3 Ways Dealerships Are Using Automated Marketing to Boost Results

When Justin Harmon, Marketing Director for Eide Automotive Group, heard about Automotive Marketing Platform powered by VinSolutions, he immediately knew it would help the dealership deliver better, more personalized marketing. 

Since implementing VinSolutions’ newest automotive marketing solution, the five-store automotive group has improved its marketing results and maximized return on its marketing investment by:  

• Simplifying complex email marketing tasks 

• Personalizing mass email marketing efforts 
• Ensuring successful sales follow-up with comprehensive CRM integration 

“One of the greatest strengths of Automotive Marketing Platform powered by VinSolutions is being able to target customers with the right message, at the right time—at the right moment when the customer is most likely to act and create opportunities for our stores,” Justin said.  

Read on to learn about three of the features of this omnichannel, automated marketing platform that have helped Justin and Eide Automotive Group drive results.  

Integrated Marketing that Keeps Salespeople Accountable 

As a dealership marketer, Justin’s key responsibility is to create opportunities for his sales staff. Automotive Marketing Platform has made that job easier because of its complete integration with the dealership’s automotive CRM software. The integration between the group’s sales and marketing solutions not only helps the dealership keep its customer records up to date, but it also makes sure salespeople are meeting each customer where they left off in their buying journey.  

“Because Automotive Marketing Platform is integrated within our Connect CRM, salespeople and managers can see when a campaign is launched and when a customer responds,” Justin said. “The integration helps us move the process forward and helps guide that customer into a new or used vehicle. And it creates a much better level of accountability between salespeople and managers.” 

Hands-on Support from a Dedicated Specialist 

The opportunities for using an auto digital marketing solution like Automotive Marketing Platform are virtually endless, but Justin’s time to dedicate to marketing campaigns is not. That is where is Marketing Account Manager comes in. Justin partners with his dedicated marketing specialist to execute campaigns with Automotive Marketing Platform based on the strategic direction he provides, delivering the right message at the right time using the right channel. 

“Having the support of my Marketing Account Manager is extremely advantageous for me as a marketer,” Justin said. “There are only so many hours in the day, and I can’t think of everything. It is great having my Marketing Account Manager helping me out. He comes up with really good ideas, and we facilitate them together to lead to more success for our stores.” 

Accurate Data that Drives Results 

Automotive Marketing Platform uses advanced data insights aggregated from multiple Cox Automotive platforms to determine the next best steps for contacting customers, without any manual execution. The team behind that technology helped ensure Eide Automotive Group was making the most of its data by doing a thorough data review and clean-up. In fact, before any dealer gets started with Automotive Marketing Platform, the VinSolutions team of experts cleans up their records, deduplicating customer records to ensure that every marketing message that is sent is personalized and relevant to the audience.  

“The most valuable feature of Automotive Marketing Platform has to be its ability to target the right customers at the right time,” Justin said.