Marketing Automation Software Comes Into its Own
A major problem facing marketers today is collaborating with their dealers in the most efficient way possible. As you’ve likely come to know, many dealers are strapped for time as it is, and often unable to devote resources to increasing the online visibility of your products. Online visibility is extremely important, as many of the customers who enter their stores have already used the Internet to research the products their planning to purchase. If they’ve come across your dealer’s website and been unable to find your products’ information, they’re less likely to be conscious of it when they reach the physical store. More importantly, if your dealers’ websites contain inaccurate or outdated product information, consumers will take that as a poor reflection on your brand, regardless of where the breakdown in communication occurred. For these reasons, many marketers have turned to marketing automation software to improve dealer collaboration and increase their brand’s visibility.
When a consumer searches locally and comes across your dealer’s website, you want to be sure that they’re getting a favorable and accurate representation of your product line. In the same way that it’s important to be mindful of your products’ merchandising in a physical store location, you need to be sure that your products are being marketed properly on your dealers’ individual websites. This is one area where marketing automation software proves extremely useful. Instead of having to deal with each individual dealer on how you’re presented on their website, a dealer management system allows you to set up your web presence once, and make updates and changes centrally. The system is integrated across the entire network of your dealers’ sites and changes you make will go live automatically, giving you an unequalled amount of control over your branding.
The utility of this type of system will become even more apparent when you consider some of its other uses. Rather than having to contact dealers every time you have a national promotion and then worry about whether or not they’re sharing your promotion on their website, you can input your promotional specials into your marketing automation software system and they’ll update instantly to all of your dealers’ websites. Some marketers who’ve never used a dealer management system may wonder if this is a hard sell to your network of dealers. The fact is, it couldn’t be easier! Dealers love this type of system. The implementation is extremely simple from their end, requiring only the insertion of a simple code on their website. As you’ve no doubt experienced, your dealers are busy running their own operations, and any system that can relieve some of their workload while increasing sales is going to be more than welcome.
As you’ll see, there are other features of marketing automation software that make it appealing for both brands and dealers alike. One great aspect of a dealer management system is the use of promotional windows. These windows are similar to an Internet banner ad. Like a banner ad, they’re implemented by the insertion of a simple line of code into a frame on the dealer’s website. Once installed, you can control the content of your promotional window, and the possibilities for customization are many. You can offer deals on a rotating basis, like a deal of the day, or simply promote the deals you’re offering for that week or month. Promotional windows allow the use of video, social media and other great integrations in an attractive, brand compliant format. They’re a great way to have your products featured front-and-center on your dealers’ sites. When a consumer visits your dealers’ website, the goal is ultimately to convert that visit into a sale. By using automated marketing features like promotional windows, you stand a much greater chance of converting your dealers’ website hits into sales of your products.
Your company has spent a great deal of time and money building your brand into what it is today. Protecting that brand and increasing its visibility is key to your long-term success. Whatever trends come and go in the world of marketing, consumers will remain brand-oriented in their purchasing decisions. By choosing to use a marketing automation system, you can be assured that your brand will always be represented in the way that you intended, creating a sense of cohesion in the eyes of your audience that will position you as a trusted name in your field.
