A Guide to Integrated Marketing Strategies for Your Dealership
Have you heard this saying? “When your customers could be anywhere, you have to be everywhere.”
When consumers shop online, they’re using search engines, websites, social media, online reviews, directory listings and more to learn anything and everything about their purchase options. But how does your dealership launch and maintain an active presence across so many platforms?
This article will outline and explore integrated marketing strategies for your dealership, including ways you can be everywhere for today’s consumers, all at the same time. Specifically, this article will act as a guide to help you make your marketing more effective and create a cohesive and consistent strategy across marketing mediums by exploring the following topics:
- What is Integrated Marketing?
- Key Benefits of Integrated Marketing
- Integrating Your Marketing Across Every Stage of the Buyer’s Journey
- Best Practices for Managing a Successful Integrated Marketing Strategy
What Is Integrated Marketing?
Integrated marketing is the intentional use of different marketing channels that complement one another and deliver the maximum results. It goes beyond just using multiple channels independently of one another – it creates a cohesive and consistent customer experience across all touchpoints. The goal is to ensure that all marketing efforts work together synergistically, providing a consistent message and enhancing customer engagement.
Key Benefits of Integrated Marketing
There are many benefits to a well-implemented, cohesive marketing strategy. But looking beyond the end result of bringing in more buyers, integrated marketing can deliver a few key benefits for both your dealership and your shoppers.
Marketing Made Easier
Dealers who use multiple marketing vendors are responsible for ensuring that the messaging across channels is cohesive and intentional – even though most dealers are not marketing experts themselves. This alone can be a full-time job, on top of every other responsibility of running a business.
An integrated marketing strategy means that all of your tools are being managed under one roof, and you don’t have to coordinate multiple marketing vendors. With a single provider managing all your marketing channels, built-in marketing teams work together like cogs in a machine to ensure your marketing message is consistent and tailored to qualified buyers.
Optimize Your Marketing Spend
Integrated marketing allows your dealership to allocate marketing resources more efficiently by coordinating efforts across channels, avoiding duplication of work and maximizing the impact of your budget.
For example, search engine marketing (SEM) and search engine optimization (SEO) vendors work hard to drive as many leads as possible, often competing for the same leads. When managed by one vendor, SEO can focus on local leads, while SEM can expand its reach and target higher competing keywords – distributing marketing efforts to reach a wider audience.
Better Targeting & Personalization
With more customer data at your disposal, you can see valuable insights into their preferences, needs and habits, which can inform your future marketing strategies. In addition to helping you adapt to industry trends and incorporate emerging technologies into your marketing strategy, customer data can help you create more targeted and personalized marketing campaigns, resulting in higher conversion rates and more engaged customers.
Enhanced Customer Experience
As shoppers start their journey on one channel and pick up where they left off on another, without any disruptions, an integrated marketing strategy also helps to ensure that you provide a seamless consumer experience across all channels.
Lead Nurturing
It often takes multiple interactions with your dealership for a shopper to convert into a customer. No single channel will drive a shopper to an immediate sale. An integrated marketing strategy allows you to pay attention to how shoppers are coming to your dealership and know the touchpoints that ultimately culminate in a customer making a purchase, so you can better nurture leads through the sales process.
Integrating Your Marketing Across Every Stage of the Buyer’s Journey
By helping you to nurture leads, provide improved consumer insights and implement a more streamlined shopping experience, an integrated marketing strategy can help you to answer shoppers’ questions at every stage of the buying journey.
- In the awareness stage, you can help shoppers answer, “What unit is best?”
- At the consideration stage, you can be ready when shoppers ask, “Is it right for me?”
- In the evaluation stage, you’ll be in the forefront of consumers’ minds when they ask, “Where should I buy it?”
- In the purchase phase, you can reassure shoppers when they ask, “Can I afford it?”
- After purchase, you have the advantage over your competition and can keep customers coming back when they ask, “Would I buy from here again?”
The Awareness Stage
Most of your shoppers’ decision-making happens online. Thanks to a world of information at their fingertips, modern consumers are more informed and aware of their purchase options than ever before. Start building awareness at the beginning of the buying journey by ensuring that your online presence is easily discoverable. You can combine SEO and SEM to get in front of shoppers who are browsing online.
Combine SEO, SEM & Social Media to Get in Front of Shoppers Who are Browsing Online
As much as 53% of website traffic comes from organic search, according to BrightEdge. Implement SEO strategies that align with shoppers’ search behavior and foster long-term brand awareness. You can do this by optimizing your website for relevant keywords, creating engaging content around industry topics and enhancing your site's user experience. These foundational steps set the stage for a strong online presence and help you build brand awareness.
SEM, on the other hand, offers a more immediate approach, helping to accelerate discovery of your dealership with paid ads. As much as 65% of shoppers will click on paid ads, according to Techjury. SEM provides a direct route to potential buyers and allows for precise targeting based on user intent and capture intentional searches.
With SEM, you can target “hard to rank for” keywords that are lower in cost and more specific in their intent. For example, “boat dealer in San Francisco” may cost more money and may be less precise than “used pontoon dealer in San Francisco.” In other words, SEM allows you to draft compelling ad copy, optimize landing pages, and leverage relevant keywords to capture the attention of users actively searching for powersports vehicles.
You can also get in front of social media shoppers by integrating social media into your strategy to foster engagement and build a community around your brand. Share visually appealing content, engage with followers, and leverage paid social media advertising to amplify your reach.
Of course, SEO, SEM and social media are most effective when used together. Leveraging an integrated strategy can help you drive brand awareness. SEO builds long-term success, while pay-per-click and social media ads fast-track results by getting your brand in front of shoppers. The higher your website ranks organically, the more trustworthy and authentic your paid ads will be to your potential customers.
The Consideration Stage
When businesses think about marketing, they don’t always consider whether their digital storefront supports their marketing efforts. A digital storefront is more than just a website. A website is an inventory and dealership brochure, while a digital storefront is a user-friendly interface that lets shoppers compare units, read reviews and complete at least some of the buying process online.
At this stage of the buying journey, it’s important to capitalize on your marketing spend. Yes, you’re paying money to get traffic to your site, but what are you doing on your website to keep shoppers interested? Dedicate an equivalent amount of thought, effort and investment into driving conversions.
Images & Product Descriptions
Implement high-quality images and, where applicable, video content to showcase the details of each unit. An informative and visually appealing inventory listing is the first step toward capturing the attention and interest of potential buyers.
And don’t forget about the importance of product descriptions. Your digital storefront is a critical space where potential buyers explore, engage and ultimately make decisions. Unfortunately, 98% of shoppers have left a website due to inaccurate or missing information, according to Optimizely.
Take time to build shopper confidence in your inventory by providing comprehensive details about each vehicle, including specifications, features and availability.
Clear Website Navigation & Calls-to-Action
Clear website navigation and calls-to-action can ensure that your site structure is user-friendly, making it easy for visitors to find relevant information about your products and services. Help shoppers make informed decisions that align with their preferences and requirements by highlighting the next step of the buying journey through clear calls-to-action.
Real-Time Support
Integrating real-time communication channels into your website, such as dynamic texting, can provide instant access to dealership representatives, allowing potential buyers to ask questions, seek information and receive immediate assistance. The importance of having a real conversation with your shoppers while they’re on your website cannot be overstated, especially at this stage of the shopping journey.
Help shoppers make informed decisions that align with their preferences and requirements by providing immediate assistance and answering product-related questions. This kind of personal touch—live interaction—enhances the customer experience and builds trust.
Ultimately, it’s your job to ensure that all elements of your website—inventory listings, images, CTAs and live interaction—work in harmony. Your digital storefront should provide a fluid and intuitive user experience. When a visitor explores a specific inventory item, there should be seamless integration between compelling images, detailed product information and a clear CTA to inquire or schedule a test ride.
The Evaluation Stage
As shoppers progress down the path toward purchase and begin to evaluate whether or not to do business with you, the synergy between digital marketing tools can effectively retarget qualified website visitors and propel them toward a successful conversion.
Take advantage of the built-in audience in your database. Enhance your ad spend by dedicating some of your marketing efforts to re-engage shoppers who have already shown interest in your inventory – and whose information you’ve already captured in your CRM. This is the time to keep shoppers in your sales funnel with tools that gather data and intuitively know when to start reaching out to your customer base.
Stay Top of Mind After the Website Visit
Your marketing has been working hard to bring shoppers to your site. Now it’s time to make the most of your marketing spend by retargeting the website traffic driven by SEO and paid ads. Retargeted leads are 70% more likely to convert, according to Invesp.
Utilize dynamic retargeting to display personalized content based on shoppers’ previous interactions with your site. For example, you can display targeted ads to those who have shown interest in specific models or product categories. This will remind shoppers of what caught their interest in the first place and keep your dealership in consideration as potential buyers continue their research.
Personalize the Evaluation Process
As shoppers evaluate whether or not to do business with you, you can automate your email campaigns to nurture leads and reduce manual follow-up. Integrating your email automation with your brand awareness tools (such as SEO and paid ads) enables you to directly retarget leads who are already in your sales funnel.
Whether you’re showcasing the latest models, offering exclusive promotions or providing maintenance tips, personalized emails guide leads toward the conversion finish line. They allow you to tailor content based on users' interactions with your website and retargeting ads, and they remove the guesswork of knowing what your shoppers want.
Foster Trust & Feedback from Shoppers
Positive reviews serve as powerful endorsements of your dealership, influencing hesitant visitors to take the next step. They allow shoppers to see real and relatable customer experiences and give them a glimpse into what it might be like to buy from you.
Encourage satisfied customers to share their experiences, and strategically display these testimonials on your website. Online reviews should provide insights into customer preferences, experiences and specific features they value about your inventory.
Timing & Consistency
Any type of marketing, taken to the extreme, runs the risk of annoying shoppers and doing damage to your brand. Carefully plan the timing and frequency of your retargeting efforts and avoid bombarding visitors with too many ads too soon. Instead, use data to understand the optimal time to re-engage, ensuring that your dealership remains in their consideration set without becoming intrusive.
Maintain consistency in your messaging and offers across retargeting ads, emails and other channels. Personalize the experience by referencing their previous interactions with your dealership, making them feel seen and valued. A cohesive approach across channels reinforces your dealership's commitment to their unique needs.
The Purchase Stage
Even when your customers have made a decision to buy from your business, you can reduce the time to sale for shoppers by providing the tools to make a purchase directly on your website. Integrating an online payment calculation tool with online financing applications is not just a technological upgrade—it's a strategic move to enhance the customer experience. By providing transparency, simplicity, and immediate feedback, you can empower qualified website visitors to make a purchase.
Making the Purchase Process Simple with Payment Calculations
An online payment calculator isn’t just a tool, it’s about creating an experience. By ensuring that your online payment calculation tool is seamlessly integrated into your website's design, you can offer your shoppers an intuitive and user-friendly interface. Potential buyers can use this tool to effortlessly adjust variables and receive instant feedback on how each adjustment impacts their monthly payments.
Streamlining the Process with Online Finance Applications
Once potential buyers are satisfied with their payment calculations, the next step is to seamlessly transition into the financing application. Integrate an online financing application form directly within your website. To minimize the number of steps before purchase, ask for essential information and provide clear guidance throughout the application process.
Consider integrating an instant pre-qualification feature within your financing application. This will provide potential buyers with immediate feedback on their eligibility and potential financing terms. It will also save time and empower buyers to make more informed decisions about units that fit within their budget.
Guiding the Customer Journey
After a potential buyer has explored financing options online, it’s important to implement a personalized follow-up strategy. You can do this by leveraging automated email campaigns or personalized messages that acknowledge their interest, provide additional information and guide them toward the next steps in the purchasing journey.
Offering the Convenience of Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store (BOPIS)
Shoppers are looking for every little convenience they can get when it comes to shopping online. You can take their buying experience to the next level by introducing a Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store (BOPIS) service. This option allows qualified buyers to make their purchase online and then collect a unit, part accessory or garment at your dealership. As you implement BOPIS, emphasize the convenience of this approach, including saving time and providing flexibility for customers who prefer to see and touch their purchase before taking it home.
The After-Purchase Stage
The buyer’s journey doesn't end with a sale—it's an ongoing relationship between the customer and dealership. Reconnecting with previous customers and nurturing those relationships is not just good business; it's the key to customer retention and loyalty.
One of the main reasons a customer leaves a business is because of apathy—not on the part of the customer, but on the part of the business. If a customer feels like the dealership doesn’t care about the customer beyond the sales transaction, they are much more likely to go somewhere else for their next purchase.
Personalizing the After-Purchase Communication
An automated email marketing tool allows your dealership to create personalized and timely communication with previous customers. After a customer makes a purchase, develop a series of emails that not only expresses gratitude for their past business, but provides valuable content such as maintenance tips, product updates and exclusive offers. These emails will keep your dealership fresh in their minds and nurture the customer relationship over time.
Creating a Proactive Approach to Customer Care
Implementing digital service reminders not only demonstrates a commitment to customer care, but also keeps your dealership on the radar. Leverage automated systems to send timely reminders for routine maintenance, service appointments or even upcoming events. This ensures the safety and performance of their unit, and reinforces your dealership's dedication to their satisfaction.
Staying Visible in the Digital Landscape
Maintaining a strong online presence is paramount in the digital age. A robust SEO strategy keeps your brand visible and positions your dealership as a go-to resource in the powersports community. Optimize your website for relevant keywords related to your industry, ensuring that when previous customers search for related information or services, your dealership appears prominently.
Retargeting ads are also a potent tool for reconnecting with previous customers. Craft targeted campaigns that showcase new models, accessories or special promotions based on their past interactions with your website. By keeping your dealership in their digital periphery, you increase the likelihood of sparking renewed interest and re-engagement.
As the relationship rekindles, guide your previous customers towards action. Use targeted offers, exclusive promotions or limited-time discounts to incentivize a return visit to your dealership or prompt an online purchase. Make the reconnection journey a smooth and rewarding experience for every customer.
Best Practices for Managing a Successful Integrated Marketing Strategy
By implementing the following best practices, you can create a more effective integrated marketing strategy that resonates with your target audience, builds brand loyalty and drives business growth.
Ensure Consistent Branding
Your brand is one of your business’s most valuable assets. It can help customers recognize the value of doing business with you and help you stand out from your competitors. As you implement your integrated marketing strategy, maintain a consistent brand image across all channels. This includes visual elements, messaging and the overall tone. Keeping brand standards consistent will build trust and further strengthen your brand recognition.
Unify the Customer Experience
Whether customers are interacting with your dealership online or in person, the experience should be seamless and cohesive. Strive for a unified customer experience across online and offline channels. Ensure that your team is trained on the integrated marketing strategy. If you have multiple departments within your dealership, encourage collaboration between marketing, sales and customer service teams to ensure a unified approach.
Integrate Data Management
You can maintain a holistic view of your marketing analytics and ROI by implementing a robust data management system. Clearly outline the goals of your integrated marketing campaign, whether it's increasing online inquiries, boosting showroom visits or driving sales. Having well-defined KPIs will guide your data tracking efforts.
Utilize a CRM system to integrate data from automated emails, SEO analytics, paid ads, website analytics and retargeting campaigns. This comprehensive approach allows you to understand customer behavior, tailor your communications and deliver a seamless experience across various touchpoints.
Integrating data from various sources will also help you gain insights into customer behavior, preferences and the effectiveness of different marketing efforts. You can use this data to personalize your marketing efforts and tailor content, offers and communications to the specific interests and preferences of individual customers.
Adapt to Industry & Technology Trends
Technology is a two-edged sword—it’s incredibly useful for finding new shoppers and closing more sales, but it’s always one advancement away from changing altogether. As you implement your integrated marketing strategy, stay abreast of industry trends and emerging technologies. Be ready to adapt your marketing strategy to incorporate new tools and platforms that can enhance your outreach.
Partner with a Single Marketing Vendor
When working with multiple marketing vendors, the responsibility of coordinating campaigns and tracking overall impact falls on the shoulders of you, the dealer, but many dealers don’t have the bandwidth for this extra responsibility.
A vendor specializing in your industry can bring industry-specific knowledge and expertise, resulting in more tailored and effective strategies that resonate with the unique characteristics and preferences of your shoppers. But because integrated marketing involves gathering and analyzing data from various sources, having a single vendor manage these efforts allows for a more holistic approach to data management and can ensure that all data is integrated and analyzed comprehensively.
A single marketing vendor can also coordinate campaigns seamlessly across various channels, enhancing the impact of marketing campaigns and creating a more comprehensive brand experience. Your vendor can allocate resources effectively, avoiding duplication of efforts and ensuring a more streamlined and cost-effective approach.
Connecting You with More Consumers
When your customers could be anywhere, you have to be everywhere. Whether your customers are shopping online, using search engines, websites, social media, online reviews or more, an integrated marketing strategy is crucial for navigating the complexities of the digital world. It connects you with your diverse audience and helps you stay competitive in an ever-evolving market. It's not just about having a presence online; it's about crafting a cohesive and compelling brand story that resonates with shoppers across various channels and touchpoints throughout the buyer’s journey.