Social media requires you to constantly post to stay in favor of various algorithms. Consistency is critical to maintaining the engagement rates you expect, even if you can only post once or twice per week. Consistency is critical to maintaining the engagement rates you expect. However, it’s exhausting coming up with new ideas and concepts for you to focus on within your content, which can quickly burn out your team.
You aren’t alone. One survey found that 80% of influencers experience some form of burnout, with 64% saying it is due to a lack of quality or creativity. When you run out of ideas, your viewers will notice, and your video content will grow stale — or drop off entirely. You invested so much into your marketing efforts; the last thing you want is to lose your following due to poor content or an algorithm ranking your videos poorly.
Use this guide as a jumping-off point for your brainstorming sessions. Start with the team members you work with daily and see how they can help you create engaging content. Here are 20 video ideas you can develop within five car dealership departments.
Sales Department
The first place to start with your video content is your sales department. These clips can highlight your top products in your showroom and why they are amazing. Talk to your sales team and see who is comfortable participating in the video content process. The more people willing to participate, the better — you can introduce everyone on your team and showcase the different personalities and characters your customers can work with.
Here are just a few ideas to create video content with your sales staff to bring customers to your dealership.
- Highlight new features: Go over interesting options and functionalities that come with different cars. Let viewers see them in action.
- Take a test drive: Put your sales team behind the wheel of your latest models and get their reactions as they drive them around town.
- Compare two different options: Highlight the pros and cons of a sedan vs. hatchback or current year vs. next year model. Consider how a customer would shop for cars.
- Speak to specific markets: Create videos discussing the best car options for students, growing families, commuter cars, and weekend toys.
- Discuss standard vs. add-on features: Many people might be surprised by standard features. You can impress buyers with the value these cars provide.
This video content should be easy to create because your sales team already makes these key points when talking to customers. You are simply breaking them down into individual videos and sharing short clips across the web.
Service Department
Too often, car dealerships don’t want to create tutorials for different repairs and service requests because they worry about losing this income stream. They don’t want customers fixing their own cars and are concerned about the liability of a repair gone wrong because of one of their videos. However, you don’t have to worry about creating service-based video content. These videos will help car enthusiasts with their own vehicles while driving the rest of your customer base into your service center.
Consider the data that 22% of Americans feel clueless about changing a flat tire, and 36% feel clueless about changing their own oil. Only 26% of Americans feel completely confident that they could change their oil if needed. Even someone who knows how to change their oil might prefer to let professionals take over this chore.
Service-focused video content can highlight your expertise and show people they can trust your team. Here are a few video ideas to explore:
- Parts definitions: Go over the different aspects of cars and explain how they help the vehicle function. What is a timing belt, anyway?
- Before and after footage: Show off how you repaired a broken bumper or what new brake pads look like compared to worn-out ones. This content is always satisfying.
- Repair tutorials: Walk customers through how you complete basic repairs ranging from changing windshield wipers to reprogramming smart systems.
- Safety best practices: Prepare your customers for roadside problems by reviewing how to jump a dead battery, items to keep in your car’s safety pack (like cones and a neon vest), and where to stand after an accident.
- Signs of wear: Provide tips for how customers can know when they need new tires or when it is time to replace various belts. Most people don’t know they are due for servicing until something goes wrong.
The best part is that you can turn many of these ideas into dozens of videos that form a series. If your service team can name 50 different car parts, you can create a year’s worth of weekly video content.
Finance Department
Often, car dealerships focus on the excitement of owning a new car or the security of driving a reliable vehicle. It can be challenging to talk about money when many of your customers are insecure about cash. (As of April 2023, 70% of Americans say they are stressed about their finances.) However, involving your finance department is a great way to highlight your transparent pricing and how your dealership will work to secure financing for customers from all walks of life.
Financial video content is also in high demand on social media. Finance TikTok (#FinTok for the cool kids) consists of thousands of content creators, from day traders to personal finance consultants, who break down complicated concepts and offer advice. It’s so popular that 58% of Gen Zers get financial knowledge from TikTok.
So what kind of content can you create? Here are just a few ideas for your finance team to review the numbers behind buying, trading, and maintaining a car.
- Definitions: Discuss the difference between interest rates and APR, amongst other terms discussed in an auto contract. These can be short videos that last less than a minute.
- Factors contributing to your monthly payment: Go over concepts like credit scores, down payments, and loan durations to help customers learn more about their financing.
- The cost of buying vs. leasing: This would make a great long-from discussion or live video where your team can answer questions about each ownership option.
- The actual cost of keeping an aging car: Break down the math between owning an older vehicle vs. trading up to a new one. Go over the risks and maintenance costs that come with high-mileage cars.
The message you want to focus on with this content is that money management isn’t scary. A customer who wants to buy a car might be able to afford one now, even if they don’t realize it. Any consumer can feel safe asking your finance department for help.
Parts Department
One of the most underrated departments in a dealership is the parts management team. These professionals keep track of inventory for different parts so the service team can quickly make repairs and get customer cars moving again. They also have a place in your video content. You can introduce your parts team to review why some parts take longer to arrive and how complicated parts management is. Here are a few examples.
- Compare parts in different models: Show how minor changes between the year or the model can require two completely different parts for repairs.
- Review the inventory management process: Showcase your vast inventory and highlight how you help regional dealers get parts quickly.
- Introduce unique parts: Model the segments of Antiques Roadshow and introduce some of the oldest, most unique, or most complicated parts you have in stock. Explain who needs these parts and why.
This might not be the most interesting department, but these segments will appeal to people who love cars and enjoy getting into the fine details of their vehicles. Plus, enthusiasm is contagious. If you act like inventory management is a fascinating subject, other people might think it is too.
Janitorial Department
No team member is too new or unimportant to feature in your video content. Everyone contributes in valuable ways to create a positive experience for your customers — especially those who keep it clean. Here are a few ways to show off your business while highlighting your dealership maintenance staff.
- Highlight your coffee and cookies: Invite customers to relax in your waiting area with snacks, beverages, and a good show on TV. Introduce the people who work hard to maintain this area.
- Showcase unique chores: If your dealership has large windows to showcase your cars, show what it takes to keep them clean. Check out old footage from Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe as inspiration.
- Take a peek at your recycling: Even in the digital era, many dealerships use a lot of paper. Showcase your recycling efforts and how your business is committed to the environment.
Each of these videos can add personality to your dealership and make customers like you. Small behind-the-scenes peaks can show how much work goes into creating positive customer experiences.
Turn to the Experts to Create Video Content
This guide has more than 20 video content ideas across six different departments in your dealership. Most of the ideas are in serial form, meaning one concept generates dozens of videos. Whether you post one video per week or make one post daily, you can develop hundreds of ideas in your bank to share across the web and keep your viewer engaged.
Consider developing a content calendar to manage your video production across multiple social media channels. Track the analytics of different posts to see what works best. This will help you continue to invest in high-performing video footage.
If this all seems overwhelming, turn to the video professionals at J&L Marketing. We avoid content burnout, so you don’t have to. We have extensive experience in the automotive field and can elevate your video content in a way that drives results. Contact us today and tell us your video content pain points. We are happy to help in any way we can.
