You’re the best at what you do. You know it, your loyal customers know it… why not show the rest of the world (or, at a minimum, a bunch more people who could be your customers right now)?
Maybe that’s why, until now, you’ve shied away from the prospect of producing some “how-to” videos to promote your shop. There’s lots of content out there already and you won’t be saying anything that hasn’t already been said dozens of times by other people.
The thing about content marketing, though, is that successful content has far less to do with what you say as it does with how you say it. The overall quality of the video and the way you present the information make all the difference.
The Goal of Professional How-To Content
If you actually were to look at some of the amateur how-to videos on the more popular upload sites, you would notice a pattern. The message of many of these videos is, “This is easy. You can do it yourself.” You would also likely look at those videos and think, “Yeah, maybe you could, but you really shouldn’t.” You know that a professional hand can be the difference between a good repair and a bad one. You also know that bad repairs can lead to bigger problems.
That, right there, is the message you want to convey in a how-to for your business. The point is not to show how easy it is, but how easy it is for a professional. You don’t want the job to look easy. You want it to look like someone who does this for a living did it and did it right. Of course, that idea is framed in the notion that if someone were to try to do this, it would work if they followed all the steps.
The Pain of Persuasion
All marketing content either exists to solve (or points in the direction of a solution to) a problem. If someone is looking up videos on how to change a headlight on a 2013 Sentra, that, right there, is the pain point.
That person has a light out and has discovered – the hard way – that precious few vehicles make the process of changing bulbs easy or fast anymore. Your job is not to dissuade them from doing it themselves, but rather persuade them that you can do it faster, better, and at a good price.
Conveying Your Message Through Video
From the perspective of automotive content creation, it’s important to understand everything I just explained before you start scripting out your next video. Yes, you want it scripted. You also want to ad-lib and make it personal.
Think of your script as an outline that you can expound on in real-time. Your how-to script writing methods need to be organized and thorough, so you don’t wind up forgetting to include some vital bits of information along the way.
There are two ways you can do this. You can either explain as you go in real-time while the camera rolls, or you can go fully scripted and narrate a preproduced video.
People like feeling as though they are having a conversation with their content. They don’t like being “talked at” as much as they like to feel immersed in the process. Your video needs to provide that kind of experience. If it doesn’t, people will simply click past it and look at the next one in the sidebar. To prevent that from happening, follow these steps:
#1 – Brainstorm the progression of your video from beginning to end. Write down every piece of information that needs to be in the video in the order in which it needs to be presented. This is just an outline. Worry about the actual script later.
#2 – Divide the details into two categories: “show” and “tell.” This is where you determine which parts to narrate and which ones to present in real-time. What are the major and minor details? The more intricate details – particularly those that would motivate someone to seek out a professional to handle – should get the spotlight and be well-covered visually to show how complicated the process actually is.
Do you see where I’m going with this? Show that it can be done, but cast doubt on whether or not someone untrained can do it well.
#3 – Draft your script. Better yet, hand over your notes to someone versed in automotive content creation and let them take a crack at it. Odds are you’ll come up with a script that flows more smoothly and keeps you more on point than one you write yourself.
#4 – Make it look professional, but not polished. Think in terms of reality TV versus a TV commercial. You want the process to look real and you want the words to sound real. Don’t over-edit or do multiple takes if you can avoid it. Your viewers are expecting information, not the top contender at Sundance.
Finally, if you’re stammering over your words, if you drop tools, if you swear a lot… these things you’ll probably want to edit out. The real-time aspect of this, however, is very important so, you know, try not to do those things. Again, if all of this feels a little overwhelming, don’t hesitate to call in the pros. Time, as you know, is money, and even paying someone to draft a script can save you loads of both in the long run.
