Car show

Published in Autojournal in March 2017

Develop your advertising strategy on the Web

The Auto Show is an excellent opportunity to attract customers. However, for those who would like to take a more aggressive approach, it is not necessarily the best time.

The Auto Show is a very important annual event that counts among its participants potential buyers who want to get inspired and look at the different models. For most, the decision to buy is not yet made and will be made in the following months. As a dealer, adopting an aggressive strategy with field representatives may pay off with a small percentage of the more emotional buyers, but they will leave a lot of potential sales on the table. By using such an approach, they can even create the opposite effect, positioning their brand negatively and directing customers to a competitor.

Car dealerships need to better understand the reality of their customers. There are strategies to use when customers are in inspiration mode and when they are in final purchase mode. The Auto Show is an excellent opportunity to begin the process of attracting customers. Fortunately, Internet tools and advertising can play a major role.

Prepare your data acquisition strategy

In the world of the Web, certain actions performed by potential customers give you access to data that you can act on. Visiting your website, watching one of your videos on YouTube, getting a "like" on your Facebook page, subscribing to your newsletter or acquiring data through a form, are all actions that provide the necessary information to follow-up.

Once this data collection concept is understood, it is up to the dealership to deploy its acquisition strategy on the Auto Show site. Instead of a sales-oriented approach, the dealership's staff will advise customers and offer them an incentive in exchange for one of the actions mentioned above. Incentives can be in the form of a small gift or a special promotion valid only for them (creating the feeling of being unique).

For example, you can offer an exclusive discount to those who provide you with their data. To do this, you need to make sure that people visit your website. All you have to do is put the contact form on your site, ask the visitors of the show to access it (using a dedicated URL) and offer to fill it out with their smart phone. By using this technique, you will be able to follow up with them via email and perform remarketing campaigns. The process should stop at this stage to create a good first connection between your brand and the potential customer.

Maintaining the relationship

You now have a point of contact with your potential customer. It is a virtual contact, but since the purchase of a vehicle is mainly done online, it will be very important. It is at this stage that we must implement our online acquisition strategy.

Remarketing is the car dealer's best friend. It consists of displaying ads via ad networks (e.g. Google, Facebook) only to users who have performed a specific action (visiting your website, signing up for your newsletter, watching a video on YouTube). If your strategy on the Auto Show site has been well executed, the majority of your potential customers should be on your remarketing lists.

The next step is simple, just create banner ads and videos featuring your dealership. At this point, it's important to understand that the manufacturer is no longer important. You want customers to come to your dealership and do their business with you. Your dealership's story is extremely important and you need to demonstrate the benefits of buying from you rather than from someone else. These targeted ads can run for up to a year or more.

In addition to remarketing by site or video, there are other effective techniques. You can upload email addresses or phone numbers collected at the Auto Show to Google and Facebook and create remarketing lists. This technique is not 100% effective, but in most cases, these platforms are able to track nearly 80% of users.

In addition to remarketing efforts, you can also follow up with email (newsletters) or phone calls. With a properly executed information acquisition strategy and a good remarketing campaign tailored to your needs, you will ensure that you are present online at all times in the eyes of your potential customers. You have the ability to move your potential customers from the shopping to the buying stage. If your message is well expressed and your seduction operation towards your dealership is well broadcasted, these customers will most likely go to your dealership to complete their transaction.

The Auto Show is the perfect opportunity to maximize your database of potential customers. Don't make the mistake of deploying resources with the sole purpose of selling. Think of the show as a unique opportunity to increase your prospect bank and take advantage of this business opportunity to outsmart your competitors... by using the digital tools at your disposal to open and maintain a dialogue with these potential buyers.

Good sales!