Automotive videoshot on a phone,judged on appointments

It saves wasted trips and wasted calls. A shopper who has already seen the tread, the scratches and the start-up arrives to talk about buying that car, not to inspect it. A shopper who has seen the salesperson's face knows who is calling back. And a new clip, such as fresh tires or a just-finished detail, gives you a reason to contact a quiet lead that is not another check-in. Each of those only counts if it shows up as booked appointments that arrive.

For the vehicle page, we recommend 60 to 90 seconds. That is long enough to show every panel, the tires, the flaws, a start-up and the interior, and short enough to watch on a phone in a parking lot. Past that point, a walkaround starts repeating what the photos already show. For social, take a separate 20 to 30 second vertical pass while the car is out, rather than cropping the horizontal take.

If you mean a filmed walk all the way around the car, not an interactive 360 spin made with a capture tool, start at the front driver-side corner and walk clockwise at waist height, holding a moment on each wheel, panel and window. Keep the phone level, move slowly and stay a steady distance from the paint. Stop and get close on every flaw. Then open the driver's door, start the engine with the dash in frame, film the interior and finish back where you began, facing the camera.

Yes, and say what the store did about each one. "Scuff on the rear bumper, we left it" or "windshield chip, filled and sealed" sounds like a decision, not a surprise. Cover the paint, the wheels, the glass, seat wear and any warning light. Anything mechanical you know about belongs in your written disclosures as well as on camera, so have counsel confirm what you must disclose.

They do different jobs, so use both. The walkaround sits on the vehicle page and answers condition questions for everyone who looks at that car. The personal reply goes to one person, says their name, shows the detail they asked about and offers two times to come in. One earns the inquiry, the other turns it into an appointment. If you only have time for one this week, start with the replies.

Upload it unlisted to YouTube, or through your CRM's video feature if it has one, so the link opens on any phone with no app or download. Send the link by text or email, or in the Messenger thread for a Marketplace lead, naming the vehicle and offering two appointment times. If your CRM shows whether a video was watched, call soon after it was, while the car is fresh in their mind.

Use the phones your salespeople already carry, add a clip-on wireless mic, and film in open shade. Shoot the walkaround when recon and detail are done, before the photos go live, so it becomes part of getting a car frontline-ready rather than a separate project. Skip music and graphics, and keep editing to a trim in the phone's own editor. One clean take with clear audio is worth more to a shopper than a polished piece that arrives after the car has sold.

Tag every lead that gets a video in your CRM, then compare those leads with the ones that did not on three numbers: appointments set, appointments shown and cars sold from those shown. On the inventory side, compare leads per vehicle page view for cars with a walkaround and cars without. If the video groups do not pull ahead after a fair test, change the video, not the measure.