Customers-with-cars videos benefit Calif. store

In an age when seemingly every life moment is shared on social media, Downey Nissan is lending a hand.

The dealership near Los Angeles makes it convenient for customers to share a professional video of their new or used vehicle.

In fact, it has become a key part of the store's sales process.

During delivery, after the paperwork has been signed and the buyer is handed the keys, the salesperson offers to photograph the customer with the vehicle using an iPad.

Using software from Vboost, a viral marketing vendor, a 27-second slideshowlike video is created and sent to the customer via text message or email. Customers then have the option to share the video on social media channels such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and WhatsApp.

The dealership sees the videos as a way to capture the moment for the customer, as well as to spread the word about the store and attract new business.

"The cost of real estate in Los Angeles County is abnormal compared to anywhere else in the country," said Rinaldi Halim, the dealership's managing partner. "Most people, unfortunately, don't have the luxury or opportunity to buy a home. Their single biggest purchase is a vehicle. For me, it was all about allowing that customer to capture that moment. With the way the software is set up, it's meant to share those moments on social media, like Facebook. That's important because consumers' eyeballs are on social media."

Rebeca Galvan, the dealership's marketing director, said customers open about 94 percent of the emails and texts it sends with the software. That means those customers likely will share the video on social media, which in turn promotes the dealership.

"That's phenomenal exposure, because we're getting 48 to 56 views on the actual videos," she said. "You can't get that anywhere else. You can't buy that."

The dealership began using the marketing approach around two years ago, and it has been well received by the sales staff, Galvan said. Each salesperson is encouraged to take photos after every sale.

"They take it very seriously," Galvan said. "It's a good way to build rapport with the customer at the end of the day, so they end it with a positive note."

Additionally, below the video is the salesperson's digital business card, with the employee's photo, name and contact information.

"This is a good way for the salesperson to market themselves," Galvan said.

The dealership displays the photos and videos on screens in the showroom and service department, along with social media posts that include the #DowneyNissan hashtag.

Galvan said the dealership can track how many times a customer's video is viewed and shared. From February through July, the videos generated 4,856 views and 2,894 shares across social media channels.

"It does generate incremental website visits," Halim said. "That usually translates to awareness to your business and leads to sales."

The dealership, which sells about 400 new and used vehicles each month, looks at those numbers as potential new business.

"If we have 187 shares on a video, that's 187 sales opportunities from prospects in other markets," Galvan said.

Another component of the software that has made an impact for the dealership also lives online: reviews.

The texts or emails with the videos contain embedded links to review sites such as Yelp and Google, Galvan said.

That reminder to submit a review of their experience with the dealership has helped raise its profile online, she said.

"Even if we get just one review in the last six months off of Vboost," she said, "that's an opportunity to increase sales because any review counts."