Data-Driven Automotive Marketing Comes to Local Dealerships

From targeting shoppers with the perfect inventory of vehicles to data-driven holiday marketing campaigns, auto dealerships are using big data on the local level to increase sales and engage customers. Managing big data does require certain resources, which is probably why manufacturers and larger companies are lending a hand to drive success throughout the auto distribution chain. However, local dealerships can absolutely take advantage of the power of data to enhance their automotive marketing campaigns without manufacturer support. Wondering how some dealerships are currently using data to their advantage? Here are two examples:

Implementing Data at the Manufacturer Level

In 2009, Ford rolled out the Smart Inventory Management System, or SIMS. The system crunches thousands of pieces of data on consumers, from auto-shopping preferences to trends in the market. The result is sophisticated recommendations for each dealership’s inventory that are based on location. Since users often search online inventories for preferred vehicles before they step on a car lot, it’s a strong strategy to ensure inventories are in line with customer desires. Local dealerships use the program to help learn which vehicles to order. According to the research scientists at Ford, there’s a 98% match between what the SIMS program suggests and what dealerships actually order. 

Another recent example of bringing data to automotive marketing occurred over Labor Day weekend. During August and through the holiday weekend, local Toyota dealerships combined the power of big data with mobile marketing. Dealerships delivered targeted advertising to mobile users who traveled or lived near the dealership. The powerful marketing campaign did more than flash a message about Toyota. It combined data about auto-shopping preferences along with local information on interest rates and loans. These specific offers created a 101% lift over generic, non-localized ads.

Data-Driven Automotive Marketing Campaigns

Of course, dealerships don’t need manufacturer support to take advantage of data-driven marketing. Many dealerships are partnering with companies that conduct their own data warehousing and analysis. It’s easy to find quality data based on your target geography, customer type, and a whole host of other options to target to those most likely to be in the market for a vehicle.

With so many data options available, how do you ensure you go with the right partner? Quality data is accurate, compliant with federal and state laws, and has selectors that matter to dealerships, such as intent to purchase a vehicle. Relevate Auto has quality data on over 200 million customers, including over 185 million vehicles across the country. We source records through sales and service of new and used vehicles throughout multiple channels. Once we’ve ensured accuracy, we offer data through a variety of different products, including Exact Auto, which helps dealerships and other parties better target digital ads, and our Response Performance Indicator, a model that lets you quickly and cost-efficiently identify which potential customers are likely to respond. Our data is factual and transactional, while many providers are modeled or inferred.

With great data, dealerships can identify who might be on the market for a new vehicle or in need of repairs. For example, if you really wanted to, you could identify and email the single person who drives a red 1986 Yugo and is 39 years old, makes $100k per year, is married, loves golf, and has 2 kids between 12 and 15 years old. It’s not rocket science – it’s data.

Another place where automotive marketing can make use of data is by identifying new movers. 15% of people who move are likely to buy a car, and if you can get to them first, you may have a loyal new customer. We offer new mover datasets to automotive marketing teams to help them get the edge when it comes to greeting and obtaining new customers.

Stay Relevant by Keeping Up With Your Customers

As car shoppers change tactics — doing much of their research online and making many decisions before speaking with a sales representative — dealerships can no longer rely on traditional in-person sales tactics alone. Working with data companies that specialize in automotive marketing to put data to use in marketing and sales campaigns is the only way for dealerships to maintain success in today’s market.  And once you have made the sale, it’s more important than ever to maintain contact. This is done through regular outreach and continually cleansing your data to ensure you are keeping track of your customers as they move, change e-mail addresses, and go about their lives.

Relevate Auto provides the most advanced, accurate, and comprehensive automotive marketing data products, services, and solutions to businesses that need powerful, real-time marketing intelligence and data management solutions that can be tailored to fit a wide range of purposes.

Backed by over 35 years of award-winning experience, the Relevate™ brand is one of the most trusted names in the consumer data solutions industry. Whether dealers, aftermarket, service franchises or independent shops, finance institutions, or insurance are looking to prospect for new customers, retain current ones, or resurrect old ones – we provide the most credible automotive data intelligence and insights that help them identify, plan, and develop and execute your critical marketing and business development objectives.

We possess the largest and most accurate data in the automotive marketing industry. With information on over 200 million consumers and including over 185 million vehicles across the country, the depth and quality of our data is pretty much unmatchable, as we process over 6 billion consumer records and transactions each month. From advanced demographic modeling and trade/purchasing patterns to detailed VIN targeting and customer data optimization, Relevate Auto has the data assets and automotive marketing experience to help customers not just achieve but surpass all of their business intelligence, development, and strategic marketing goals.