That's what Dr. James McQuivey of Forrester Research said recently when talking about one minute of video—he says it's worth 1.8 million words.
Do you realize that watching online videos is now considered a mainstream daily activity? Surveys show that 78 percent of people watch video at least once a week, and 55 percent watch daily.
So the question is, are you using video to market your repair shop online?
If you're not, you're most likely missing out on opportunities. It is claimed that using video to promote your business is six times more effective than print advertising. Both Gigaom.com and Cisco say videos are 53 times more likely than text pages to appear on the first page of Google organic search pages. (Do you think it could be because Google owns YouTube?)
I could go on and on with statistics, but everything points to the fact that more and more people across all age groups and demographics are watching more and more video. It's also been shown that people who watch videos are far more likely to take action, contact the company or complete a purchase.
And to top if all off, YouTube claims a 52.8-percent increase in web traffic from 2012 to 2013 alone!
Now, if you're thinking that the mobile users are different, you're wrong. YouTube claims there's an average of 1 billion mobile video views per day and that mobile makes up about 40 percent of the site's overall traffic.
In fact, there just isn't anything negative to tell you about video except that if you're not already using it or working to put it on your website, you losing out.
But think about it. Which would you rather do? Read 300, 500 or a couple of thousand words on a web page or watch a few minutes of video? Your customer and prospects are pretty much the same.
What do you need to get started? A simple video camera and a tripod gets you going. I could give you a laundry list of audio and lighting accessories, but everyone has to start somewhere. In fact, I recently did some video work using a simple Canon Elph pocket-size camera that takes full 1080p HD video.
With the advances in the camera technology, I'll tell you that you don't have to invest a lot to get started.
What should you put into your video? The short answer is, “Lots!” But to start, consider a simple welcome video on your home page. I constantly remind shop owners that people are tired of doing business with faceless corporations. Hiding behind your website isn't going to get you first place in any popularity contest, I promise.
Show your prospect who you are. Tell them what you do, when you do it (hours) and why they should be bringing their car to you.
Remember, finding a new repair shop can be a scary thing for a lot of people. Some studies claimed that choosing a shop was more stressful than going to the dentist. You can break a lot of ice and create a warm welcome with just a couple of minutes of video on your home page.
Matthew Lee, is an automotive service marketing specialist and author of the book, “The Official Guide to Auto Service Marketing,” which offers “no-cost” and “low-cost” marketing strategies for auto service businesses. For a free copy of the book, visit www.JustTheBestMarketing.com.