Internet marketing and social media is all the rage these days, and rightfully so. One of the big to do’s you always hear about is to add you or your companies personality into your online marketing and communications. Don’t be a robot. Don’t just push a product or service. In short, use common sense and interact with your clients and prospects.

At Hare Chevrolet we have always been a big fan of this approach in regards to our online presence. It breaks down barriers and allows prospects to see who we are and our culture, something that was previously only seen and experienced by customers on site. In trying to stay ahead of the pack, and pull away from the car dealership stereotypes, we have been using real simple video.

Since you are at this blog and website you probably already know the easiest way to do what I described above is by using video marketing. If you didnt know that, now you do.

Online video marketing allows your personality to shine through. Have a fun, loose atmosphere within your business that you want to promote? Make your videos show it. Have a serious product or business that demands a serious tone? Portray that in your videos. Website copy and pictures can only tell so much of your story.

You are probably saying to yourself, “I get it but how do I get my staff to use web video?”

Force them to.

At Hare we had been using Flip cameras to shoot video walk arounds of a vehicle that someone showed interest in. We also used Flip cameras to film more generic informational videos about our vehicles. The staff members who used this practice saw increased gains and sales directly from the videos. In trying to get more of the staff on board with this practice we finally decided to make it mandatory. Every time someone searches for used cars for sale online and they find us the sales person assigned to the lead takes one of our Flip cameras, does a quick video walk around and emails it to the prospect. Its mandatory.

Here is an example from our sales person Chris Parker;

Its personalized. It shows off Chris and his personality to his prospect. It shows that he cares about providing insight and consultation, not just selling a product. It isnt scripted, a practice Rocky lamented about so wonderfully in this recent video marketing blog. It also sets Hare apart. While we take numerous pictures of each vehicle and create a YouTube video from them, these personalized flips really set us apart and provide a service to the customer.

Make your staff use this technique.

If you arent a boss or dont run your own business you can still use this. What’s stopping you from hiring a video marketing firm like 12 Stars Media and getting on their Flip video program? They will show you how to use a Flip camera, custom design your own Flip and edit what you shoot all for a very affordable price (trust me, we have hired them before) If you are an individual in sales I promise you web video done in this fashion will make you stand out from the pack and create more sales.

Get Flipping and start integrating your personality into real simple video online, I’m making it mandatory!