Multi-Channel Marketing to Help Sell More Cars

Why Your Dealership Needs Multi-Channel Targeting

Capturing today’s in-market car shopper through multi-channel targeting

The modern car shopper is active on a wider range of platforms, devices, and channels than ever before. The days of consuming only television and radio have long since fallen by the wayside and made room for a never-ending spectrum of data, entertainment, and information. From social media and email campaigns to direct mailers and out-of-home promotions, the ways we reach consumers has grown at a rapid pace – and is propelling marketing opportunities forward.

Within this ever-evolving landscape, effectively targeting the in-market car shopper across a complete range of channels often makes the difference between a high conversion rate and a loss of business. If you can tailor your message to reach your audience exactly where they are in their individual lifecycle, your business will see exponential benefits.

Here are some of the main reasons marketing across multiple channels is necessary in capturing today’s in-market car shopper.

Today’s car buyer is active on many channels

Today’s consumers are active across a wide variety of digital channels – especially when researching a major purchase like a car – making it necessary to target your audience in as many places as possible. In fact, 86 percent of car shoppers conduct research online before visiting a dealership, with the average shopper using approximately 10.4 sources of information before making their final decision. Shoppers can take their time and go to great lengths in researching all their options before completing a purchase.

With so many distractions online and possible purchase paths, the more frequently you can appear in the right places, the better. Whether it’s a sponsored Instagram post or a well-timed email, reminding them frequently of your offering will increase the likelihood of earning their interest.

Multi-channel shoppers are worth more over time

Studies have also shown that shoppers who interact with more than one channel spend more on average than those that interact with just one. If a customer is active on social channels such as Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and also email, you’ll want to favor them over someone who’s active on only one or none of those channels.

You need to embrace the multi-channel philosophy to reach your target audience in the most effective way.

Managing a multi-channel strategy can be easy

Just because car shoppers are active on a wide range of channels doesn’t mean you want to haphazardly throw brand awareness ads around. Such strategies will typically only beat your audience into exhaustion or annoyance more than anything else. What’s important is to strategize and execute a cohesive, unified plan across all channels that effectively builds a continuous marketing relationship with your audience members – on a personalized basis. Doing so takes an expertise of the web and marketing, applicable technology, and a fair amount of time – but you don’t have to do it alone.

Methods like marketing automation allow you to streamline your communication process and carry out a developing strategy that grows as you learn about your in-market shopper, allowing you to utilize the data necessary to guide you through a successful campaign based on actionable consumer behaviors.

Multi-channel targeting is continuing to grow

While multi-channel targeting is and has been an increasingly popular form of marketing, its relevance continued to grow in today’s digital landscape. Studies show that time spent connecting virtually with consumers has increased 3x more than time meeting with them in-person. More and more businesses are taking note of this, with sales reporting/analytics and account and contact management ranking as the top two sales technologies with the highest adoption in 2018.

If you don’t have plans to implement multi-channel marketing into your strategy, you’re going to miss out on the largest opportunity in the industry today. It’s time to adopt the tools and the know-how to take advantage of this trend and boost your dealership’s bottom line.

Which leaves the only question that matters: How to get started?

At Outsell, we offer the first AI-driven marketing automation platform to empower dealers and OEMs to create lasting relationships with customers while also driving incremental sales and profits. As the trusted platform of more than 1,500 dealers representing all major automotive brands, we are here to help you make the most of your marketing efforts and turn your in-market audience into lifelong customers.

Contact us today to take your targeting to the next level.