Dealerships that identify their most valuable customers immediately set themselves up for success. They know there’s power behind the relationships they build with shoppers, and the more they interact, engage and improve the customer experience, the more loyalty and trust they’ll gain.

Relationships take work. In fact, building relationships can sometimes seem like a lot more work than simply tossing marketing materials out and hoping something sticks. But we’ve learned over time that guesswork marketing is no way to build a brand. Instead, smart dealerships rely on solid data insights to help them reach consumers and stand out as leaders in today’s marketplace. Technology continues to change to meet business needs, and nearly limitless shopper insights are right at dealerships’ fingertips. From that point, it’s up to dealers to leverage the most important insights and utilize them to build relationships that keep shoppers coming back.

Today’s consumers find themselves navigating an increasingly crowded marketplace, and that means they have more brand and product decisions to make. When products and services are equal — or even similar — shoppers will lean on the relationships they’ve built with businesses to help them make their purchasing decisions. For this reason, maintaining relationships with your existing customers, as well as reaching out to new customers, is essential.

Before the Data

Dealerships have historically filled the sides of highways with billboards, produced print ads that reach an unknown number of consumers, and delivered mailers to “Current Resident” that likely got stacked with the rest of the junk mail. All of these campaigns, however, deliver nebulous insights, leaving dealerships to wonder at the effectiveness of their marketing efforts. While it’s difficult to measure how many drivers are affected by the messaging on a billboard as they zip past, it’s not difficult to measure online clicks, email responses and phone calls. That’s where targeted, data-driven campaigns enter into dealership relationship-building processes.

Intelligent data and shopper insights are valuable because they help dealerships get to know their customers and deliver exactly what’s needed with the impeccable timing today’s shoppers are looking for — leading to more sales and happier customers.

Leave the Guessing Behind

The key to making your customers happy is knowing what they want, rather than guessing. Don’t guess about what resonates with your customers or which communications capture their attention. Instead, invest in a comprehensive platform that will facilitate data-driven, actionable communication that’s targeted to individual needs and is trackable. You’ll be able to ascertain quickly what’s working, tweak your campaigns and deliver top-notch customer experiences — and, best of all, every customer will get the feeling that your dealership knows them personally.

It’s time to get your dealership on the path to building great relationships with your customers, and to do that, you need the best technology and tools. Here’s what to look for:

• A comprehensive platform that offers multi-channel outreach. Don’t settle for single touchpoints or replicated content not individualized to your specific customers.
• Personalized offers that detail specific customer opportunities. Today’s shoppers are looking for personalization, and when you offer specifics regarding how they can benefit with your dealership, you’ll boost sales.
• Detailed analytics and reporting. Be sure you can see real-time data that lets you know exactly how various aspects of your campaigns are working so you can quickly update or redirect your efforts if needed.

Dealerships no longer have to guess what resonates with their customers. Instead, they can take advantage of the insights they already have to help them retain existing customers, as well as appeal to new ones. When you know what your customers are looking for, you’ll be able to provide a more enjoyable dealership experience and, in turn, you’ll benefit from loyalty, increased positive feedback, more recognition in the marketplace and an expanded audience that will be more likely to turn to your dealership when it’s time to buy.