When you market a unit to potential customers, you’re trying to sell much more than just the product itself.
You're also selling the overall experience of browsing for just the right unit and taking home their dream purchase and building lots of fun, happy memories.
Ideally, you’re also selling the potential of returning to the dealership in the future to make another great purchase.
The overall experience that a customer has with your dealership determines whether they will develop a connection with your business that encourages them to come back again and again and even recommend you to friends and family. And 87% of the time, this experience will begin online.
A prospect’s first introduction to your dealership typically occurs online in one of three ways:
- Option 1: They perform an online search for local dealerships and click on your website among the search results.
- Option 2: If you currently are running SEM campaigns, shoppers browsing on search engines or social media may come across one of your paid ads promoting your latest inventory.
- Option 3: The younger generations are likely to begin their research on social media, where they may click on your business profile to gauge your level of online engagement and read your customer reviews.
Since it’s safe to assume that a prospect’s first interaction with your business will be through one of your digital channels, it’s important to make sure their first impression of you is positive and memorable!
Map Out the Modern Customer’s Journey Online
You can take charge of your prospects’ experiences effectively by mapping out the modern customer's journey and optimizing the various touch points where they would interact with your dealership online. There are many different platforms from which a consumer may contact you. Maybe a prospect performed a Google search and found your website and clicked around for a while, but then got distracted and never contacted your store. A few days later, they’re scrolling on Facebook and see one of your ads. They choose to visit your Facebook page and on there they find the phone number to call your store.
By optimizing each touchpoint of the customer journey, you give your dealership the power to collect data and determine which channels are driving the most results for your business. You can also invest in the right digital resources to align with your prospects’ preferences, such as advertising on Facebook or creating and promoting a weekly educational blog.
Blueprint Your Map
The "map" you create from analyzing common touchpoints also becomes a blueprint for future customers. The touch points that have proven successful for your customers in the past will likely help you connect with future prospects as well. Determine where your marketing dollars see the biggest ROI and invest accordinglyーmaking sure to stay flexible and adjust your touch point map as needed.
Consumer behavior shifts over time as new digital platforms are developed and other platforms lose traction. Continually optimize your strategy as you determine which touchpoints generate the most business and identify new opportunities to connect with prospects. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a mass surge to online browsing and shopping, with many businesses incorporating online checkout systems into their websites so that buyers could move seamlessly from investigating a unit to making an online purchase without leaving the website. In late spring, the cost of pay-per-click ads dropped while online usage increased, resulting in businesses with active marketing campaigns being able to new leads from other platforms to their websites at a very low cost.
Create Brand Consistency Across Your Channels
One of your highest priorities in creating and optimizing your customer journey touchpoints should be to develop a seamless end-to-end branding experience for shoppers. As we’ve established, your prospect may be visiting your website from any number of digital platforms. Whether a prospect connects with your dealership by submitting a website lead form, a phone call or through Facebook, they should be met with similar branding and messaging across all platforms.
The sales journey differs a little for every online shopper, and by establishing standards across your platforms and with your customer service team, you can deliver positive and consistent experiences no matter where your customers are searching. It’s important to take your dealership wherever your customers are, especially online, so that you can get a firm feel for their preferences and needs.
Maintaining an active digital presence helps potential customers easily discover your dealership online and enjoy a consistent branded experience no matter which platform they prefer to browse on. Know where, when and how your future customers would like to connect with your dealership, and pave the way for them to identify the perfect unit so that they can leave happy and come back hungry for more.
For more information about optimizing touchpoints of the customer journey, connect with Dealer Spike today!