The marketing mantra is always “right people, right time, right message.” For automotive dealers, the time element is the greatest challenge. The average consumer is only actively in-market for a new vehicle for about three and a half months every six years. Relying solely on basic demographics or simple search ads misses the critical opportunity to target customers precisely during this narrow, high-intent window. To achieve precision, we must look at specific buyer behavior.
Pinpointing the True Low-Funnel Buyer
To achieve expert-level precision, we must look beyond basic search and leverage behavioral and contextual data.
1. Leveraging Competitive Behavior (Custom Intent) The clearest indicator of high intent is competitive action. If a potential buyer is actively viewing inventory on your biggest competitor’s website, they are at the lowest part of the purchase funnel. Targeting these individuals immediately after they leave a competitor site is a highly effective strategy. We know they are the right audience and it’s the right time because their behavior confirms they are actively researching a purchase.
2. Closing the Search Impression Gap Even with a solid Google Search strategy, significant gaps exist. Due to limited impression share and typical click-through rates, you could miss serving ads to 30-40% of search traffic and fail to engage up to 90% of people who saw your ad but didn’t click. What is your strategy for recapturing this low-funnel audience? A sophisticated, layered retargeting approach is essential to stay in front of those who have already demonstrated intent via search.
3. Integrating Online and Offline Data For the most complete view, the best dealers integrate audiences from trusted third-party sources like Experian and Polk. This allows you to combine real-world, offline purchase and ownership behaviors with digital targeting, ensuring you reach individuals statistically known to be in-market for your specific brand.
Achieving true precision requires a clear, multi-layered strategy focused entirely on capturing buyers during those crucial three and a half months. We are committed to helping you move past the marketing mantra and into measurable execution.
