WEST CHESTER, Pa. — HomeNet recently revealed a new enhancement to its Video Online Marketing suite. Dealers now can take their live video ads for their vehicle inventory and create hundreds of still images.

Company officials contend that the depth of still images can be used throughout a dealer's Web site or online classifieds.

When dealers choose this option, HomeNet explained that Video Online can slice the video into hundreds of high quality still images from which dealers can select. Company officials stress that in a matter of seconds, the dealer has as many or few of the images as desired and can push those images to that vehicle's content management section inside of HomeNet's Inventory Online Internet Marketing suite. 

Tim Jennings, Internet director of Tom Sparks Toyota in Dekalb, Ill., expressed great excitement about what this enhancement could do for his marketing efforts.

"This is huge, and it will be the standard for all dealerships," Jennings emphasized.

"I shoot a lot of actual videos for my inventory, and being able to turn those videos into high quality, still images will save me the 30 minutes it takes me to also shoot, name, and upload pictures for that vehicle," he went on to note.

"With that time, I can shoot even more videos," Jennings added.

For dealers not already using the solution, HomeNet said it's offering a free 30-day trial to new Video Online customers.

HomeNet reiterated that Video Online's live video upload feature can allow dealers to upload their own video footage of a vehicle from within HomeNet's IOL Inventory Marketing Suite. The tool then can associate that video with the vehicle and distribute the content to the dealer's Web site, YouTube and online classifieds. Additional information with the video includes each vehicle's marketing data as well as the unit's installed and enhanced options, detailed description, dealer comments and more.

"Today, top dealerships are spending the extra time to shoot live video of their vehicles instead of using traditional picture-to-video products. They realize that this small investment of time turns every video into a mini-commercial, which allows the dealership to really ‘sell the car,'" accentuated Tim James, director of sales at HomeNet.

"This can dramatically increase the emotional response from the consumer and drive a lot of traffic," James continued.

"Without Video Online, dealers still have had to take individual photos of each vehicle to attach to their Internet ads and distribute throughout the Internet," he went on to state. "Video Online's video-to-still-images feature removes that extra step and saves the dealership a lot of time."