a good video. All you need is a smartphone. You might also want to invest in a smartphone tripod or mount. The best mounts will be ones with flexible legs that can wrap around different surfaces. However, there is no need for expensive cameras, microphones or other video production equipment.
However, maybe the most important aspect of short-form video production is the right person to own it. This has to be someone who understands platforms like TikTok. They should understand how to connect with younger viewers. They understand the culture, the slang, the music and trends. Most importantly, they should understand what viewers are watching.
RELATED: RV Dealers: Keys to creating a successful YouTube page
One feature that separates TikTok from its competitors is its "For You" page. This page shows an endless, customized stream of videos based on the viewer's interests and past videos they watched. This is a great opportunity for you to reach a larger audience, especially if the person you dedicate to owning TikTok can relate to their audience.
Educate the viewers on everything about the business
Whether you sell cars, RV/trailers or boats, there are a lot of people who want to learn about it. However, younger people are not reading magazines. Some don't even sit around to watch five-minute videos. However, they do want to be educated, even if it is in small doses.
You can do how-to videos on quick fixes or honest negotiating tips. Educational videos can also take the form of vehicle tours. This is especially true if you have an RV or trailer. Do short videos explaining a particular feature. You can show off "hacks" that people may not know about.
LEARN MORE: 5 Tips For a Killer Small Business TikTok Strategy
Educational content is important in making you both an authority in the dealership business and an authentic person. Your educational videos will need to have the right star, someone who is relatable to young people and is entertaining. While viewers certainly want to be smarter, they need to be entertained.
Post often and capitalize on trends
If you do set up a TikTok, one key is to post often, according to Boosted. One reason for this is that your audience is unpredictable. You might be surprised to find one of your videos you didn't expect to do well actually performs great. The more you post, the better chance you have of one of those videos possibly going viral.
Like them or not, taking part in TikTok trends is maybe the best way to be seen on the For You page. If a challenge is trending, you have a better chance of having your content seen if someone at your dealership participates. If you do participate in a challenge, do not copy what others have done. Do the challenge with your own personality. It will make you stand out from the many others taking part in the challenge.
LEARN MORE: Short-Form Videos: 12 Tips and Tricks to Grow Your Brand Today
One example is the "Fancy Like" meme, which came from a country song about going on a "fancy" date to Applebee's. The song went viral on TikTok for the dance that went with the song. As the song's popularity grew, hundreds of thousands of people posted TikTok videos of them doing the dance to the song.
If you see a trend like this, you could have your whole dealership or your oldest employee doing the dance in front of a vehicle. Or if you're an RV/trailer dealer, do it inside a unit. This is where your little unique twist to the trend can make you stand out from the thousands of videos of teenagers doing the dance in their backyard. Remember, it is not how well you perform a trend but how much you stand out during your performance.
Take viewers behind-the-scenes
What many viewers want is authenticity. They want relatable people and real situations.
According to Eclincher, creating behind-the-scenes videos gives your viewers both the feeling of getting something extra and gives you more transparency. There are a number of opportunities to take the viewers behind the scenes. Show them what "really" happens in the service department. Do a video of a team-building activity. Even a video celebrating an employee's birthday creates tears down a barrier between you and the viewer.
If someone can relate to your people and what they do behind the scenes, it will give you a chance to convince viewers to want to do business with you.
Engage as much as possible
No matter what social media you use, engaging with customers and potential customers is important. They want to hear from you. They want you to notice them.
Whenever you post a video to TikTok, keep track of people who commented on your video. Spend some time responding to comments, particularly those that are clearly having fun with your content or people who find your content interesting. This will build up your brand quickly, giving you more followers and greater influence.
RELATED: RV Dealers: 5 ways to engage customers on social media
You should also keep a lookout for people who make reviews of your dealership on TikTok. Young people love to social media to talk about what they did on any particular day. Someone who makes videos on TikTok goes to your dealership, assume they are going to post about it. If they give you a good review, thank them.
Engagement is a great way to show the viewers you care about them and makes you even more authentic.
Conclusion
The growth of short-form videos, particularly on TikTok, is impossible for businesses to ignore. Producing content on TikTok opens the door to reaching new, younger customers and helping your dealership grow. As long as you can show you are relatable and engaging, your dealership has a good chance of getting a return on its investment in the platform.
One way to free up more time to do TikTok videos is by making some of the day-to-day operations at your dealership more efficient. EverLogic has many features that can save you and your employees more time through efficiency. Click the button below to view our free demo to see how some of these features can benefit you.
