Magazine ads have worked in the past, but with more people shopping online, multi-channel personalized automotive marketing is the way to go.
Marketing and Advertising Agencies know that the automotive marketing world is ever-changing, from the days of simply putting an ad in a newspaper to now, where nearly everything is online. Trying to keep up with the trends, stay relevant, and not lose sight of potential customers is one of the toughest tasks they face, especially those who don’t necessarily have a dedicated team to ensure ads and campaigns are running successfully.
They also know that thanks to this digital explosion, many end customers wouldn’t even think of buying a car without researching everything they possibly could before even stepping onto the dealership lot. In fact according to autotrader.com the average shopper spends nearly 12.5 hours researching the web before even considering going to a dealership.
So how do auto dealer marketing agencies manage their clients advertising? Many agencies put their money into buying clicks online, which will bring potential buyers to their page. But how will they keep the customers there? The key is to implement a multi-channel personalized auto marketing campaign capable of reaching out to customers in multiple ways.
Personalization: The Key to Your Automotive Marketing Engine
According to a recent study by J&C two out of three consumers said they prefer personalized auto marketing. Personalization has been proven to be one of the strongest, most effective tactics in automotive marketing. And the more data you have, the better your personalized automotive marketing can be. In fact,the amount of information that auto dealerships have at their fingertips can lead to some incredible personalization techniques. Not only does your agency have the basics, like first name, last name, address. But you also have data like personal income, car year, make, model, and mileage. All of this can be leveraged to implement a series of direct mail, microsites, and emails that can be 100% personalized for each prospect.
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Every year customers are doing more research online, why not set up a personalized campaign for them in order to do the hard work for them?
With all of this data and the right software, you’ll be able to run campaigns for dealerships that range anywhere from providing a coupon to a customer that probably needs an oil change, all the way to providing suggestions and deals for customers who may be in the market to trade in for a newer model. Campaigns that feature personalized direct mail pieces that lead to a personalized microsites and drip campaign emails can increase response rates by over 300%! And while some customers may prefer emails, direct mail isn’t a thing of the past. In fact, according to a consumer behavior study, younger shoppers actually prefer snail mail marketing over online ads that show up on social media feeds.
Multi-Channel Automotive Marketing
By sending a personalized postcard, flyer, or ad to a household that features a personalized URL leading to a personalize microsite, you’re adding a new outreach channel to go along with the online research your prospect is doing. Rather than going through multiple searches the customer is brought right where they are needed.
Once a prospect reaches their personalized microsite, set up a form to capturing additional date (especially email if you don’t already have it). Then, follow up with a series of emails to nurture the lead. This will remind the customer of the outreach you’ve done through other channels, and let them know about different offers and deals that could lead them to make a visit to the dealership or submit an online inquiry.