DEARBORN, Mich. -
FordDirect recently rolled out a new service that it says gives Ford and Lincoln dealers a bevy of digital marketing tools to help them offer an improved online shopping experience, which can be quite crucial in today’s auto-shopping environment.
One of the tools offered by the DealerConnection Premier Advanced Inventory Service — which dealers can tap into via Ford Motor Co. DealerConnection websites — is a customized video.
The service can be used to create dealer-branded videos for vehicles in a store’s inventory. These videos are then posted to the store’s DealerConnection site.
The video includes vehicle highlights explained by a real human voice-over. Dealers can add customized comments to include in the vehicle videos.
Customers are shown “an up-close visual tour” of models.
Another offering included in DCPAIS is the YouTube it builds for dealerships. It uses this channel to post vehicle videos automatically. This particular service also helps foster more leads and sales, as the YouTube videos and channel include links to the store’s DealerConnection page.
Dealers can brand the videos with their logo and can create their own background and offer a commercial at the conclusion of the video.
"With more consumers starting their shopping experience online, dealers need to treat their Web presence as an extension of the showroom,” said Valerie Fuller, FordDirect executive vice president of operations.
"Consumers expect video when shopping for a vehicle and DCPAIS provides Ford and Lincoln dealers a rich online experience that will generate more qualified leads,” she added.
Highlighting the importance of the Web, FordDirect emphasized — citing J.D. Power and Associates — that about two-thirds of used-vehicle buyers involve the Web during car shopping and more than three-fourths of new-car shoppers do the same. They also pointed out that the DCPAIS pilot program showed that the number of leads generated by vehicle listings that included video was 10 percent stronger that listings that did not include videos
Continuing along to talk about the videos in more detail, officials noted that they also have search-engine optimization keywords, which can provide a lift in traffic, as well. SiSTeR Technologies provide the vehicle video presentations and syndication.
“With the explosive growth of video and constant evolution of technology it’s difficult for dealers to stay up to speed on their own,” SiSTeR Technologies chief executive officer Israel Alpert. “We’re excited to be selected by FordDirect to help dealers take advantage of technology proven to drive more traffic into their online showrooms.”
Ford dealers also receive a variety of listing enhancements from DCPAIS, officials noted.