Video for car dealers: what to film, what to say and when to send it

A shopper who fills out a lead form usually sends it to several stores and gets the same "Is now a good time to talk?" reply from each. A 30-second video from a real person, standing at the car, with the shopper's name in the first sentence, stands out. It proves the car is there, answers the question, and starts a relationship before the first call.

Dealers who use video report more appointments from the same leads. The figures below come from vendors and dealers, not independent studies, so read them as a direction rather than a promise:

• Impel reports 40% more showroom appointments in a 20-store test of AI-generated personal video. Impel, vendor-reported.
• AutoSuccess reports a large dealer group turned 30% more leads into appointments when they got a video. AutoSuccess.
• TradePending reports 25% more cars sold in a year at a group with under five stores. TradePending, vendor-reported.
• A Hyundai store sends a video to every internet lead and reaches 75% of them within 5 minutes. Dealership Guy.

1. Lead reply. Within minutes of a new lead, at the car they asked about. Script.
2. Personal walkaround. For a buyer far away: engine running, tires, interior and any flaws. Script.
3. Meet your salesperson. Before an appointment, so the shopper knows who to ask for. It helps cut no-shows.
4. Trade-in follow-up. After an appraisal, to explain the number. Script.
5. Delivery thank-you. The day after, with one ask for a review. Script.

Service departments use the same idea for repair findings. Service videos.

Most replies land between 30 and 60 seconds; a personal walkaround can run 90 seconds to two minutes. CarShots allows up to 2 minutes, which keeps every video short enough to watch in a parking lot. If you have more to say, send a second video after they reply.

• New leads: right away. Speed matters more than polish.
• Before appointments: the evening before or the morning of.
• Trade-ins: the same day as the appraisal.
• Deliveries: the day after.

Text it from your own phone where you can: shoppers open texts from a person. Use email when that's how the shopper wrote in, with a moving preview so they can see it's a video.

• Face the light. Stand so the sun is behind your phone, not behind you.
• Get close to the mic. Wind on the lot eats your voice; turn your back to it.
• Hold each detail for two seconds. Shoppers watch on small screens.
• Don't script word for word. Know your four beats and talk.
• Captions matter: many people watch with the sound off. CarShots adds them automatically.

Video programs fade for the same few reasons: a separate app and login at the wrong moment, uploads that fail on a weak signal at the back of the lot, and contracts that outlast the enthusiasm.

Pick a tool that records in the browser the salesperson already has open, keeps uploading when the signal drops, and doesn't lock you into a year. Then make one video type a habit (the lead reply is the easiest) before adding the rest.

Dealer tools like Covideo, CitNOW, TruVideo and TradePending Video sell on a demo or a quote; general tools like BombBomb, Vidyard and Loom charge per seat and don't know about cars. CarShots Video messages. Free forever for 1 salesperson with unlimited videos; $19 a month for the whole store. Record in the browser (up to 2 minutes) or upload, put the video on a page for one shopper or on top of the car's Car Page, and text it from your own phone or email it with a moving preview. Captions the shopper can switch to their language, watch alerts, and CRM leads as ADF/XML on Car Pages Pro. How it works.

Compare all of them, with prices, in the roundup.