Use This “Data Jackpot” To Find WHO Your Dealership Is Actually Selling Cars To (Part 1 of 2)

Jun 27, 2017 | Digital Marketing, Identity and Branding

What if I told you that I knew the secret to nailing your store’s next marketing campaign? That you could uncover EVERYTHING you wanted to know about your dealership’s target customers, like if they are women or men, what job title they have, and their purchase behaviors – before you even spend ONE ad dollar? Well, I’ve got good news for you. You can. Here’s how your dealership can easily identify its target customers:

Data Jackpot For Auto Dealers: Find Your Target Customers

Don’t miss Part 2: 9 Shockingly Successful Facebook Campaigns You Can Create From Your Dealership’s Audience Insights

Your Dealership’s Target Customers Aren’t As Hard To Find As You Think

For local businesses like dealerships, pinpointing your target audience isn’t always easy.

It generally takes a bunch of research, guessing-and-checking, and customer demographics to finally get it right.

Even with your OEM’s extensive reports, uncovering your store’s exact “ideal customer” may be all but impossible.

Thankfully, I know a way you can find EVERYTHING you want to know about your dealership’s target customers.

And it all starts with data.

There’s Just Somethin’ About Data

You’ve heard it a thousand times: Data is “king” in today’s world.

But now, the data realm is massive. And pretty confusing.

If only there were one central place that hosted all of the 3rd party data your dealership actually cared about…

…like automotive data, shopper-intent data, psychographic data, and online behavior data.

Well now there is.

Want to tell all In-Market Auto Shopping women who live near your store and LOVE dogs about your upcoming Adoption Event? No problem.

Thanks to a recent partnership between Oracle, Datalogix, POLK, and Facebook for Business, the data possibilities for your dealership are (literally) endless.

VIDEO: A map exploring Facebook’s advertising data from Plankton Digital
Facebook’s data is INTENSE…and is expanding every day!

But that’s not what this blog article is about. (If you want more about Facebook targeting, you can read this article, instead.)

This is something else entirely…

And I think you’re going to like it.

If Facebook’s Data Is A Treasure Chest, Your Dealership’s Data Is The Key That Unlocks It

Remember how I told you that I could help you unlock everything you wanted to know about your target market?

This is how:

Facebook Audience Insights.

Using this semi-new (but extremely underutilized) Facebook tool, your dealership can upload its own data files…

…then cross-check Facebook’s data to learn everything you could want to know about people on those lists.

With Audience Insights, your dealership can:

  • Pinpoint the demographics and lifestyles of a 2017 used vehicle buyer versus a 2017 new vehicle buyer
  • Upload sold F-150 data over a few years and see what purchasers of F-150’s “look like,” from job title, device use, and household income
  • Discover what other Facebook Pages your customers Like or Follow, and create new Custom Audiences based on those findings

PRO TIP: Using these same insights, you can create “Lookalike Audiences” on Facebook to find people who “look like” these customers or lists. It’s what we call Facebook’s Ultimate Conquest Strategy – read this article to learn more!

Since so many people are on Facebook, it has become a gigantic data hub that your dealership can easily access.

Sound interesting?

Keep reading…

Here’s How To Unlock Audience Insights At Your Dealership

Step 1: Create Your Custom Audience

Under your Ads Manager, navigate to “Audiences,” then click “Create New > Custom Audience.”

Create your Custom Audience using your dealership’s customer file, website traffic, or users’ engagement on Facebook.

NOT SURE WHERE TO START? If you aren’t sure which of your lists you should upload, or what traffic to turn into your newest Custom Audience, you may want to schedule a Facebook Analysis with our Facebook team. We’ll help you nail down your dealership’s goals, create your Custom Audiences, and use your Audience Insights to help you sell more cars!

Step 2: Load Your Custom Audience in Audience Insights

Log into your Facebook Business Page and navigate to Ads Manager > Audience Insights.

Next, navigate to “Audience Insights” under Plan.

Your audience can include “Everyone on Facebook,” or “People connected to your Page,” but to maximize your own dealership’s data and find your dealership’s specific target customers, start with a “Custom Audience.”

Then simply load the Custom Audience you want to study in the left panel of Audience Insights under “Additional Entries.”

Once Facebook matches users from your list, you’ll see 6 tabs chock-full of aggregated user insights:

Demographics:

Summarizes key demographics like age and gender, education, relationship status and job role, as well as Lifestyle segments that range from “Rural Parents” to “City Mixers.”

Page Likes:

This shows the top Categories of interests (based on Facebook Pages that your Audience interacts with), and which Pages are likely to be relevant to that audience.

Location:

Reveals the top cities where your uploaded Audience is based.

Activity:

Measures your Audience’s activity on Facebook, such as frequency and number of Pages Liked, Comments, Posts Liked/Shared, Promotions Redeemed, and Ads Clicked, as well as main device usage (desktop vs. mobile, iOS vs. Android).

Household:

Reports household income, type of home ownership, household size, and spending methods.

Purchase:

Reveals key trends in retail and online spending, purchase behaviors across specific categories, and automotive purchase behavior based on vehicle registration data.

If your dealership is looking for the holy grail of marketing data…

THIS IS IT.

Wrap Up: Facebook’s Audience Insights Will Help You Find Your Dealership’s Target Customers

Thanks to Facebook Audience Insights, your dealership will never have to worry about hitting — or missing — its target customers again.

Here’s how your dealership can use them:

  1. Create a Custom Audience based on your dealership’s data.
  2. Load your Audience and cross-match it to Facebook’s user data and third-party data.
  3. Dive into 6 pages of aggregated data, including demographics, Facebook Page Likes and activity, purchase behaviors, and more.

You don’t need to be running ads on Facebook to take advantage of Audience Insights. Use them to optimize your dealership’s email marketing, Google PPC campaigns, direct mail, in-store promotions, general branding, and beyond.

But think – once you’ve already done the leg work and uploaded your store’s data, why not use that data to deliver messages to your ideal customers on Facebook, the #1 social media platform in the US?

In a new article next week, I’m going to show you how to turn your findings from Audience Insights into high-performing Facebook campaigns.

You can read it here: 9 Shockingly Successful Facebook Campaigns You Can Create From Your Dealership’s Audience Insights

Stay tuned…it’s going to be good.

Blog Author - Brooke Jensen

Written By Brooke Jensen
Brooke handles all of Dealers United’s digital marketing. In addition to her love for design and copy, Brooke also adores her two dog-like kittens, playing the electric violin, and walking barefoot around the office.


Who is Dealers United?

Dealers United is a game-changing automotive company dedicated to helping auto dealers improve their dealerships. We have helped over 6,500 dealers nationwide cut costs, save time, and sell more cars.

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