How to Sell More Cars Online with Live Video

Have you noticed that car buyers are at a bit of a crossroad when it comes to how they want to buy a new car?

On one hand, consumers want the convenience, speed, and autonomy of shopping from home.

But, at the same time, 75% of car buyers want to see a vehicle before they buy.

So, how can dealers meet both of these needs simultaneously for consumers? By taking advantage of live video. 

Selling cars online with live video is key to a phygital strategy

Phygital is a term that dealers should become familiar with. It’s blending the cherished online experience with the necessary physical experience that car buyers love.

You can start implementing a phygital strategy by making live video call solutions available on your website.

This makes it easy and compelling for consumers to receive personalized service from the comfort of their own homes.

Connecting with customers makes selling through live video easier

Some dealers have put their website optimisation on the back burner for some time, but it’s important to know that your online experience matters.

Consumers are in a position to browse tens of different websites and pick and choose where they want to shop based on their first impression of your website.

In fact, 88% of online consumers are less likely to return to a site after a bad experience.

That’s why it is crucial that you are able to connect with consumers from the moment they land on your page. Be the best guide for them to find helpful information. 

Of course, live chat and interactive bots are a great starting point to make your first impression (and following impressions) count, but to further stand out in the prospect’s mind, you’ll want to offer an even more unique and beneficial experience. 

An experience that utilises the power of live video.

Different types of videos for car dealers to use on their website

First, let’s break down the type of videos you can use on your website into 2 categories: live video or pre-recorded videos.

Live videos will benefit buyers who are closer to making a buying decision. 

These types of prospects have narrowed down their target car. They just need the extra push of seeing the car and speaking to the salesperson in real-time to help make their final decision.

Pre-recorded videos, on the other hand, will help interested buyers in the research stage of car shopping. 

At this point in the buyer journey, the customer may not be interested in interacting with a live agent right away. 

In this case, it's more beneficial to make informational videos about the car available on product listings.

66% of people prefer to watch a short video to learn about a product or service.

Types of live video calls that help sell more cars online 

There are two main types of live video calls you should consider for the online side of your car dealership.

One-to-one live video: a real-time call with one customer who can see real-time video of a salesperson and/or product.

One-to-many livestream video: a real-time call with multiple customers who can see real-time video of a salesperson and/or product.

In most one-to-many livestream videos, the viewers won’t have their camera on but they can participate in the live chat discussion to ask questions or share their enthusiasm.

Important steps to get the most out of your live video strategy 

Now that you know of the live video options, we can dive into how to make the right solution work for your dealership.

Here are the things that you’ll want to do in order to get the most success from your live video strategy:

• Define your goals
• Know your target prospects
• Promote a desirable video experience
• Nail your on-camera interaction

Defining live video goals for your car dealership

When you define your goals for what you want to achieve with your video call strategy, you then understand better how to position the video call options on your website.

Let’s look at some examples:

Do you want to increase the amount of one-to-one video calls your dealers are taking, thus giving them more opportunities to sell?

Make your video call button stand out with bold colours and place it on the right pages.

Do you want to talk with more prospects who are ready to buy?

Ask qualifying questions in an interactive bot before offering the video call.

Do you want to create more brand awareness with a one-to-many livestream video?

Plan what you want to showcase and stream it across your website and social media channels.

When thinking about your video call goals, reflect on what is usually most important for buyers when they walk into your showroom.

Your ultimate goal should be to bring that in-person experience online with the help of live video.

Knowing your target customers

You have to know who your ideal customer is and anticipate their behaviour on your website. 

Think about the journey a customer goes through on your website. 

• Where is the first place they visit?
• How long do you expect them to view the same car on your listing page?
• Are they interested in learning more information about used or new cars?

Taking time to think about your target customers in this way will help you understand the best time to offer a new experience, like a video call.

Reporting tools can help you find these valuable insights like highly-frequented pages, or what pages people spend the most time on. These are pages you may want to ignite a live video call option on.

For one-to-many livestream videos, you’ll want to take into consideration what day and time of the week is best to attract the most people to your livestream event. An active livestream is, in most cases, a successful livestream.

Promoting a desirable live video experience

One way to ensure the best outcome of your live video call experience is by setting expectations before the call.

In the same window that you offer a live video call, you’ll also want to briefly outline what the participant can expect on the call. This will help them feel more comfortable. 

Depending on how you want to host your video calls, you can mention some of these preliminary notes:

• The customer’s camera will not be automatically turned on
• The customer does not have to use their camera in order to talk to the salesperson
• It’s a no-pressure video call to assist the customer further
• The agent is happy to show the customer cars that are available in the showroom

As a bonus, you could also show a small video clip example so the customer can visualise the experience too.

Nailing your on-camera interaction

Now it’s time to shine. Put on that charm that works so well in person and bring it to your live video call.

For one-to-one calls, make sure you give the prospect all you’ve got. Make sure to mention relevant deals, offers, or a virtual tour.

It’s a good idea to set expectations again once you are on the call with them so they know how the rest of the call will go.

Even if the prospect isn’t sold on your offer right away, don’t count it as a loss.

Car buyers may browse multiple websites searching for the best deals, but rest assured that they will remember their video call with you.

This is such a unique experience for both parties, and if it boils down to a close-call decision between two dealerships, you may have the upper hand thanks to your attentiveness to their needs.

For one-to-many live video calls, you’ll want to make sure you have your “production set” all ready to go.

This includes what location you want to host the video call in, your script and topics to talk about, frequently asked questions to cover, and exclusive deals.

Really channel your inner influencer to garner excitement around your livestream car event.

How to implement a live video solution for your car dealership

It may seem like there’s a whirlwind of trends to keep up within the automotive industry, but some trends are worth keeping up with to reach your business goals quicker.

Utilising live video for your car dealership is certainly something to consider in 2022.

The race to further digitalise shopping experiences is on.