CINCINNATI — Dealer Specialties, a division of Dominion Dealer Solutions and a provider of data and photo collection, inventory management and data distribution services, announced the addition of Vehicle Videos (VeVos) to its service offerings for its automotive dealer customers.

“These days an effective Internet marketing strategy is critical to a dealers’ success,” said Brian Page, general manager of Dealer Data Services. “The sooner a dealer can become involved in the purchasing process, the more opportunity that dealer has to keep the customer engaged and keep them away from competitors.”

VeVos utilize the latest in Flash technology to create a “walkaround” video experience on the Internet, in effect creating a 30-60 second commercial for individual vehicles, including music and professional voice over audio.

In a two-month trial program, Dealer Specialties produced more than 1,000 videos for more than 100 dealer customers. Online videos were opened more than 11,000 times, or an average of 11-12 opens per video. Results also reveal that when videos were viewed, consumers stayed on the site an average of 25-35 percent longer, and that click-throughs from corresponding links increased 10-15 percent.

According to the Online Publishers Association (OPA), 44 percent of consumers have taken some action as a result of viewing an online video ad; and in JD Powers & Associates online review, 80 percent of people under the age of 40 used the Internet in the automotive shopping process.

VeVos can be viewed online as part of Dealer Specialties’ Vehicle Manager tool, or can be stored on a server and included in targeted e-mail marketing campaigns sent from a CRM. VeVos are available now and can be purchased as part of a service package offered by Dealer Specialties Inc.