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AUTOMOTIVE CONNECTED DIGITAL: UNDERSTAND AND ENGAGE WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS AN ICROSSING WHITEPAPER BY DUNCAN WALTERS

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Social networking means that the route to information is no longer linear, controlled by the manufacturers and dealers.

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Page 1: Automotive Understand And Engage With Your Customers Online  I Crossing

AUTOMOTIVE CONNECTED DIGITAL: UNDERSTAND AND ENGAGE WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS AN ICROSSING WHITEPAPER BY DUNCAN WALTERS

Page 2: Automotive Understand And Engage With Your Customers Online  I Crossing

AUTOMOTIVE: UNDERSTAND AND ENGAGE WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS

© COPYRIGHT 2008 ICROSSING LTD 1

THERE’S A WORLD OF PRICELESS BRAND INTELLIGENCE OUT THERE. LET’S FIND IT! Until recently, offline “channel media” such as TV, radio and newspapers were the main focus for marketing in the automotive industry. But times are changing. The last two years have seen major shifts in the way car consumers are behaving. Marketers are feeling the effects already; people are going online to research and discuss products and traditional brand messages are losing their grip. The figures speak for themselves: Who’s turning to the Internet?

80% of consumers start their car-buying research on the Internet (J.D Power & Associates)

70% of consumers base their buying decisions on the opinions and experiences of other vehicle owners (Cap Gemini Ernst & Young)

With the opinions of other consumers so much easier to access, and so much better organised, marketers need to rethink their strategies and address the new, empowered communities online.

WHAT IS NETWORKED MEDIA? iCrossing believes that we are now living in an age of networked media. There are millions of conversations happening within social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Bebo. These are just a few of the highly developed social media sites that are increasing in share value. It's not surprising, when they’re the most valuable source of up-to-the-minute brand intelligence.

WANT TO BUY A CAR? YOUR FIRST STOP IS THE WEB. Developments in online social networking have meant that traditional marketing techniques have less impact on today’s consumer. People base decisions less on manufacturer marketing than they used to. Social networking means that the route to information is no longer linear, controlled by the manufacturers and dealers. There are now many other ways that consumers can find, evaluate and share the information they need.

WHERE ARE CUSTOMERS GETTING THEIR INFORMATION? To connect with their customers, automotive brands can tap into the array of digital media that consumers use to research and influence their purchasing decisions:

FIGURE 1: SOURCE: FORRESTER

UNDERSTAND THE CUSTOMER JOURNEY AND PERSONA Customers use the web to research and gather information through a unique and often carefully-considered purchase cycle. Each customer will take a different path, but search engines consistently provide the “glue” that holds the journey together.

THE LAST TWO YEARS HAVE SEEN MAJOR SHIFTS IN THE WAY CAR CONSUMERS ARE BEHAVING.

CONNECTED DIGITAL

Page 3: Automotive Understand And Engage With Your Customers Online  I Crossing

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Page 4: Automotive Understand And Engage With Your Customers Online  I Crossing

AUTOMOTIVE: UNDERSTAND AND ENGAGE WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS

© COPYRIGHT 2008 ICROSSING LTD 3

AT THE CUSTOMER ACQUISITION PHASE

Be aware – understand your network, the influencers and find your place within it

Be active – listen to your network and engage with relevant input

AT THE CUSTOMER RETENTION PHASE

Monitor – make changes based on feedback and the success of campaigns

Respond – solve problems quickly and honestly

Engage – interact with owners and influencers by providing useful content

CONSTANT CHANNEL MANAGEMENT

Collect data – refine the marketing process, target future programmes

Connect – create seamless marketing, that links all media with relevant consumers

Enable dealers – ensure that dealers can leverage manufacturer marketing activities

Combine the above and you're on the right track to creating a trusted brand.

HOW CAN YOU DEVELOP YOUR APPROACH? The key is to build a connected strategy that pulls all your digital marketing efforts together. This should be informed by insight gathered from your online network – a true reflection of what consumers want and the issues they are discussing. This provides brands with an opportunity to engage with their customers in an authentic way. The same insight also informs digital marketing channels, including natural and paid search, as well as display advertising. A connected approach maximises the impact of your spend and creates the best possible return on investment.

LISTEN TO AND UNDERSTAND WHAT PEOPLE WANT AND NEED 

Are people interested in the environment? Who wants seduction? Who wants reliability? In a digital marketplace, marketers need a more nuanced appreciation of what individual consumers are searching for. We monitor and analyse customer journeys, tracking the key words they use to develop distinct user profiles that help you target your marketing with greater precision.

HOW DO WE TRACK THEM DOWN? iCrossing’s tools enable us to perform in-depth analysis of your online communities. We identify the major influencers, analyse their effect on your online brand equity and identify strategies that you can employ to positively influence what is going on. To allow us to map these communities, iCrossing developed NetworkSense Mapping, a proprietary mapping tool which allows us to visualise networks and conversations taking place around brands, themes and sectors.

FIGURE 3: NETWORKSENSE MAPPING

This tool often reveals complex clusters of sites, which need to be deciphered carefully. Our analysts can help you to understand where people are spending their time online, and the conversations they're engaged in.

WE MONITOR AND ANALYSE CUSTOMERS' UNIQUE JOURNEYS, TRACKING THE KEY WORDS THEY USE TO HELP YOU TARGET YOUR MARKETING WITH GREATER PRECISION.

Page 5: Automotive Understand And Engage With Your Customers Online  I Crossing

AUTOMOTIVE: UNDERSTAND AND ENGAGE WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS

© COPYRIGHT 2008 ICROSSING LTD 4

Once relevant networks and influencers are identified, it's essential to use technology to “listen” and develop a framework of ongoing measurement. NetworkSense Monitoring processes such information to provide an overall 'brand score', as well as easy access to individual mentions, which can also be cut by sentiment, topic, site-type or credibility. Charting options allow for scores and topics to be viewed and compared over time, both within a brand and between various brands, enabling competitor analysis.

FIGURE 4: NETWORKENSE MONITORING SCREEN SHOT

Finding this information, and expertly interpreting it, enables a company to monitor buzz around brands, and develop their approach accordingly.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE MAJORITY OF ATTENTION IS ELSEWHERE? As we’ve established, customers look in multiple places for the information they want. This is extremely healthy for your online brand. As different sites discuss your brand online, they feed your site with credibility through links. Google rates sites in line with how relevant they are to their online network – and the more links, the more powerful your online brand will be.  If automotive brands are to remain at the vanguard of worldwide recognition, then they will have to engage intelligently with social media.

TOP TIPS ON HOW TO TAP INTO YOUR BRAND'S POTENTIAL

Map online consumer opinions and target campaigns accordingly

Maintain awareness of a rapidly changing consumer demographic

Find out who’s talking about your brand; where they are, what they’re saying and what they want

Pick up on conversations that mention interest in purchasing your products

Monitor your brand for early warnings of brand damage, and act accordingly

Engage with your network

Can you really afford to miss the opportunity to engage with consumers in this way? DUNCAN WALTERS AUTOMOTIVE MANAGER +44 (0) 1273 828 140 +44 (0) 7920 068 940 [email protected]

Page 6: Automotive Understand And Engage With Your Customers Online  I Crossing

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Page 7: Automotive Understand And Engage With Your Customers Online  I Crossing

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Page 8: Automotive Understand And Engage With Your Customers Online  I Crossing

AUTOMOTIVE: UNDERSTAND AND ENGAGE WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS

© COPYRIGHT 2008 ICROSSING LTD 7

ABOUT ICROSSING iCrossing, formerly known as Spannerworks in the UK, is a global digital marketing company that combines talent and technology to help world-class brands find and connect with their customers. The company blends best-in-class marketing services - including paid and natural search marketing, social media, content and media, display advertising, user experience, web development and analytics and insight - to create integrated digital marketing programs that engage consumers and drive ROI. iCrossing clients include world-class brands such as The Coca Cola Company, HBOS, TUI and Virgin. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, the company has 620 employees in 15 offices in the US and Europe, including 110 employees in the UK. Find out more at www.icrossing.co.uk or contact us on +44 (0)1273 828100 or [email protected]

iCrossing Limited

22 Chapter Street

London SW1P 4NP

Tel: +44(0)1273 828100 Fax:+ 44(0)20 8433 7055

1 Palace Place

Brighton BN1 1EF

Tel: +44 (0)1273 828100 Fax: +44 (0)1273 828101

[email protected]

icrossing.co.uk