A growing number of automotive businesses are opting to use how-to videos as part of their content marketing strategy and with good reason. How-to videos are a powerful way to attract more business for your shop because they can have one of several positive effects. A good how-to video shows your knowledge and expertise and, when done right, motivates people not to try to perform repairs on their own.
Why Automotive Repair Videos Exist
The purpose of your automotive how-to videos should not be to teach people how to perform repairs that you charge money to do. They aren’t supposed to frame any repair as being easy. Rather, they need to present them as being easy for a professional. The easier you make it look, the more confident people will be in your ability to do it for them (even if they do decide to give it a go on their own first, which, as you know, doesn’t always work out that well).
Of course, it is important that you give good instructions and make it possible for someone to emulate what you’re doing. The percentage of people who actually will have a go at it, however, is typically very small. That is why your instructions need to be well-presented and easy to understand.
Increasing Engagement
Today, of course, we’re focusing more on the real marketing end of the equation, so let’s talk a bit about how you’re going to get your videos seen by more people. There are a few things you can do to boost engagement by simply writing good descriptions and pairing them with powerful supporting copy. What follows is a list of key examples. If you aren’t using at least some of these suggestions in your current automotive marketing strategy, you probably aren’t getting anywhere near the engagement you could.
#1: Write Intelligent Headlines
These should be simple and to the point. Refrain from using words like “simple” or “easy” because people already know it won’t be for them. Most people go searching for videos that will help them save a little money. Your job is to sell your service, and that starts with your headline.
It is always helpful to use the business name in the headline for your video. Instead of just saying, “2013 Civic Cabin Air Filter Replacement” try something like: “Custom Auto’s Guide to Replacing Your 2013 Civic’s Cabin Air Filter.” This puts the name of the business out in front of the viewer and guides them to the exact video they need for the repair they want to try.
#2: Keep It Simple
The body of your video description should be brief and succinct. Keep descriptions to 100 words or fewer. Honestly, 50 or fewer is even better, but some more involved repairs might warrant a more thorough description.
In the body of the description, you should reiterate the information in the headline: the make and model of the car, the proper name of the repair, and the name and location of the business. In fact, the whole description should really be little more than an expanded version of the headline. Don’t overwhelm your audience with extraneous details or shop speak. The idea here is to convey the message in a way that is easy to digest at a glance and also makes the video searchable.
#3: Use Platform-Specific Keywords
It might come as a surprise to learn that every social media platform – including YouTube – has its own proprietary search engine that responds to specific keywords. For example, Google owns YouTube, so keywords recommended by YouTube will also help people find you in a Google search. This is why I recommended using the location of your shop in the description. It generates a longtail keyword that helps locals find you (and your videos) more readily.
#4: Include Timestamps
Another valuable addition to your video descriptions is a timestamp that highlights specific parts of your video. You also want to drop the name of the business in this section at least once, usually in the first timestamp. For a three-minute video on changing a headlight bulb, for example, your timestamp section might look a little like this:
00:01 – Custom Auto Repair intro
00:05 – Headlight bulb replacement 2008 Nissan Versa hatchback
00:15 – Tools needed
00:30 – Locating and removing cover gasket
00:45 – Removing the anchor clamps
01:05 – Removing the old bulb
01:30 – Replacing the bulb
01:45 – Reseating the anchor clamps
02:00 – Replacing the cover gasket
02:30 – Final check
Supporting Blog Posts
You can increase the visibility of your videos even further with blog posts that adhere to good SEO practices. Make sure the keywords you use in the blog post correspond with those in the video description. Consistency is key to improving rankings. The more consistent your messaging is between platforms, the more credible the major search platforms will judge your content to be.
Blogging also enhances the credibility of the information in the description by expanding on it and offering a bit more detail. Just like the body of your video description is an expansion of the headline, a corresponding blog post should be an expansion of the entire description. Link to it in the video description with a call to action to check it out for a more in-depth explanation of the repair.
Writing Great Video Descriptions with Supporting Copy
If you’ve read this far, chances are you’re looking for ways to make all of your automotive content marketing material more effective. To be honest, the goal of posts like this is exactly the same as that of your videos: to make the task seem easy for a pro. At BeezContent, that’s who we employ: talented, professional writers with specific talents in specific industries and niches.
If you need help increasing your reach and getting more people to watch your videos (and, ultimately, choose your shop for their next repair), contact us. We are eager to show you what powerful, effective, and relevant automotive marketing copy looks like and how we can make it work for you.
