Have you heard of Marketing Automation?
Marketing Automation is a digital marketing tool that uses software to automate repetitive lead engagement touchpoints and keep online leads inside the sales funnel. Ideally, it’s a “combination of software and strategy.”*
The purpose of Marketing Automation is to help businesses track and manage sales leads and nurture each lead into a successful sales conversion.
To sum up the function of Marketing Automation, here’s a quick overview of how it works:
Capture information about website visitors based on their actions.
Unlike in-store shoppers, you can’t see what your website shoppers are looking at until they contact your dealership, and 98% of website visitors leave the platform without making a conversion. Marketing Automation helps you identify each visitor’s interests by tracking their progression across your website, including which pages they visit and how often. You also can track the full history of a lead across channels by looking at whether they engaged with your dealership through email or by submitting a lead form. Once you understand your online leads, you can tailor your sales pitch to their needs and create a personalized shopping experience.
Rank leads and identify the most promising prospects.
Customize your lead metric system as you see fit to meet your dealership’s sales goals (eg, prioritize certain webpage visits, units vs. maintenance, lead forms vs. phone calls). You can assign a lead score to each prospect based on their interaction history and how well their online behavior aligns with your dealership’s unique lead metrics system. The highest ranking leads are your most promising prospects.
Invest in the most likely buyers based on their lead scores.
Instead of stretching your sales team thin trying to invest equal energy into every sales lead, you can determine which leads are highly interested in making a purchase and should be pursued with more energy. Additionally, with a full history of each lead’s interactions, you can determine the most appropriate method to follow up.
Engage leads with customized messages at the right place and time.
Email marketing is a very popular communication method for Marketing Automation. For example, if a website visitor submits a lead form on a unit, this could trigger a follow-up email that invites them to schedule a test drive for that unit. To keep sales leads engaged with your dealership throughout the buying process, you can create a nurture plan that triggers pre-written emails in a specific order according to a lead’s actions. This automated process guides sales prospects through a personalized customer journey that fulfills their interests and needs. Just as importantly, your sales team is free to focus on creating an equally compelling in-store experience when the sales lead arrives at your dealership.
While using Marketing Automation software to connect with online shoppers can seem complicated, it’s designed to streamline and simplify your marketing strategy to maximize your lead conversions. We understand how frustrating it can be to see a satisfactory amount of traffic on your website but no conversions. Marketing Automation records the trail of each website visitor so that you can see what they looked at and identify what did or did not convince them to make a conversion.
Instead of remaining in the dark on your website leads’ journeys, know what they are looking for and capture their interest with customized messaging delivered with optimal timing一and at no additional stress to your sales team.
We want to ensure your Marketing Automation campaign thrills you and your shoppers. If Marketing Automation seems daunting, connect with ARI today to receive professional insights and strategies.
