THATBlog

If you’re still debating whether or not to pursue an automotive digital marketing strategy, perhaps this will tilt the balance: according to research, conventional marketing efforts, such as billboards, TV ads, print ads, and radio spots, generate about $1702 per vehicle in profits. Digital marketing boosts that return to $2514. And it costs 10x less to sell one vehicle with digital marketing than with traditional methods.

Enhance profitability. Increase visibility and reach. Engage savvy, informed customers. Build trust. Stand out from the competition. Digital techniques empower you to do all of this and more -- if you have a solid strategy that is implemented effectively. Choosing the right digital marketing agency is the key to achieving the results you want.

Find the Digital Marketing Agency That’ll Drive Your Business’s Growth

For the results you need:

Look for an agency that takes the time to learn your brand

Research led by Clutch.co looked at the top challenges of working with agencies. Number two (behind communication) was “limited understanding of company strategy and history.” It is not enough for an agency to simply create a pretty website, flashy display ads, or a few random content pieces. That’s appearance, and it’s only skin deep.

They need to start their engagement with you by doing a deep dive into your company’s history and goals. Your role is to clearly articulate your current circumstances and what you would like the future to look like.

Once the agency thoroughly understands where you are and where you want to be, they can help you develop an effective automotive digital marketing strategy that will address your specific needs and objectives. The pretty website, the flashy ads, and the content pieces come after; they are directly informed by strategy.

Look for a partnership

As mentioned, communication is often considered a significant challenge. It is essential that you vet potential agencies in terms of their ability to act as a partner. Ask a variety of questions to uncover this:

Will I have a dedicated account manager and team? How often will you communicate with me, and by which methods (look for at least monthly calls and period in-person or video conferencing, as well as regular emails and reports)? Are calls answered immediately or returned promptly? What is the best way to communicate with my account manager?

How will I know what my brand’s responsibilities are? In other words, what’s my role in the process, and how can I make this work more seamlessly (e.g. providing feedback, making materials and documents accessible)? On the other hand, what will you to make the process streamlined and effective?

Inquire about metrics

How will the agency measure progress? Which metrics signal that the strategy is working -- or not? Remember, the goals should drive business outcomes; what do the numbers really say? When can you reasonably expect results?

Agencies should look at a variety of areas, including site visitors, traffic by sources and channels, new visitors vs. return visitors, time on site, bounce rate, cost per visitor, revenue per visitor, conversion rates, including cost per conversion and micro-conversion, return on investment, and more. And, again, they should be providing easily-accessible reports and analysis so you can monitor progress.

Also, what is their process for course-correction? If a campaign isn’t working, what do they do? How do they fix it? Turn on your fluff-filter and look for specifics.

Do your due diligence

Ask for references, and follow up. Request at least three to five clients for whom the digital marketing agency has worked in the past year. This ensures that the references reflect the current state of affairs. Ask them targeted questions, including the ones we’ve enumerated here. Also, how responsive the agency was, how effective they were in terms of communication, course-correction, reporting, and other key areas.

If something you hear throws up red flags, don’t ignore it. Persist: what’s the issue? Ask the agency about any matters for which you need clarification. As well, request that the agency provide you with case studies (many have them available on their websites already). See how they developed, implemented, monitored, assessed, and tweaked strategies. Check out the results.

While you’re at it, read online reviews, and take a thorough look at the agency’s website, blog, and social media profiles. They should be practicing what they preach in terms of techniques.

Look for holistic thinking

Another challenge that can arise with some agencies is that they lack the ability to integrate various campaigns, channels, and technologies in order to achieve optimal results. Your automotive digital marketing partner should be able to move seamlessly through these arenas, connecting and linking your efforts into a cohesive whole.

Ask specifically how they address multi-channel efforts, how their campaigns combine website, social, and content marketing techniques, and how to amp up progress with mobile and other disruptive technologies.

Finding the best digital marketing agency is the first step in realizing enhanced results in this market. And it’s a big step. Put in the time and energy to get it right.