Parts Marketing Idea – Produce Installation Videos

YouTube is incredibly popular with auto parts buyers, and the reason is simple: YouTube is the best place to find videos explaining how to complete repairs, add accessories, and even check out product reviews. Therefore, if you want to sell more parts, you want to create installation videos.

The Power Of Online Video

It’s no secret that online videos are kind of a big deal:

• YouTube reaches more people between 18 and 34 than any other TV network.
• YouTube is the 2nd most visited website (Google is 1st and Facebook is 3rd).
• People are three times more likely to want to watch a tutorial video than read an instruction manual.

Which brings us to our marketing idea: produce an install video (or series of install videos) and sell more parts.

Elements Of A Good Product Installation Video

Before you start making videos on your phone, it’s important to understand what makes for a “good” install video vs a bad one.

Good product install videos require considerable effort. If you make a good video, people will watch it closely, believe what you say, and buy your product. If you make a poor video, they might not trust or believe you, and odds are good they just won’t bother to watch.

Planning And Producing An Automotive Instruction How-To Video

We’ll be honest: video production is hard. While it’s certainly possible to produce good or great how-to videos on a shoestring budget (companies do it every day), it requires skill and practice – and considerable time – to pull off. If you’re looking for advice on creating videos on a budget, there’s a great tutorial on TutsPlus that will help you get going. You can also search Google for “budget video production tips” and find thousands of articles offering tips and advice.

However, the best budget video production advice is this: Get yourself a camera, an external mic, create a basic storyboard, and then practice, practice, practice. Don’t plan to produce any videos you’ll want to show to the general public until you’ve made a few practice videos.

If your company is open to spending some money on video production, there are a lot of options:

• Many of the companies that produce popular automotive television shows – like Brenton Productions and RTM Productions – offer packages that include how-to video production and advertising
• Many of the media companies that exhibit at SEMA offer video production services
• There are local video production companies large and small in most cities

In terms of costs, video production can range from a few hundred dollars to produce a video in-house (assuming you assign a moderately salaried employee to video production) to tens of thousands of dollars to have a high-quality install video that features a recognizable television actor.

Final Tips

1. There’s No Shame In Mimicry

When it comes to planning out a how-to/install video, don’t try and reinvent the format. Find a popular automotive how-to/install video on YouTube that’s similar to what you want to produce (or better yet, a handful of popular videos), and then follow their format. There’s no shame in doing what works.

2. Write A Script, But Let The Actor Ad-Lib

Start by scripting out the information you want to convey in the video, timing it out, and then storyboarding from the script. But when it’s time to shoot, let your actor ad-lib. They need to look comfortable and casual, so they shouldn’t be reading from cue cards or straining to repeat lines from memory.

3. Get A Release From Everyone

Whether it’s a professional actor, a family friend, or an employee, pay them to be in your video and get them to release any claims to video rights in the future. Same goes for any contractors or vendors you hire to help you make your video.

While it might seem a bit paranoid to get a release from everyone who touches your video, it’s the smartest way to protect yourself from problems down the road as copyright laws favor the people who actually create the video, not the people who pay for that right. The good news is that boilerplate releases are easy to find.