If you’ve been following our series on how video can elevate your marketing strategy, then you’re already well aware of how transformative video can be. In this installment, we are looking at the role that hosting video plays in the shopper experience.
Video content is not necessarily hosted (and streamed from) your website where people are visiting. This may sound counterintuitive at first. After all, isn’t the access site (aka the touch point) also where the content is hosted?
No.
Truth is that most touch points don’t want to host your video content. The reason is simple: Video files are huge, and the file size puts extra strain on the touch point servers which results in a slower and less stable user experience.
As such, most automotive website providers to do not host and stream your videos from their web servers. They utilize third-party video hosting and streaming providers.
Probably the most common implementation of third-party video hosting is YouTube. And while convenient, this is not necessarily the best application for your dealership website. For one, by implementing YouTube videos on your website, you are effectively giving YouTube unfettered access to your website visitors. That is the trade-off for F-R-E-E.
The Consequences of Using YouTube for Hosting Videos on Your Website
A hosting provider such as YouTube is able to aggregate data from each viewer’s history. This includes things like the touch points that lead a user to your video, and other behaviors and activities, including those on your website. All these data points feed into the algorithm that determines the viewer’s experience.
Do you think YouTube is designed to drive more of your relevant video content to those visitors, or more of its own relevant video content?
You guessed it…the latter – its own. That’s the price you pay for a free host provider such as YouTube.
Own the Data, Control the Experience
If YouTube can do this with its users, then why not leverage the same tactic with your users?
Well when you are the video host…you can.
Access to deep information like this can not only enhance a marketing campaign, it allows you to expand on it. It can change a one-way marketing campaign into something that is dynamic and more personalized. It allows you, as the creator, more control over what content is served. All things that go right back into your bottom line and return on investment, just like with other digital marketing tactics with which you are already familiar.
Basis of a Digital Advertising Campaign
- Create Campaign
- Set Budget
- Upload Content
- Ad Server Recognizes Shopper and Serves Ad
The more information you have about what brings a viewer to your campaign and how they are interacting with it, the better you can tailor that content to the viewer. It’s no different with video content.
Try it on your virtual storefront
An auto retailer, for example, can identify repeat visitors for an equity offer campaign.
By combining and analyzing data from their video host, website, and in-house data, the retailer could present customized videos based on specific makes or models that fit the shopper’s budget. And once identified, those users could then be directed towards other videos and information related to the campaign that are relevant to the shopper.
In this way, creating video content supported by data collection and analysis creates a deeper and more meaningful layer to the campaign. It essentially digitizes the old adage – “Work smarter, not harder.”
Share Your Experience in the Comments Below
How are you utilizing video to create more dynamic and personalized experiences with your website visitors? We want to hear from you. Share your thoughts, comments, and questions below…
About This Series
This video and post are part of a series titled Video Marketing for Auto Retailers which also includes a Free Online Video Course. The series and course are brought to you by Flick Fusion – the auto industry’s most robust video marketing platform.
Previously published titles in the series include:
- Video Marketing Tip – Hosting & Distribution: It’s All About the Data
- Video Marketing Tips – Video Editing Software
- Video Production Tips For Auto Retailers – Equipment & Lighting
- 5 Ways Retailers Will Fail With Video Marketing
- 6 Video Types for Auto Dealers and Retailers
- Examples of Value Proposition Videos
- Video Marketing for Automotive Sales Professionals
In addition to the videos and posts in the series, we also provide periodic webinars for automotive professionals interested in video marketing. Recent best practices webinars include:
For a complete list of all material brought to you by Flick Fusion, follow this link.
