LESA December 2015 Newsletter

Written by LESA on December 7, 2015.

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Vehicle Video Stats from Google, Testimonial App Revamp, DIY Program Info, Holiday Message

Vehicle Video and “Micro Moments”

A Google Study

It’s no secret that the bulk of the vehicle shopping process takes place online these days. 2014 Statistics from J.D Power say that the average shopper spends about 14 hours conducting research online before ever entering a dealership. In addition to that, a recent study by Google emphasizes the importance of online “micro” moments (times when shoppers turn to digital devices for quick vehicle info) and the influence video has on shoppers during the time when they are deciding which vehicle is best and which out of those is right for them.

The “Which-Car-is-Best?” Moment

During this first stage of the research process, shoppers consult forums, friends, and review sites to figure out exactly which cars are best out of the multitude available to them. YouTube is a popular place to start and the Google study showed that an astonishing 69% of those who used it to research vehicles were influenced by what they saw.

69% of people who used YouTube while buying a car were influenced by it - more than TV, newspapers, or magazines.

Thanks to our white-hat SEO methods, LESA videos are present during this more general stage of the research process. Dealers signed up with our video program often find their videos on the front page of Google by using fairly broad search queries.

A LESA video on the front page of Google

The “Is-it-Right-for-Me?” Moment

In this stage of research, a shopper is realistically refining results. They are interested in fuel economy, seating, features, body-style, and other vehicle characteristics that will tell them if the car they’re looking at fits in with their lifestyle. Videos, unsurprisingly, rank very highly at this juncture. Three types of video in particular are shown to be valued above others:

Time spent watching test drives, features and options, and walkthroughs for videos went up 2x in the past year

A LESA Video combines two of these elements into one product. Vehicle features and options are described by real, human voiceover talent over a 360, interior/exterior video of an actual car on a dealer’s lot.

Testimonial App Revamp

The Dealer Video Testimonial App is about to experience some big changes! Aside from a name update (it will now be called the Dealer Video Suite), two new features will now be available. Along with the classic testimonial and thank you video features, users who are also enrolled in or video inventory program will now be able to add an existing vehicle video from a library to a walk-around message. This will facilitate the walk-around creation process for sales-team members (those not signed up with video inventory services can still shoot walk-around videos themselves if they wish).

Video inventory screenshot

All users, non-inventory clients included, will be able to text message all video types (testimonials, thank-you, and walk around) to a customer’s cell phone for on-the-go viewing and sharing.

New video message

The app interface is also set to receive an upgrade, improving its look, feel, and functionality. You can expect to see the Dealer Video Suite in the app store in the first quarter of 2016. All existing testimonial customers will receive optional transitional training.

Don’t have the app yet? Give us a call at 1-877-829-2328 or send us an email at sales@lesautomotive.com to find out how to sign up!

DIY Program

One of the most frequent questions we get from potential DIY clients regarding the need for our inventory video services is “Can’t I just do this myself?” And the answer is, sure! You can shoot the video yourself, but that’s only a small fraction of the process. Without LESA, a do-it-yourself dealer will have to perform voiceover narration (either during or after the video shoot), upload each video individually to their website and YouTube, and then still not be able to publish to Autotrader, Cars.com, or any other third-party site that requires video syndication.

LESA does all of this for you automatically. Our simplified process requires an employee to simply download our software for Android, iOS, or PC, shoot and match the video to a stock number, and upload to us. LESA takes care of the rest by publishing the videos your website (mobile included), Autotrader, Cars.com, and to YouTube with automated SEO tags, titles and descriptions. You’ll also get the benefit of our real, human voiceover, choice of background music, and video intros and outros. Additionally, with the Vid2Pic photo extraction software option, you’ll no longer have to take photos. Simply extract 12, 40, 60 photos from the existing video you already shot.

App screenshot

iPad Screenshot

Click here to find out more about our video inventory services and here to contact us about enrollment.

We’d like to end this newsletter, and this year, on a warm note. There are plenty of news stories circulating currently that are upsetting, and downright scary, but it’s important to remember that goodness does exist and is often under-reported. We’d like to thank our friends at Mike Shaw for the following story of kindness and humanitarianism during the holiday season. Keep up the good work!