Trying to incorporate video into the marketing strategy at your dealership? Here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Find your Fellini. Someone on your staff has shot and edited video. One great tip in spotting these folks is to seek out the glowing Apple logo on devices, then ask the owner about video editing. As soon as you identify your subject, tell him or her that they now specialize in Video Production. It’s important enough, now and in the future, to have a full-time expert.
    
2. Invest in gear. Like anything, the difference between pro and amateur is noticeable. The good news is that for under $2k you can get a (deductible) DSLR camera and external mic/lav mic that will open up new frontiers of production value.
    
3. Figure out what you’re trying to say and to whom. There are two questions to ask when beginning to plan for video production: What’s the message and who is the audience?
    
4. Always shoot horizontal. This is easy to remember: your eyes are next to each other, horizontally. A TV has a horizontal 16:9 aspect ratio. You don’t want blurry bars on either side of your video so just shoot horizontal, Okay?
    
5. Pay attention to audio. The way a video sounds is every bit as important as how it looks. Audiences are sophisticated and if it sounds amateurish, you don’t give them an opportunity to pay attention. There’s no better way to lose a viewer than bad audio.
    
6. Change up your shot perspective. For the purpose of this discussion, there are basically 3 types of shots: wide, medium, and tight. Use them all but vary them, i.e., don’t cut from a wide to a wide.
    
7. Watch things technically. Go find a movie you like and pay attention to how it’s put together. You’ll see the shot variety, attention to sound design and storytelling in pictures that this article merely hints at. Once you do this, it’ll change the way you see things forever and ultimately for the better.

Learn more about how video can improve your dealership's marketing strategy at NADA Show 2018 this March in Las Vegas, Nevada. Here are just a few of the relevant education sessions that will help you take your dealership's video strategy to the next level:

• 8 Most Powerful Video Marketing & Communication Strategies
• Dominating Your Market with a Micro Targeted Video Strategy
• Super Session: Leveraging the Digital Giants - Google, Facebook and Twitter
• Beyond the Data: The Importance of the Message
• Maximize Facebook's Ad Platform to Get More Leads TODAY
• Convert Facebook Ads to Offline Customers

Eric Hunsaker is a Film and TV professional who is currently Director of Video Production at NADA. He’s worked on more than 50 feature films and dozens of TV shows, commercials and music videos. Eric also served on the faculty at Boston University’s Center for Digital Imaging Arts program.