Consumers today are increasingly becoming finicky about where and how they want to communicate. While the past may have seen a traditional print ad performing well on its own, that’s increasingly not the case. Data supports the fact that consumers are all over the place and successful marketers know that their message needs to be at every potential touch point possible. The transition from one medium to another is getting increasingly more common as people tweet while watching television and head to websites suggested in print ads. It’s not only important for your business to have a presence in all of these spaces but that it’s also consistent.

It’s very easy for dealers to market as they always have. An ad agency creates their weekly newspaper ad; the dealer reviews it and discusses it with their rep and then – BAM! – it is published. The dealer then discusses their direct mail campaign with their vendor, crafts a compelling message with a call to action, reviews a proof and – BAM! – it is sent. Next comes the SEO and PPC company who suggests some new PPC ad copy in multiple variations, they review, set a budget and – BAM! – they have a new PPC campaign. Now it’s time to conference with the website vendor and discuss content, rolling banner messages and new widgets then –BAM! – you have a better performing website. Now you contact your e-mail marketing or newsletter company to create this month’s newsletter or email campaign. A little reviewing and modifications and – BAM! – you have an e-mail campaign. Last, but not least, you move your physical inventory around in your lot and choose what sits in your showroom.

When was the last time that you had a conference call and coordinated all of these marketing areas with all of the vendors? My guess is that you haven’t. Having a consistent message including the look and feel of your ad is extremely important. Remember when you did radio ads? How many times do you think a customer needs to hear your phone number in order to remember it? The answer is three. Why would you think that would be any different in every form of media? Customers transition from devices and platforms faster than they ever had before. It’s also increasingly more difficult to cut through the noise and get their attention. Because of this, it is even more imperative than ever to ensure that your message is consistent in not only what it’s saying but also in how it looks across every medium.

There must exist a seamless transition for your customer between all mediums. If they’re on your website and wish to go mobile, they must continue to be exposed to the same message. The same goes from the transition between TV and mobile, computer to TV, PPC to website or microsite, direct mail to… well, you get my point. Many dealers we speak to understand the need for consistent branding but don’t truly understand the scope of what multi-channel marketing actually is. In today’s marketing, touch points for customers include your website, mobile presence (ie .do you have a responsive website), email marketing, direct mail, PPC, television, radio and print. All of these must communicate a similar message. If you’ve decided to push a particular model, everywhere the customer goes, they should see messages that look and feel the same, have the same call to action and lead them down a conversion funnel that ends with a visit to your showroom where that exact model should be sitting waiting for them.

Companies that truly use big data in a multi-channel marketing strategy are finding that conversion rates increase dramatically. Consumers are screaming for integrated marketing. Mashable reports that 72% of consumers “want to be engaged with an integrated marketing approach, but only 39% are receiving it [and that] Google found that consumers had 74% brand recall when the advertiser’s integrated strategy carried across mobile, TV and online.”

The use of big data to assist your business in targeted, consistent messages that reach the right consumers at the right time across all mediums is no longer an option if companies want to be noticed in this noisy world. Ensure that your vendors are working together to accomplish this or find one who can do it all. You’ll save yourself time, money and increase conversions.