Page 48 - GIADA-Jan-2018-Final

INDUSTRY INSIGHT

How Audience Intelligence Brings Mind

Blowing Marketing to Every Dealer’s

Home Page

By Billy Ferriolo
Audience intelligence has emerged as the researches different sedans at your website
next significant trend in digital automotive but isn’t ready to buy yet. Months later,
marketing. when they are ready to buy, consider the
possibilities of advertising your latest
It offers a glimpse into the future of how we, sedans and generating a custom experience
as marketers and retailers, stand to reach for the user when they revisit your website
and engage with automotive consumers by displaying the exact vehicles they
on a deeper and more meaningful level. researched before, in addition to your latest
This segment of marketing uses artificial models.
intelligence to analyze large swaths of
behavioral and contextual signals to present Platforms that exist in the near future will
the right offer at the right time to the right tackle more complex situations and will
person. ingest other signals beyond first party
website data. They’ll be able to identify the
Today, most automotive dealers know very perfect audience to target and the perfect
little about users visiting their websites, message to use regardless of whether or
and the majority of dealers display the not the potential customer is familiar with
same messaging to every single user who a specific dealer or OEM. This is a much
visits their site. Dealers can only hope and more efficient pathway to purchase and
guess that the offers presented on their offers exponentially better ROI than a mass
home-page are relevant. However, with target campaign.
big data, machine learning, and audience
management, dealers will be able to provide The bottom line is simply this: Behind every
a more relevant user experience. website click is a person. Knowing what
that person wants and when they want it is
The best platform – and the way the You’ll be in front of them across all of their critical to delivering the best advertisement
industry is headed when it comes to digital activities with the right message at at the best time – and delivering that person
technology – pinpoints specific consumer the right time. This powerful messaging to the dealership at the right time.
characteristics that are influential in the enables you to engage with consumers
car buying process to optimize ad spend when it comes time to purchase. This is the very real potential audience
for dealers, and to make car research and intelligence brings. The dealers and OEMs
buying easier for consumers. For example, you may not want to advertise that leverage this data will be poised to
aggressively to users who are only halfway significantly expand sales and marketing
Imagine concentrating your ad spend through their car lease. These consumers opportunities while creating a better car
where it matters – on the people about are outside an immediate purchase buying experience for consumers in the
to purchase a car in the next two weeks. window and are likely only researching process. Imagine the possibilities! n
Now imagine that you know about their their available car options. OEMs may
current vehicle, the status of their loan or strategically message these users to pique Billy Ferriolo is Executive Vice President,
lease, what dealership they used in the past, their interest and increase engagement, but Chief Operating Officer of AutoWeb, Inc.
what vehicle they will likely purchase, what the core messaging to this group should be AutoWeb offers the automotive industry a
features they want, and what upgrades or drastically different when these consumers full suite of high-quality new and used car
service plans they find valuable. are nearing the end of their leases. leads and advertising services, including
AutoWeb Traffic, TextShield, SaleMove, and
Even further, imagine you could customize A more sophisticated example is using Payment Pro. For more information, visit
your ad message at scale to these users just website interactions to generate a custom dealer.autobytel.com.
as they are making final preparations to buy. experience. Suppose a potential car buyer
46 | GIADA Independent Auto Dealer JANUARY 2018