Now’s the Time to Communicate with Your Customers Via Video

There’s a lot of confusion in the marketplace right now. Is your dealership open? What are you doing to keep me, as a buyer, safe? Should I buy a boat, book a service appointment, or buy parts or accessories from you right now?

The easiest — and most sincere — way to communicate messages to your customer is through video, and we’re seeing more and more dealers take advantage of this outlet as COVID-19 has impacted the entire world, including here in North America.

If you’re no Brad Pitt or Steven Spielberg, that’s OK. Authentic, raw videos work great. They demonstrate your humanity and your realness. And they can show your customers that you’re empathetic to their needs and showing compassion toward your employees, as long as you’re being honest. Check out my video I created in just minutes here.

There are several platforms to use. Facebook is big — you can go live or upload pre-recorded videos. You can do the same with Instagram. You can also send links to videos from Vidyard, Vimeo, YouTube or other services. No matter which format you use, we recommend you at least think about your messaging before you hit the record button, and if you’re not live, don’t be afraid to record a few takes before picking the video you’ll post.

Quite a few dealers have gone to social media as of late to communicate with their customers:

  • Deb Dusenka and Frankie Howerton of Frankie’s Live Bait and Marine in Chisago City, Minnesota, went live with an update on Facebook on March 19.
  • Bob Petzold of Petzold’s Marine Center in Portland, Connecticut, shared alternative ways to buy a boat with their annual open house and boat show being canceled.
  • Rod Bensz of B&E Marine in Michigan City, Indiana, shot video while he was out practicing social distancing during a walk with his dog.
  • Mark Dougherty of N3 Boatworks in Indianapolis, Indiana, has been keeping his customers updated from before they closed their showroom until after they closed.
  • Lake Cumberland Marine in Kentucky has filled its YouTube channel with overhead video of individual boats.

These are just some examples. Send us yours, too! We’d love to see them all! And let Certification Manager Liz Keener (lizk@mraa.com, 763-333-2417) or Member Development Manager Nikki Duffney (nikki@mraa.com, 763-333-2420) know if you could use some additional tips on creating videos.