By: Brian Walker; owner of Shop Marketing Pros, a marketing company that specializes in doing top-tier marketing for top-tier shops. Brian and his wife, Kim, are shop owners turned marketers and are teaching multiple classes at VISION 2024.
Every year around this time all of the marketing influencers put out their articles telling us what the trends in marketing will be in the upcoming year.
The same trends stick around for a few years until mass adoption takes place and then it’s no longer a trend; it’s either a new standard or something that just faded away.
For quite a few years now, more use of video has consistently been mentioned as a trend, and it’s nearing that point of mass adoption. In many industries, it has already been there for a while, but as usual, the independent aftermarket has resisted this trend.
2024 Will Be The Year We Finally “Get It”
I’ve been preaching video for the last 3 years. I’ve been preaching “know, like, trust” as long as I can remember. There’s a reason why I constantly shout these from my soapbox.
If you read, listen to, or watch any of my work, you’re probably tired of hearing “People do business with people they know, like, and trust.” All I can say is to get used to it because I like seeing people succeed in business, and this is one of those fundamental truths that when embraced, leads to success.
But What Does That Have To Do With Video?
It’s simple. There is no other marketing medium that allows your audience to come to know, like, and trust you like video will. Video allows people to:
- See your face
- Hear your voice
- Pick up on your mannerisms
- Get a sense for your genuineness
- Access your knowledge
- Learn from you
And without even realizing it, your viewers get to know you, decide if they like you, and begin to trust you.
Why Do I Think 2024 Will Be The Year?
I’ve been telling people in my classes to start using video for the last 3 years and I’ve seen shop owner’s guards finally begin to drop and their minds open up to the idea of getting in front of the camera.
3 of my clients at Shop Marketing Pros now have full-time videographers on staff to capture the day-in and day-out in their business. 2 years ago that was unheard of in our industry.
I see more and more shops building YouTube channels and creating funny, engaging, and even educational short-form videos at a rate that I’ve never seen before.
All of this shows me we’re at a tipping point where this is going to become the norm among the best of the best shops. It will never be the norm among the entire industry, but for those top-tier shops like those who attend Vision – watch what happens.
How Will Using Video Allow Shops To Dominate Their Local Markets?
It has been shown over and over again through countless surveys and studies that consumers prefer to learn about brands through video over any other type of marketing medium. There’s not even a close second.
Consumers don’t trust the auto repair industry as a whole. Using video as a means to get consumers to trust you and your shop, and to even feel like they know your team before they visit you for the first time, gives you an advantage over every other shop you’re competing with.
Nearly every social media platform prioritizes video. This means your posts with videos are shown to a much larger audience than those with just text or text and images. When you utilize video, more eyes are on your content.
Most of your competitors are not using video in their marketing. Yes, I did say I think we’re at a tipping point, but that’s among top-tier shops. Most of your competitors are not top-tier shops. So while they’re fighting each other on price, you’re building trust and building an army of raving fans.
Where Do I Get Started With Video?
VISION 2024 is the place to learn about getting started with video. Chris Enright and I are teaching a class on this very topic. Chris has built an incredible audience on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, and is even a paid influencer in the automotive space. I am the owner of Shop Marketing Pros and my team and I work with shop owners daily in their marketing.
Our class, “Rev Up Your Marketing With The Video Advantage” will take place on Friday afternoon from 1:45 to 5:15.
Chris and I will teach you why you should be using video to promote your shop, all about the various places to post your videos, what types of video you should be creating, long-form vs short-form video, live video vs pre-recorded video, YouTube vs social media, what equipment you need (or don’t need), to edit or not to edit, and we’ll make some videos right there in the class so you can see what the process looks like.
So if you’re not registered for VISION yet, go get registered and make sure to attend our class so your shop can dominate your local market in 2024!
