Sleepers: How to Maximize the Hidden Value of your Database

Join Outsell’s Vice President of Advanced Services, Jon Petron, at Digital Dealer 25 in the Mirage Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Jamaica Room A&B on Thursday, October 18, from 12:15 PM – 1:05 PM as he explores one of the best kept industry secrets:

Your most valuable shoppers are already with you.

Dealers can make the most of their data and capitalize on all the information in their CRM and DMS but often hesitate to implement a plan to get started. A surprising amount of your databases are comprised of unsold leads and prior customers (even when dormant), who can yield more profit than you expect once brought back to life.

Dealers who ignore these sleeping consumers do so at your own peril because competitors are already implementing the tools and strategies designed to help you know when customers and prospects are back in market, re-engaging those consumers at the right time with the right content individualized to them.

Taking advantage of your data, however, starts with keeping that data clean, both for reaching new prospects and for leveraging real-time sales data to improve retention tactics.

Outsell recommends mandatory eAppends as we’ve identified that less than 50% of our client databases have reachable records combining both CRM and DMS. An initial eAppend can help increase that reach by 10-30%.

Once you are communicating regularly, leveraging the data behind engagements as well as activity across the web is what allows for relevant messaging. First, you need to ask: What do you consider a lead? And at what point do you move on to the next one?

Training your staff to communicate with potential buyers is also imperative, especially when using the data available about their behaviors and needs. One of the best ways to ensure accurate and relevant follow-up with unsold leads as well as dormant customers is through marketing automation.

Marketing automation is software that provides individualization and automated sending for  email communications, while simultaneously letting the consumer drive the content they receive. Employing a marketing automation solution can give dealers a competitive advantage in retaining customers and unsold leads that blasting emails out of your CRM simply cannot.

But automation alone isn’t enough. Artificial intelligence allows for more robust lifecycle management, keeping you in front of consumers more relevantly with the least amount of hassle. Your dealership needs AI and automation that fits your specific needs to best utilize your existing data and go after the ‘sleepers’ you’d otherwise miss out on.

Learn more at Jon’s panel during Digital Dealer 25 – Sleepers: How to Maximize the Hidden Value of your Database.

REGISTER NOW to attend the show.

Outsell and Agency Partner DSplus Win WebAward & Finalist for Digiday

Outsell announced today with agency partner DSplus, that it was named the winner of the 2018 WebAward Automobile Standard of Excellence Award for the 2018 Toyota CH-R Launch Campaign. Outsell’s technology platform behind the Toyota CH-R campaign was also named a finalist for the Digiday Technology Awards in the category Best Marketing Automation platform. This is the seventh award this year that Outsell and DSplus have won for the co-created Toyota CH-R launch campaign.

“Thank you Digiday and Web Marketing Association for the recognition and I want to also congratulate the teams at Outsell and DSplus,” said Michael Wethington, President and CEO, Outsell. “The CH-R campaign proves that individualized communications can make a measurable impact on sales and overall customer engagement. Toyota knew it had to amp up its marketing to rise above the noise and this campaign clearly demonstrates that timely and relevant digital marketing can effectively attract customers and have an impact on the bottom line.”

The 2018 Toyota CH-R Launch Campaign
DSplus and Outsell devised a multi-step, individualized cross-tier marketing campaign that was central to the launch, and provided dealers with templates and directions, which meant very little work for the dealers. For several months prior to the launch, each dealer sent teaser emails regarding CH-R in order to gather behavioral data and measure interest in the new 2018 model. The subsequent launch campaign consisted of three main elements. First, a targeted initial trigger email to spread awareness and send traffic to a second element – a custom Toyota CH-R microsite. Next, consumers were encouraged to schedule a test drive and browse local dealers’ inventory via the exclusive microsite. The third launch element was a targeted follow-up drip email to consumers who engaged in the initial email and microsite. Each email was individualized to the consumer’s past behavior and stated interests.

The overall goals were to drum up excitement, create new dialog with interested consumers and close the deal on a new Toyota CH-R. The results were impressive: more than 200,000 consumers interacted with the CH-R launch emails and microsite, moving thousands of CH-Rs off the lot for participating dealers, resulting in close to a million in sales. To view examples of the award-winning campaign emails and microsite, visit 2018 Toyota CH-R Launch Campaign.

Outsell provided the technology behind the campaign, a marketing automation platform driven by artificial intelligence that increases customer engagement and drives more revenue by transforming how dealers engage with customers and prospects throughout their individual lifecycles.

About WebAward and Web Marketing Association
The Web Marketing Association was founded in 1997 to help set a high standard for Internet marketing and development of the best websites on the World Wide Web. The Web Marketing Association is the producer of the WebAward Competition. Now in its 17th year, the WebAward program is the longest running annual website award competition dedicated to naming the best Web sites in 96 industries while setting the standard of excellence for all website development.

About Digiday
The Digiday Technology Awards, formerly the Digiday Signal Awards, recognize the technology bringing transparency, efficiency, and effectiveness to the media and marketing processes for brands, agencies and publishers. The Digiday Awards programs are dedicated to recognizing innovation, creativity and excellence in the fields of publishing, content marketing, advertising, advertising technology and video. The awards programs are considered to be one of the most influential in the industry.

About DSplus
DSplus connects brands, retailers and customers to help sell more cars. Using sharp insights and spot-on analysis, we put the right offers in front of the right people at the right time, so dealerships can turn shoppers into buyers – and buyers into loyalists. With our team of steadfast, hands-on account managers, award-winning creative whizzes and ultra-analytical social strategists, DSplus is ready to work with any Toyota and Lexus dealership to start driving sales. Check out our website or contact us at support@dsplus.com to learn more.

 

Live discussion with senior digital marketing execs from Dream Motor Group and Titus Automotive Group

Outsell announced today that it will co-host a webinar with Automotive News on August 9, 2018 about marketing strategies that apply to single-point dealers and multiple stores. The live webinar, titled “Dealership Marketing Strategies: Group vs. Single Store,” features experienced speakers Amy Rothenberger, Director of Marketing & Business Development at Dream Motor Group, Courtney Titus Barr, Digital Marketing Manager at Bruce Titus Automotive Group, and Jess Johnson, Senior Dealer Success Representative at Outsell.

Single-point dealers and groups alike are looking for more modern-day techniques to market smarter and use marketing automation driven by Artificial Intelligence to create more individualized customer engagement and efficient marketing plans. AI-driven marketing automation delivers 1:1 marketing that consumers expect today and allows dealers to create lasting relationships with customers while leaving the heavy lifting to marketing automation.

This webcast will provide dealer attendees with examples of real-world tactics and an overview of the solutions they used that resulted in marketing success as well as the relevant challenges they faced throughout the process. Attendees will also learn more from an expert point of view on:

• Expert points of view on developing a modern marketing organization
• Real-life stories about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to analyzing marketing efforts
• Practical advice on how to capture the most value from dealership marketing investments

Who:
Amy Rothenberger, Director of Marketing & Business Development at Dream Motor Group, Courtney Titus Barr, Digital Marketing Manager at Bruce Titus Automotive Group and Jess Johnson, Senior Dealer Success Representative at Outsell. Moderated by Hannah Lutz, F&I Editor at Automotive News.

What:
“Dealership Marketing Strategies: Group vs. Single Store”

Where:
Online webcast at registration link

When:
Thursday, August 9, 2018 at 2:00 pm ET

 

Outsell Sees Significant Growth in Q2

Outsell announced today that auto dealers’ pressing need to improve and measure the impact of digital marketing programs helped it drive significant growth in new dealer group business, and expansions with existing customers.

Financially, Q2 was another solid quarter for Outsell, with bookings ahead of plan. Direct revenue growth for the first half of 2018 grew 43 percent over the same period last year, and the average deal size during the first half of 2018 was 36 percent higher than it was for 2017.

“Dealers are very receptive to our message of providing automated, individualized customer engagement,” said Mike Wethington, Founder and CEO of Outsell. “Dealers continue to tell us that while many vendors are talking about Artificial Intelligence, Outsell is the only one delivering, with marketing solutions that are grounded in AI yet easy to use. We are masking the complexity of AI to put the technology within reach for dealers.”

During Q2, Outsell also won six prestigious awards related to its work:

• Gold Stevie® Award in the 16^th Annual American Business Awards® in the category Marketing Campaign of the Year – Automotive Vehicles.
• Digiday Content Marketing Award in the category Most Original Email Campaign.
• 2018 Communicator Award Distinction in the categories Campaign-Business to Consumer for Integrated Campaign and Campaign-Promotional for Integrated Campaign.
• Gold 2018 Summit Creative Awards in the category Integrated Consumer Campaign.
• Interactive Media Best in Class Award from the Interactive Media Council in the Automobile category.
• Web Marketing Association’s 2018 Internet Advertising Competition Award for Outstanding Achievement in Internet Advertising in the category Best Automobile Integrated Advertising Campaign.

Features AutoHook powered by Urban Science, Dolan Auto Group, and Fenton Family Dealerships

Outsell announced today that it will co-host a webinar with Automotive News on June 26, 2018 about how auto dealers can optimally target cross-channel communications by leveraging artificial intelligence to improve marketing effectiveness and drive more business. Titled, “You Don’t Need Super Powers to be Effective with Email Marketing,” the webinar features speakers David Metter, Co-Founder & President, AutoHook powered by Urban Science; Lucas Neiderer, Senior Marketing Manager, Dolan Auto Group; George Thompson, Director of Operations, Fenton Family Dealerships; and Jon Petron, Vice President of Advanced Services at Outsell.

Consumer expectations are increasing at the speed of light. How can dealers possibly get ahead if they are not listening to their consumers and connecting with them in ways that they expect today?

Join these industry experts as they explore how optimally targeting communications, refining your content, and putting the focus on data are paramount to every dealer’s success in 2018, especially with email marketing. More sophisticated marketers are segmenting their campaigns – just as they did with direct mail in the past – while the savviest dealers target consumers utilizing artificial intelligence to deliver individualized content automatically.

Attendees will learn how to:

• Develop an effective email marketing approach
• Improve their processes for reengaging prospects and unsold leads
• Prevent customer defection by refining email retention strategies
• Go beyond email with cross-channel communications

Who:
David Metter, Co-Founder & President, AutoHook powered by Urban Science; Lucas Neiderer, Senior Marketing Manager, Dolan Auto Group; George Thompson, Director of Operations, Fenton Family Dealerships; and Jon Petron, Vice President of Advanced Services at Outsell

What:
“You Don’t Need Super Powers to be Effective with Email Marketing”

Where:
Online at: https://onlinexperiences.com/scripts/Server.nxp?LASCmd=AI:4;F:QS!10100&ShowKey=52620&AffiliateData=%5boutsell%5d

When:
June 26, 2018 at 2:00 pm ET

Outsell recently returned from the Digital Marketing Strategies Conference in Napa, California. The event is hosted by PCG Companies and is a well-planned event, full of rich, relevant topics like Digital Retailing, Optimizing Lead Handling Structures, and BDC Workloads.

The venue in wine country was perfect for panel discussions and workshops, but even before the kickoff began, pre-conference activities like the VIP dinner and winery tours provided a great opportunity to mingle with fellow attendees before the intellectual discussions began.

Brian Pasch did a fabulous job of recapping the keynote and panel discussions, drawing out key messages and takeaways to put everything into perspective for dealers. As a vendor, this was our opportunity to listen to dealers about what their pain points are and what day-to-day problems they face so we can better tailor our products to their needs.

While larger conferences like NADA can be very useful when considering dealer operations, intimate events like DMSC are much better suited for marketing managers looking to take away fruitful nuggets and ideas to their GMs. DMSC was a great mix of attendees and ideas, and we were honored to once again be part of this event as well as participate on a panel discussion where our own Litded Davis discussed “New Strategies To Help Our Dealers Sell More Cars.”

We also heard that you loved our NADA campaign around ‘finding your missing half’ by promoting our colorful Outsell socks, which we once again brought along to DMSC. We can’t wait to come up with more exciting ways to get you thinking about how to make the most of your data to reach the unreachables in your primary market area.

Integrated digital marketing campaign created for Toyota Wins Gold Stevie®, Digiday, and Communicator Awards

Outsell announced today with agency partner DSplus, that it was named the winner of a Gold Stevie® Award in the 16^th Annual American Business Awards®, received a Digiday Content Marketing Award and a 2018 Communicator Award.

Award Highlights for the 2018 Toyota CH-R Launch Campaign co-created by Outsell and DSplus:

• Gold Stevie® Award in the 16^th Annual American Business Awards® in the category Marketing Campaign of the Year – Automotive Vehicles.
• Digiday Content Marketing Award in the category Most Original Email Campaign.
• 2018 Communicator Award Distinction in the categories Campaign-Business to Consumer for Integrated Campaign and Campaign-Promotional for Integrated Campaign.

“I want to thank the judging committees for recognizing the work once again produced by Outsell and DSplus. Over the past several years, we have developed effective integrated marketing campaigns to help Toyota launch new models including the Camry and Highlander and now the CH-R,” said Michael Wethington, President and CEO, Outsell. “This well-executed campaign is another great example of how dealers are benefiting from modern-day integrated programs that improve customer interaction and test drives which ultimately leads to a surge in sales.”

The 2018 Toyota CH-R Launch Campaign

In 2017, the all-new 2018 Toyota CH-R was about to launch and DSplus and Outsell were tasked to create awareness, encourage test drives and drive sales for 200+ participating Toyota dealerships across North America. For several months prior to the launch, each dealer sent teaser emails regarding CH-R in order to gather behavioral data and measure interest in the new 2018 model. The subsequent launch campaign consisted of three main elements. First, a targeted initial trigger email to spread awareness and send traffic to a second element – a custom Toyota CH-R microsite. Consumers were encouraged to schedule a test drive and browse local dealers’ inventory via the exclusive microsite. The third launch element was a targeted follow-up drip email to consumers who engaged in the initial email and microsite.

The overall goals were to drum up excitement, create new dialog with interested consumers and close the deal on a new Toyota CH-R. The results were impressive: more than 200,000 consumers interacted with the CH-R launch emails and microsite, moving thousands of CH-Rs off the lot for participating dealers, resulting in close to a million in sales. To view examples of the award-winning campaign emails and microsite, visit 2018 Toyota CH-R Launch Campaign. Outsell provided the technology behind the campaign, a marketing automation platform driven by artificial intelligence that increases customer engagement and drives more revenue by transforming how dealers engage with customers and prospects throughout their individual lifecycles.

“The nominations submitted for The 2018 American Business Awards were outstanding. The competition was intense, and those recognized as Stevie Award winners should be immensely proud of this accomplishment,” said Michael Gallagher, president and founder of the Stevie Awards.

“I like how this campaign focused on strong creative and a micro targeted approach to auto sales. Also, good sales metrics tied back to the campaign,” read feedback from a Stevie ABA judge that evaluated the Outsell and DSplus 2018 Toyota CH-R Launch Campaign nomination.

The American Business Awards are the U.S.A.’s premier business awards program. More than 3,700 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories. Stevie winners will be presented with their awards on June 11^th in New York City. Earlier this year, Outsell and DSplus’s 2018 Toyota CH-R 2018 Launch Campaign received a Bronze Stevie® Award at the 12th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service for Outbound Marketing Program of the Year. Details about The American Business Awards and the list of 2018 Stevie winners are available at www.StevieAwards.com/ABA.

The Digiday Content Marketing Awards recognize content that connects brands to audiences across various channels including mobile, social, video and others. Winners were announced at the awards gala on May 9 at Sony Hall in New York City. To view the complete list of 2018 Content Marketing Award winners, please visit https://digiday.com/awards/286819/.

The Communicator Awards is the leading international awards program recognizing big ideas in marketing and communications sanctioned and judged by the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts, an invitation-only group consisting of top-tier professionals from acclaimed media, communications, advertising, creative and marketing firms. Founded over two decades ago, The Communicator Awards receives over 6,000 entries from companies and agencies of all sizes, making it one of the largest awards of its kind in the world.  A list of the 2018 Distinction winners is available at https://www.communicatorawards.com/winners/

About DSplus

DSplus connects brands, retailers and customers to help sell more cars. Using sharp insights and spot-on analysis, we put the right offers in front of the right people at the right time, so dealerships can turn shoppers into buyers – and buyers into loyalists. With our team of steadfast, hands-on account managers, award-winning creative whizzes and ultra-analytical social strategists, DSplus is ready to work with any Toyota and Lexus dealership to start driving sales. Check out our website or contact us at supprt@dsplus.com to learn more.

Outsell is the AI Marketing Platform for the Auto Industry

Outsell announced today that high demand for AI features helped fuel swift growth for the company in Q1 2018. Direct-to-dealer sales were particularly strong, thanks in part to the recent introduction of Outsell’s newest platform, Outsell 5.0.

Launched at the NADA conference in February, Outsell 5.0 is enhanced with even more artificial intelligence capabilities, providing automotive dealers with unprecedented insight into buying behavior and the ability to take targeted content to the next level, with automated, multi-channel communications that are individualized to each person’s exact preferences.

Other highlights from Q1:

• The NADA show was Outsell’s most successful to date in terms of booth traffic and customer/prospect engagement, with hundreds of dealers visiting the booth during the event. On the first day of NADA 2018, Outsell exceeded its traffic for the entire 2017 show.
• During NADA, Outsell won an Automotive Website Award (AWA) in the category of Marketing Automation.
• Outsell also won several other awards during the quarter including a Bronze Stevie Award for the 2018 Toyota CH-R launch campaign, helping to cement Outsell as the industry leader in AI-driven Marketing Automation.

“Outsell 5.0 fulfills our brand promise of being the best AI-driven marketing platform for the automotive industry,” said Mike Wethington, Founder and CEO of Outsell. “The feedback from dealers and automotive industry leaders was consistent; everyone loved its intuitive user experience, new features and capabilities. We’ll build on that success with more AI features throughout 2018 and beyond.”

Outsell & DSplus Win Industry Awards / Finalist for Another

Outsell announced today with agency partner DSplus that its 2018 Toyota CH-R Launch Campaign won the Interactive Media Best in Class Award from the Interactive Media Council and Web Marketing Association’s Internet Advertising Competition. The CH-R campaign is also named a finalist for the coveted Digiday Content Marketing Award.

Outsell and DSplus 2018 Toyota CH-R Campaign Award Highlights:

• Won the Interactive Media Best in Class Award in the Automobile category. Best in Class is the highest honor bestowed by the Interactive Media Council and represents the very best in planning, execution and overall professionalism.
• Won Web Marketing Association’s 2018 Internet Advertising Competition Award for Outstanding Achievement in Internet Advertising in the category Best Automobile Integrated Advertising Campaign.
• Finalist for the Digiday Content Marketing Award in the category Most Original Email Campaign. Winners will be announced at the Digiday Content Marketing Awards Gala in New York City on the evening of May 9.

The 2018 Toyota CH-R Launch Campaign Overview

In 2017, the all-new 2018 Toyota CH-R was about to launch and DSplus and Outsell were tasked to create awareness, encourage test drives and drive sales for 200+ participating Toyota dealerships across North America. For several months prior to the launch, each dealer sent teaser emails regarding CH-R in order to gather behavioral data and measure interest in the new 2018 model. The subsequent launch campaign consisted of three main elements. First, a targeted initial trigger email to spread awareness and send traffic to a second element – a custom Toyota CH-R microsite. Consumers were encouraged to schedule a test drive and browse local dealers’ inventory via the exclusive microsite. The third launch element was a targeted follow-up drip email to consumers who engaged in the initial email and microsite.

The overall goal was to drum up excitement, create new dialog with interested consumers and close the deal on a new Toyota CH-R. The results were impressive: more than 200,000 consumers interacted with the CH-R launch emails and microsite, moving thousands of CH-Rs off the lot for participating dealers, resulting in close to a million in sales. To view examples of the award-winning campaign emails and microsite, visit 2018 Toyota CH-R Launch Campaign. Outsell provided the technology behind the campaign, a marketing automation platform that increases customer engagement and drives more revenue by transforming how dealers engage with customers and prospects throughout their individual lifecycles.

“We are extremely pleased to see the Toyota CH-R launch campaign recognized with top honors and recognition from Interactive Media Council, Web Marketing Association and Digiday. I also want to acknowledge the teams at Outsell and DSplus that produced this amazing campaign and microsite,” said Michael Wethington, President and CEO, Outsell. “This well-executed campaign is a great example of how dealers can use integrated digital marketing to generate customer interaction and test drives which ultimately leads to an increase in sales.”

The Interactive Media Award
This competition is open to individuals and organizations involved in designing, developing, managing, supporting and promoting websites and microsites. Nominations are accepted from around the world from web design firms, advertising agencies and corporate marketing departments, as well as individual web designers and graphic artists. Details about the Interactive Media Award and the list of winners in all categories are available at http://interactivemediaawards.com/winners/.

The Web Marketing Association’s Internet Advertising Competition (IAC) Award
The Web Marketing Association’s Internet Advertising Competition (IAC) awards honor excellence in online advertising and recognize the individuals and organizations responsible for the best in Internet marketing. The IAC Awards are industry-based advertising award competition dedicated exclusively to online advertising. A complete list of winners in 96 industries is located at www.IACAward.org

Digiday Content Marketing Award
The Digiday Content Marketing awards recognize content that connects brands to audiences across channels including mobile, social, video and beyond. A complete list of all the finalists for this award is available at https://digiday.com/event/content-marketing-awards/#awards_cats

About DSplus
DSplus connects brands, retailers and customers to help sell more cars. Using sharp insights and spot-on analysis, we put the right offers in front of the right people at the right time, so dealerships can turn shoppers into buyers – and buyers into loyalists. With our team of steadfast, hands-on account managers, award-winning creative whizzes and ultra-analytical social strategists, DSplus is ready to work with any Toyota and Lexus dealership to start driving sales. Check out our website or contact us at supprt@dsplus.co to learn more.

Toyota Campaign Finalist for Digiday Award

Outsell announced today that in partnership with DSPlus, the 2018 TOYOTA C-HR LAUNCH CAMPAIGN is a finalist in the Most Original Email Campaign category.

“I’m extremely proud of the creative teams from Outsell and DSplus that produced the 2018 TOYOTA C-HR LAUNCH CAMPAIGN with such success,” said Mike Wethington, CEO of Outsell. “I want to thank the Digiday judging committee for the acknowledgement, and both teams for their dedication to creating a truly powerful launch for Toyota.”

2018 Toyota C-HR Launch Campaign
The ride with many sides.

The all-new 2018 Toyota C-HR was poised to launch in a formidably competitive market where brand disloyalty was rife, with entry-level SUVS gnawing at the style space. 55% of the competition touted All-Wheel Drive, which the C-HR lacked. What it did deliver was a sleek silhouette with precision-cut lines, a cushy ride and agile handling—as well as edgy standouts such as hidden rear-door handles, available puddle lights and segment-leading standard safety.

Business Objectives

• Drum up excitement and capture a considerable chunk of the entry-SUV market.
• Woo young multicultural first-time buyers—and fold them into the Toyota
• Emphasize the C-HR’s sharp styling, crisp handling and standard safety.
• Offset the SUV’s lack of All-Wheel Drive with segment-leading standard safety firsts.

The Strategy

A cross-tier strategy was developed to offer marketing support for multiple TDAs and hundreds of dealers across the country.

Our target perceived themselves a stylish band of doers, ringleaders and trendsetters—much like this expressive SUV. So the creative strategy reached out to them in the evocative and universal language of Emojis—communicating versatility across varied contexts and cultures. Particularly relevant was the fact that Emojis taking center stage in pop culture as the future form of expression.

An engaging lead piece heralded the multifaceted ride, featuring an iconic medley of quirky characters that mirrored our multifaceted target. Every other layer of communication took the cue—and said it all with this unique emotional discriminator.

The Results:

• 238 dealerships participated in this program
• 6 Toyota Dealer Associations (TDAs)
• 65 new C-HR Sales
• $979,836 in revenue
• 2,344 total new Toyota Sales
• 195,254 opens by new & existing customers
• 46,722 unique clicks on the C-HR microsite
• 1,612 engagers looked to schedule a test drive
• 496 intenders searched inventory

SEE MORE with this walkthrough of the campaign.

The Digiday Content Marketing Awards recognize the content that connects brands to audiences across channels including mobile, social, video and more. Over the years, the awards have honored leading work from companies like Casper, CNN, and Dove. This year’s winners will be announced and finalists honored at the awards gala on May 9 at Sony Hall, located in NYC.