A Modern Marketing Plan for Car Dealers

An unprecedented marketing revolution is upon us. Consumers are engaging with some form of digital consumption virtually 24 hours a day, households are cutting cable and subscribing to streaming apps, and major platforms are finally taking consumer privacy seriously. That means major changes to how we build audiences and target shoppers. 

Has your marketing plan changed with the times?  

Here’s a way to tell: 

Are you focused on click-through rates, likes, impression share, new users, bounce rates, video starts, and other measurements? For years these vanity metrics have been touted as bringing you more shoppers... 

... but are they helping you sell cars? 

Your advertising probably focuses heavily on national incentives for models that are not well represented in your inventory. 

 Is that really the best use of your budget? 

A Modern Dealership Marketing Plan For Auto Dealers

The modern marketing landscape calls for a modern marketing plan. One that connects active shoppers with the exact vehicles in your inventory that they have shown intent to buy. A campaign that’s automatically updated as your inventory changes. A plan that cuts through the vanity metrics and focuses on driving what matters: New shoppers, VDP Views-on your site, leads, conversions, and sales. 

So, how do you do it? 

It all comes down to focusing on three simple things: 

1. Target Active Shoppers

   Target shoppers that are showing a clear purchase intent for your vehicles . 

2. Market Vehicles In Real-Time

   Use the current inventory that you have on your lot and need to move today . 

3. Diversify Your Advertising Channels

   Use any and all available digital mediums to deliver on steps 1 and 2.

Target Active Shoppers More Precisely

For years, our ad campaigns have focused on vague automotive intender audiences.  

Like a Ford Mustang post on Instagram? You’re in the Ford intender audience.  

Read an article on enhanced crash test features in the new Tahoe? You’re the family person in the market for a Full-Size SUV.  

Not the craziest leaps in logic, but with the precision available from today’s tech, why guess? 

What you are really looking for are active shoppers: users who have exhibited clear purchase intent and are in the precious few days leading up to a buying decision. 

However, accessing these audiences is not such a simple task. That’s where your marketing partner and their technology comes into play.  

Try challenging your current vendor. Ask them how their audience is built and maintained. Demand your marketing dollars go to keeping your vehicles top of mind with active shoppers. 

Most vendors will shrug and tell you that such fine-grained analysis is not possible with their tech stack.  

Then again, most vendors are stuck in the old ways of marketing. 

Market The Vehicles You Have In Stock 

Seems simple, right? 

But how many times have you landed a user on an SRP that doesn’t haven’t any vehicles matching the offer or price point that the user just clicked on? 

Mistakes like this are not only a bad UX but can even turn people off from considering your other inventory or brand in general. Shoppers are savvier and more selective than ever before. With your competition just a click away, you can’t afford to attract someone with the wrong message. 

Fortunately, modern marketing technology has an answer. By combining automation and dynamic creative, you’re always targeting the right user with the right message. As soon as you run out of inventory, your ad campaign will automatically adjust to stop advertising out-of-stock inventory. 

Take Full Advantage of the Digital Landscape And Diversify 

Automotive shoppers are only actively in the market for, at most, a few weeks every few years. However, if you know how to find them, the digital world gives you plenty of opportunities to reach them during their decision-making process. 

Find a partner that can execute the concepts above across all major digital channels (Social, Search, Display and Video). 

The ZeroSum Solution 

At ZeroSum we’re making it easy to execute a modern marketing plan. Our platform MarketAI knows who is shopping for what vehicles in what market, down to the trim level. It uses patent-pending technology to reach these active shoppers via automated campaigns that are always up to date with your current inventory. Dynamic ads specific to each shopper are built in real-time and distributed across any digital medium, and campaigns are optimized 24/7 using powerful machine learning. The result: modern marketing focused on driving more leads, conversions and sales. 

Get in touch with us today to see how we can help you start your modern marketing plan.  

We’d love to give you a quick look under the hood.