What We Learned at Digital Dealer 21

The Digital Dealer 21 conference in Las Vegas brought people from across the United States together to learn how to incorporate better digital practices into their dealerships. Two of our team members, Mia and Alexa, spent three amazing days in hot Las Vegas taking in the latest trends in the automotive industry at the Digital Dealer 21 conference. Here at JP, we always want to learn and grow so we can provide the best results for our clients; because we have several automotive clients, this conference was the perfect opportunity.

Here are a few takeaways that not only translate into selling more cars through the digital sphere, but can apply to many other industries.

Individualize the buyer’s experience

Car Shopping is Personal

Car sales increased 50% in 2015 in correlation to increased knowledge of market and audience data. Without this data, marketers would have little to no information about how people are consuming their digital intake. Car shopping is personal, so consumers respond better to personalized ads that are to the point and specific to their needs.

Retargeting is a power tool that can track your consumers’ activity across the web no matter where they are searching. Your brand will have that much more of an impact and will increase the amount of impressions and likelihood it will translate to a lead.

Go where your target is searching and find out how they’re searching

Over the past couple of years, mobile advertising has been a buzz phrase. It’s about serving ads where your audience is already searching. This could be through desktop, tablet or mobile depending on consumer research and what third party data reveals. This may differ from the market to the type of industry. There is never a sure-fire answer.

Hone in on your target by geo-targeting areas you want your ads to be served. This niche region ensures you won’t be wasting your client’s money by researching the consumers’ search habits.

About one-third of shoppers admit to checking their phones while car shopping to search for other dealerships’ competitive prices. It’s possible to geo-target as small as a two-mile radius, which is great for reaching consumers at specials events, while visiting a dealership, or shopping at your competitors’ locations.

Track your in-bound analytics through the back end of your website. This can be done through your own CRM software or Google analytics. Need help? We have a JP team member who is Google Analytics certified!

Track where your leads are coming from (don’t just ask your customers)

Here are two great ways to track leadsipad-1276888_1920

1. Set up iPads in your store with a five-minute survey asking customers what brought them into the store, where they saw your brand, etc

2. Set up tracking conversions through your digital ads to learn how far your customers are traveling through your website. This is an effective way we’ve used to optimize our campaigns to determine which creative is eye-catching and driving consumer interest.

You Have to Pay to Play

Facebook is huge. With over 1.71 billion monthly active users, you can’t be afraid to spend a little money to reach them. Most of the experts at the conference kept saying that organic posts are dead because less than 2% of your fans actually see your organic content. Because of Facebook’s algorithm, it keeps getting harder to reach your organic fans.

Since the normal Facebook posts aren’t reaching as many fans as they did just a few years ago, the seminar speakers emphasized the importance of allocating some of your budget to Facebook Ads. Advertising on Facebook can be relatively inexpensive, especially compared to more traditional types of advertising. We’ve been managing Facebook advertising for our clients since 2012 and have seen great results. We pay to play and win the game.

Videos are King

You might have heard the saying, Content is King; after hearing many experts speak about the power of video, I’ve learned that videos are king. Seventy-two percent of marketers plan to increase their use of video content and have good reason to do so.

Videos can give car dealerships a unique advantage. Videos on the dealer’s website or social media can show consumers the exterior and interior of a car and give them an upgraded experience before they even step on the lot. New model test-drives, inventory, and customer testimonials are all great types of videos that can definitely elevate a dealership.

Don’t Shoot in the Dark, Hit Your Target Market

facebook-custom-audiences-remarketing-consultantsNo one likes an irrelevant ad. Most people don’t like ads anyways, but they definitely don’t like ads that do not pertain to them. To combat this issue, targeting is key. On Facebook, you can target your consumers very easily. You can simply upload your consumer list (with their emails) and Facebook will match the emails and find your customers on Facebook.

In regards to a car dealership, this type of targeting, called Facebook Custom Audiences, works great if you want to place an advertisement about getting a car serviced. You can send the ad only to users who you know have bought a car from you and will need service. You can even find similar types of people and target your ads to them. There are numerous categories on Facebook advertising, making it easier to target consumers who are in market to buy a type of car. The best ad in the world means nothing if you’re reaching the wrong people.

We’re ready to apply all that we learned at Digital Dealer 21 to our clients. We can’t wait for next year’s conference to learn about the new trends.

Mia Villarreal, Media Buyer & Alexa Ude, Account Assistant