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The response to my recent article, Marketing Silos are Killing your Business was overwhelming. Automotive dealers and business owners reached out to let me know of their struggles to get everyone to the same marketing table. They also loved the terminology on a Unified Marketing plan, versus talking about “Traditional” and “Online” marketing.
One of the comments struck me: “It seems like all the agencies do is point fingers at the other in order to protect their piece of the pie. Why can’t they work together to help ME?”
We are entering an age of marketing where agencies focus needs to get back on to the client. We all have to check our egos and make sure that our focus is on what is best for them.
That may mean getting on to a call with the offline marketing team, or even another vendor who is handling a part of the online strategy to make sure all of our efforts are unified to provide our client with the best results. Once we have our offline team and online team at the table we have to invite a third: on-site marketing.
What is On-Site Marketing
What do I mean by on-site marketing? What is in your brick and mortar store that continues the marketing effort for your customer? Let’s take that journey.
The offline team has created a great TV spot highlighting a special offer the dealership is providing for a holiday weekend. They reach out to the online team to explain the ad/message and ask them what website URL they should use in the spot to send the traffic to the right place.
The digital team then creates a special landing page highlighting the offer with a strong call to action. The key is that the visual of the ad matches what they saw on TV. The digital team then continues by promoting the campaign on the website, and online. They may do it through blog content, through social media, as well as using a remarketing banner and video pre-roll campaign on you tube. The goal is to engage the customer and get them to contact the dealership.
We know through different research projects that 70% of customers do not contact the dealer before coming in. For those who call or email, the staff onsite needs to make sure that those responding are up to date on the promotion. What happens though when the customer just walks in? This is now where on-site marketing comes into play.
When the customer enters the building they need to see visual stimulus that confirms this is the right location. Are there signs and banner stands showing the promotion that they saw online? Are there table tents or flyers confirming that this is indeed the location that marketed that offer?
Use onsite marketing tools to finish your marketing journey. If you do not, then you run the risk that the customer is unsure if they are in the right location and leave.
Not having your three teams to the table, working in unison is no longer an option. Without a strong three-headed solution the customer journey is disrupted. In this very competitive marketplace, those who make it easy for the customer to find what they were looking for will win. Remember, Silos will kill your business.
Glenn Pasch is the current CEO of PCG Digital Marketing as well as a writer, National Speaker and Management Trainer.
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