Automotive Digital Marketing Trends to Watch Out In 2017

It is time to look ahead to the New Year with new hopes and fresh ideas. As 2016 is in the rear view mirror, we need to turn our focus towards the marketing trends that are likely to dominate in 2017. Automotive industry is one of the largest industry spenders on digital advertising and 2017 won’t be any exception. If the reports are to be believed, the industry is expecting to spend a whopping amount of $14.14 billion on automotive digital marketing services by the year 2020. As the modern age customers turn more and more internet savvy, both the dealerships and independent automobile shops should shift their focus on boosting digital presence. If you are wondering about the top marketing trends to watch out in 2017, then let us offer you some insights.

Video marketing: Thanks to the ubiquity of video-driven social media platforms and online channels, the popularity of video marketing has been exploding like never before. Considered as the highly sought after marketing method in the recent years, video marketing plays a key role in connecting with the customers, engaging with them and converting them into potential customers. According to the statistics and reports published by the leading automotive marketing agencies, online video Ad spending has increased nearly 30% from 2015 to 2016. Over 60% of the businesses plan to increase their online video spending and 70% of brands plan to invest in social video ad in 2017. High quality video with informative and engaging content can build trust and authority in a brand which further generates sales and revenue streams.

Integration of sales and marketing channels: Gone are the days when potential buyers sought the guidance and tips of car salespeople before making a purchase. With the digital revolution, more and more people are turning towards word of mouth recommendations and online reviews. In short, automotive digital marketing services and sales concepts should be integrated to lure in the customers and generate profits. According to a report by Marketing Profs, companies with tightly aligned sales and marketing functions attained 36% higher customer retention rates and 38% higher sales win rates. Introducing new analytic tools and digital solutions can help in integrating the marketing efforts and sales channels seamlessly.

Social media advertising: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram and many more social networking sites have brought revolutionary change in the way we used to live and interact. Billions of people are registered on these social networking sites and billions are active users. So it is no surprise that business organizations can leverage the potential of social media platforms to get connected with the targeted audience.

Advanced targeting options, reliable conversion tracking and prevalence on mobile devices are some of the main factors that contribute to the exploding popularity of social media advertising. As per the forecasts, advertising spend on social networks will reach $36 billion in 2017. So, if you wish to stand out and gain edge, it is essential to consider social media advertising as a boost to your existing marketing strategies.

Choosing the Right Ad Partner for Your Automotive Business

We live in a digital age where everything is digitized. As the technology advances exponentially, new digital platforms and devices are emerging. Businesses must adopt the latest technologies in order to keep up with the pace of change or lose relevance. But automotive industry doesn’t have the luxury of sitting out the digital transformation. In order to expand the market reach and build a bigger market share, automotive businesses need to navigate through the changes and stay tuned with the latest technologies. Shift in the consumer demands, expanded regulatory requirements and increasing availability of data and information are some of the key factors behind the transformation of auto industry.

According to the recent reports and statistics, digital advertising spending has been witnessing a steep rise globally. At the same time, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the automotive businesses to find the right ad partners agency to achieve collaborative and cross-channel engagement with their customers. Below listed are a few practical cues that every automotive marketer may consider before choosing auto advertisement service partner for their next campaign.

Be clear About Your own Digital Strategy and Goals: In order to devise and implement effective auto advertisements service strategy, it is essential to have a sound understanding about your business goals and marketing strengths. Know your audience so that you can let your advertising partner take account of the situation and craft the strategies for connecting with them. Also, estimate and allocate adequate budgets for annual ad spends.

Their Forte: You can find a lot of media agencies and dealer advertising companies offering a diverse range of marketing services to clients. But you need to find out what they specialize in. Do they specialize in automotive ad services? Do they have experience in working with the automotive businesses? Check whether they have an in-house team of marketing, technology and creative writing professionals. You need to choose a partner capable of delivering end to end services.

Work Profile: Take a close look at their work profile. Do they have any experience in working with automotive businesses? Have they crafted any innovative automotive ad strategies for their previous clients? Are they well-informed about the challenges that automotive industry faces? Evaluate their previous campaign strategies and technology expertise, as it would help in gaining a better insight about their skills.

Service Level: Business partnership is for long-term. Even a minor mistake can ruin your brand reputation and customer loyalty. So it is important to define the level of service with the potential ad partner agency. Make sure your business trusts the agency and it is comfortable to work with their team.

Last but not the least make it a point to do a trial run for a specified period of time before finalizing the partnership. You need to have a reputed advertising partner for promoting your business and service. Test the water and choose the right to enjoy a smooth sailing.

Automotive Digital Marketing Trends to Stay Competitive

Auto industry has been enjoying sales gains and profitability in the recent years. Innovative marketing tactics should be designed and implemented to generate new revenue streams and sales channels. If you are running a dealership or an auto parts store, then it is essential to devise the best digital marketing strategy for your business. Hire the expertise and guidance of advertising firms that specialize in offering automotive digital marketing services.

How the automotive industry can stay ahead of the curve with digital marketing? Even though there are a lot of marketing tactics, it is always recommended to deploy practical and proven methods to identify and leverage new business opportunities.

Personalization: Using personalization in marketing offers a myriad of benefits. Delivering customized experiences to users increases the online conversions and sales. Since personalization renders familiarity, it proves beneficial in improving the customer retention and loyalty. In contrast to other business sectors where personalized marketing is possible only in the final lapse of purchase, automotive industry makes it a point to nurture the consumers right from the beginning of their shopping journey. For example, potential buyers begin their car purchase process by carrying out detailed online research online.

Businesses can offer detailed and accurate information through their website in order to connect with the consumers. Moreover, automotive business makes use of the various choices of digital platforms to engage with the customers. Blogging platforms, YouTube video marketing and Social networking channels such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are used to create personalized experiences for customers.

At the same time, auto businesses need to extract and organize data for designing an effective marketing strategy. Personalization is not possible without the right set of data. Automotive digital marketing agencies have access to a lot of customer data which includes their demographics, interests, age and more. Businesses need to use it wisely for crafting an innovative strategy.

Cross-generational marketing: Automotive industry need to stay relevant and competitive in their business. In order to stay out in the noisy and saturated market, auto businesses should assess their consumer base and determine how to reach them best. But reaching out to most diverse and best educated generation ever is going to be challenging. The target consumer demographics consist of baby boomers and millennials. Automotive digital marketing agencies must look for new ways to connect with the different consumer generations.

According to the findings published by Pew Research three out of four of the Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) use internet. Despite the stereotypical approach, marketers can use the digital space to get connected with the online and social Baby Boomers. However, it is essential to get a hold on their requirements, interests and wants. Millennials on the other hand are the most tech savvy and wealthiest generation. Marketers need to bake personalization into every aspect of their digital marketing strategy to grab the attention of online savvy Millennial consumers. Deploying an effective cross generational marketing approach help you connect to your audiences across generations.

Instead of following the trends, automotive industry is setting new trends in marketing. In short, it is vital to understand and react to the technology trends, marketplace challenges and target demographics to stay innovative.