Upgrade Your Service Drive with Fixed Ops Videos

Beyond just profitability, your service drive contributes a LOT to your dealership. But for many, when planning out a digital marketing strategy (not to mention an advertising budget), fixed operations tends to be an afterthought. But why, when it can influence your bottom line so drastically?

Here’s the thing: Customers aren’t casually shopping for repairs or maintenance—they’re only looking for ‘repair shops near me’ when they’re in-market and ready to act. Hot audience alert!

Dealers who want to keep their service areas full in the long term will need to move their fixed ops marketing beyond the typical tactics: ‘send to all’ email blasts, inconsistent and ill-targeted reminders, or a half-hearted one-size-fits-all mailer. Today, the most successful service drives are utilizing video across all their customer interactions, and it could be the marketing upgrade your service drive needs as well.

Why Video?

Video content has been used for years in the sales department. It allows consumers to easily compare and contrast different makes, models, and upgrades, and it can ultimately motivate them to take the next steps towards purchase. But have you considered the benefits of video content when applied to your fixed operations offerings? Video has just as much (if not more) influence when it comes to the purchase decisions that happen in your service department.

Let’s take a look at what really matters– the proof. In a fixed ops-focused study done by Google, we can see that:

• 60% of shoppers visited a dealership or dealer website after watching an online video.
• 75% of auto purchasers indicate that YouTube influenced their purchase.
  • Good news for service– 36% of people that watched a service-related video scheduled an appointment afterwards!
• 65% of people who took their vehicle in for service heard about the service center through video.

Crazy right? It’s clear that video is making its mark in the automotive industry, and specifically within fixed ops. So how can you create and utilize impactful video content? The key is to show customers that you’re the go-to destination for maintenance and repairs.

What Content?

It’s easy to want to revert to the commercial-style sales pitch for your video marketing, but like we said— you need to show customers you’re the best at repairs, not tell them. To get your creative juices flowing, here’s some potential video content ideas you could utilize:

• The ‘Who We Are’ Video: people like to see that the businesses they work with are made of individuals just like them. This kind of video does just that— it gives full transparency of your service department, how it operates, and can even incorporate other elements such as service specials, new inventory, etc. It’s a good idea to feature service personnel in this kind of video— include short interviews and offer a final inviting message. This will create a sense of familiarity for the customer, even when they’re visiting your dealership for the first time.

Quick Tip: Keep these videos short, just not short enough that any content is sacrificed. As a good starting point, aim for 5 minutes (or less) of quality content when filming.

• The ‘How We Can Help’ Video: this is your chance to display your service options in a positive and helpful manner. For example, maybe you choose to feature a “How We Can Change Your Oil in 30 Minutes or Less” video, where you explain the processes your techs follow in a standard oil change. You could also try to develop content that relates to troubleshooting common vehicle problems (and when these problems need looked at by an expert—ahem your dealership). This could be something as simple as “How We Check for Tire Problems” or “How We Look for Engine Problems.”

Quick Tip: Repairs can get pricey, and customers want to know what they’re paying for. When reaching out to customers to recommend certain repairs, consider if a short (minute or less) video that both shows and explains the problem would be effective.

BONUS Tip: Some of our most successful video ad content has had to do with “What’s that noise?” featuring different vehicle noises that a typical consumer might hear coming from their car. The videos gave a quick explanation of what some possible causes of the noises could be, and what steps that person could take after hearing the noise in their own vehicle. It’s fun content, and ultimately helpful to a very in need audience. Plus, it had people guessing long enough they couldn’t help but watch the full video (instead of hitting the “skip ads” button)!

• The ‘About Us’ Video: For those customers right at the top of the marketing sales funnel, create a video that focuses who you are, what you do, and what makes your dealership special. These small details go a long way with potential customers. (You can even include short testimonial clips of current customers to add rapport.)

Quick Tip: When creating these videos, ask yourself ‘What inspires me to come to work every day?’ and ‘What part of my job is the most gratifying?’ Emotions are contagious, and spreading a little bit of that positivity to your customers is a great way to stand out in their minds.

No matter what kind of video content you’re producing, remember that the era of yell-and-sell advertising is over. Your customers want to feel informed enough to make their own decision, and not feel sold to all the time. The dealerships that see the best results from video often use viral video clips and punches of humor to produce content that feels authentic, relatable, and informative.

A multifaceted approach to your digital marketing is one of the best ways to stand out against competitors—and your fixed ops department has a LOT of competitors. Utilizing video, one of the fastest growing industries in automotive retail, can make your service department the most profitable center of your dealership, but you don’t have to do it alone. There are always marketing experts ready to help your dealership develop a successful fixed ops marketing strategy.

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