The extent of a car dealer’s access to customer information – and the accuracy of that data – can often determine the length and quality of customer relationships.  

However, not all dealers fully understand why accurate and thorough automotive customer data is vital, often because they are unaware of how it aids in identifying a target audience and designing a tailored marketing campaign to build those relationships.  

This article presents four such reasons why data is critical and discusses how dealers can leverage it to augment their marketing campaigns. 

4 Reasons to Integrate Automotive Customer Data 

There is no single, universal strategy for automotive marketing. Different dealers have different budgets, inventories, and customer types. 

However, to meet demand and secure sales and service appointments, all dealers must thoroughly understand each would-be customer’s unique qualities to make the best offers. 

To that end, dealerships have the best chance of identifying, targeting, and capturing these leads by employing a data-driven prospecting strategy that piques the interest of potential customers and keeps existing ones coming back. 

The following are four benefits of collecting, analyzing, and integrating automotive customer data: 

1. Personalized Auto Marketing  

Understanding the audience and their purchasing habits is crucial for maximizing the return on dealership marketing investments. When defining that audience, dealers should consider using market data, which is safer and more trustworthy than speculation. 

 More specifically, dealers can analyze this data for: 

• Reminder conversion 
• Customer profiling 
• Customer loyalty 
• Servicing penetration 

Dealers can leverage this information to extract maximum value from their existing customer base by maintaining an active stream of timely, pertinent messages. 

This strategy allows the dealer to plan augmented marketing strategies based on separate categories such as: 

• Consumer type 
• Vehicle make and model 
• Original service offered  

Separating and isolating these data points provides a more targeted marketing campaign that tracks relevant KPIs for the sales team. 

Another effective means for discovering buyer characteristics and habits is monitoring social media activity and related feeds. The dealership can analyze which deals or content appeal to social media followers and which demographics are most interested. 

These strategies allow sales teams to tailor their marketing initiatives by identifying consumer patterns. 

2. Better Data Quality Control  

Marketing data is often subject to error because the necessary information is either absent or wrongly recorded during customer appointments. 

Accurate information ensures service teams disseminate event reminders – such as for the upcoming service or annual safety inspections – when needed, saving time, money, and potential confusion and miscommunications. 

3. Accurate Business Analysis 

Dealers can complete numerous internal business-focused tasks by leveraging centralized data. These tasks might include: 

• Predicting and managing sales pipelines 
• Tracking sales results and identifying underperforming areas 
• Reordering parts automatically to maintain maximum availability 
• Completing market research and customer satisfaction surveys 

Service teams can also use integrated vehicle records and customer data to quickly determine whether clients need a service or an annual safety inspection and remove consumers who have already made their next appointment. 

4. Improved Used Car Inventory Management 

Used cars often have larger profit margins than new cars, and many dealerships rely heavily on their pre-owned inventory and fixed operations division to boost profits.  

However, dealerships must be able to access existing and potential customers’ vehicle history information to make the most out of their inventory and repair services. 

Vehicle history reports can provide customers peace of mind when buying pre-owned cars and assist in maintaining a high-quality used inventory. 

A Data-Driven Approach Requires the Best Tools 

With so many different automotive data solutions at your disposal, you no longer need to speculate as to who your target market is or wait for potential customers to revisit your dealership.   

Instead, you can implement a data-driven strategy to remain ahead of the market and meet prospects where they are, not where you hope they are going. However, doing so effectively requires investing in the right technologies to collect the datasets necessary to generate high-quality leads that convert into sales.   

Contact us today and discover how Affinitiv’s XRM can help you collect, analyze, and integrate the correct automotive customer data to design a marketing strategy tailored to your target audience.