Capitalize on buyer interest with behavioral targeting
BY LAUREN LABUNSKY
Traditional advertising methods can feel like tossing a coin into a fountain, with only a hope and wish that things turn out the way you hope. Digital advertising methods can take much of the guesswork out of where and when to reach potential customers. Rather than trying to figure out what customers want, we now have tools to see what they’re searching for and browsing on the internet. Behavioral targeting provides a strategic way to reach customers who display a likely interest in your dealership through their behavior online.
Behavioral targeting tracks and analyzes the search and browsing patterns of potential customers visiting websites with content like yours. It allows you to serve advertisements to prospects at any step of their customer journey. For example, a person at the beginning of the customer journey who is researching the best dirt bike trails in his local area might see a general ad for your dealership and the dirt bikes you sell. Another person toward the end of the customer journey who has conducted searches for a specific ATV unit on multiple powersports websites might see an ad for your dealership showing that exact ATV that you have in stock. Your advertisement could be just what that person wants to see and showing it to them when they are in the midst of their online research is the perfect way to take advantage of the opportunity to convert them.
The two major branches of behavioral targeting include keyword search and content.
Imagine any search field you find online where users can submit a query for information, such as an inventory field on a website. The words that the customer types into that search field can help to determine what types of advertisements would resonate with that customer. If a customer is using keywords related to street bikes, your ads can target that topic to garner the most interest.
Likewise, when the customer navigates to content containing similar keywords on a website like a powersports blog, behavioral targeting uses that information as context to serve precise advertisements that match the customer’s interests. By targeting the people who have already expressed interest in your message, you can greatly increase the effectiveness of your digital advertising efforts.
Behavioral targeting is an especially powerful tool for customers on a long customer journey, like powersports customers. These people are more likely to spend time browsing, researching information, and comparing models before visiting a dealership in person. Behavioral targeting gives you the opportunity throughout that customer journey to reach them at different points and entice them to buy based on the information they read and search for on their own.
The ability to capture and convert more leads is made easier by putting the right information in front of the right people. These tools and strategies can give powersport dealers an edge on the competition by keeping their brand in the forefront of customers’ minds while they are engaging in online activity that suggests they are more likely to buy.
Lauren Labunsky is the public relations manager at Dealer Spike, a leading web services provider for powersports dealerships. The award-winning digital advertising company is focused on helping dealers increase sales through powerful, distinctive website design and a full suite of online marketing tools to drive results. Dealer Spike’s expertise comes from real-world dealership experience and a team of professionals who also ride. When you work with Dealer Spike, you’re working with digital marketing experts who have a passion for your industry.