Sell More and Stress Less With Intelligent Marketing

Times change. Not everything that worked for businesses 5 or 10 years ago is going to work as well in today’s evolving marketplace. This is true for merchandising techniques, sales pitches, and customer service practices.  And it’s absolutely true when it comes to marketing strategies.

The mindset and knowledge base of consumers is always changing, and in recent years, there’s been a shift toward a more personal and customized experience.  Shoppers expect businesses to know exactly what it is they need and what they want to purchase, and at the same time, they want experiences that are created just for them.  In the past, it would have been impossible for dealerships to ascertain exactly what customers were looking for; let alone what makes and models they’d been shopping, whether they were in an equity situation, or even if they’d been shopping the competition.  But as technology has progressed, so have the capabilities of sales teams—and this means they now have access to an immense amount of consumer data that can help them make even more sales.

While dealerships have long leaned into the hope-and-spray marketing method to make sales, modern technology and intelligent marketing tools offer much more efficient and effective ways to target shoppers.  Instead of wasting time and money on generalized marketing efforts in an attempt to appeal to everyone—or at the very least, someone—dealerships can now utilize valuable data to target specific shoppers who are already interested in purchasing vehicles from them.

Good-Bye, Mass Marketing

The hope-and-spray method of marketing is widely recognized as mass marketing. By using this method, businesses essentially saturate the marketplace with product information and advertising, with the goal of reaching as many potential buyers as possible.  It’s all about getting their messages out in bulk, commonly via flyers, brochures, or TV commercials.  The dealership hope-and-spray method also pulls cold calling into play and places sales teams in the position of reaching out to consumers who may or may not be in the market for new vehicles.

While dealerships have long leaned on mass marketing to achieve sales, there’s now a better way.  Today’s intelligent marketing options offer a more efficient and targeted approach, allowing them to use data-driven insights to target specific consumers whose interests line up with products and services being offered.  For your dealership, this means having more precise access to your target market and knowing exactly who is in market and when shoppers are ready to buy.

Successful dealerships are turning to platforms like AutoAlert’s ProfileFuze to help them reach in-market customers and deliver specific insights such as makes and models being shopped, information about previous dealership interactions, and even whether or not customers are in equity situations with their current vehicles.  All of these pieces of data are valuable when it comes to better targeting customers and offering them exactly what they’re looking for.

By focusing on consumer behaviors and utilizing the data that’s available within their CRMs, dealerships are able to save marketing money they otherwise would have spent on widespread, untargeted campaigns.  Rather than spending an extraordinary amount of money to reach a broad audience that may or may not be ready to buy, dealerships are able to utilize the power of data to guide them toward the best in-market opportunities.

Personalize the Experience

By leveraging data that’s readily available, dealerships are also able to personalize the buying experience, making it more memorable—and likely repeatable—for shoppers.  When you’re able to show shoppers you are in tune with their needs and expectations in the marketplace, you’ll have a better chance of bringing them back to you for future transactions.  Especially when dealing with a large purchase, like a vehicle, shoppers want to know you’ve taken the time to get to know them and that you’re willing to go out of your way to offer them an impactful, positive experience.

Data can help you do all that.  By using the tools that are available to modern dealerships and ensuring everyone on your dealership team is onboard with new processes, you’ll be able to reach exactly the right audience at exactly the right time, ensuring you make more sales.  By implementing a data-driven marketing plan, you’ll be able to more effectively and efficiently reach customers who are ready to buy, and you’ll have the insights to get them the products and services they need.

While mass marketing allows everyone within your reach to be able to see your marketing content, it’s a shot in the dark compared to the laser focus you can get by using data to target in-market shoppers.  When you are able to see exactly what your customers want, does it really make sense to sit back and guess?

No matter the products or services they are shopping for, customers today are looking for more personalized experiences. If they feel they are receiving one-on-one attention—and if they feel a dealership is truly speaking to their unique needs—shoppers will be more likely to stick around and follow through by purchasing or scheduling services.

By saying good-bye to the hope-and-spray marketing techniques of the past, you’ll end up being able to provide your customers with more relevant and meaningful solutions.  When you tap into the power of data, you’ll gain valuable insights that will help you get to know shoppers, in turn positioning you to earn their trust and gain more long-term loyalty.