Advanced Strategies to Target In-Market Buyers
This session, originally presented by C-4 Analytics on the Digital Dealer platform, delivers a quick, punchy discussion on advanced targeting techniques that increase sales and market share. The central challenge for every dealership is simple: finding the perfect buyer early, cost-effectively, and compelling her to become a customer.
The future of the dealership rests on mastering data-driven strategies to win customers who currently don't even know you exist.
The Challenge: Finding the Invisible Buyer
The perfect customer is a low-funnel buyer, about 14 days from purchase, whose profile is fully known—age, income, purchase history, and even specific vehicles viewed on competitor sites.
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The Lost Sale: When this customer buys from a competitor, her sale becomes a statistic on your Pump-In Report (a vehicle sold by another dealer but registered in your primary territory). This lost sale can also turn her into a brand ambassador for your competitor.
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The Goal: You must head off this loss at the top by finding her and compelling her to buy from you.
The Solution: Mastering Moments and Data
High-performing dealers leverage two core tools to execute advanced targeting: the Google Buying Moments and competitive market reports.
1. The Google Buying Moments Roadmap
Most dealers are primarily focused on the bottom of the funnel (Am I Getting a Deal? or Where Should I Buy?). The strategic move is to target customers further upstream, where costs are lower and demand generation is critical:
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Move Up the Funnel: Increase sales by moving budget up the list of moments (e.g., Can I afford it? and Is this car right for me?), where costs are lower.
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Capture Undecided Buyers: Target buyers at the top moments (e.g., Which car is best?) who are still undecided (thinking sedan, Subaru Impreza, or Legacy).
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Use Specific Intent: Use campaigns tailored to buyer intent, such as "technology buyer" or "easy-to-clean interior," which often appear in manufacturer ads but are rarely leveraged by dealers.
2. Using Competitive OEM Data
You must use your manufacturer's data (Pump-In Reports) to surgically target lost sales:
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On-Brand Conquest: Identify the raw number of lost sales (e.g., 181 vehicles pumped into your territory by Dealer B) and target that specific competitor's customers. This is about taking back the raw number of sales you lost, not the net number.
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Off-Brand Conquest: Use market reports to identify off-brand rivals (e.g., BMW and Mercedes) who dominate affluent areas and compel their shoppers to switch brands top-funnel by saying, "There's a better vehicle for you—it's a Lexus, and here's why".
The success of your entire dealership hinges on finding the right buyer early and cost-effectively. By mastering the moments, leveraging advanced data to identify and target competitors' customers, and ensuring visibility across the funnel, you can increase sales and market share.
Watch the Full Webinar
For a deeper dive into these topics and to hear directly from Rob Stoesser, Vice President of OEM, watch the full webinar below.