When looking for a new vehicle, car shoppers generally ask a set of five questions as they venture through the decision process toward an eventual purchase:
- Which car is best?
- Is it right for me?
- Can I afford it?
- Am I getting a deal?
- Where do I buy it?
Google has labeled these “micro moments” for automotive, but there’s a valid question to ask as to what degree the Tier-3 auto dealer should aggressively seek to answer those shopper questions. Not all of those moments will result in a sway toward ABC Toyota, for example, even with all of the most enticing offers and pristine advertising money can buy.
Let’s break these micro moments down.
Moments 1 & 2
These questions are about making decisions for the brand (not the store) and even the type of vehicle itself. Shoppers will be building their dream models on the Tier-1 sites and doing no shortage of comparisons across makes. What they won’t be doing immediately is using the dealer locator; this part of the process is still very much a quest to understand which vehicle best fits the need. In advertising terms, this place is where Tier-1 spending will be heaviest, so why create unnecessary competition for yourself?
Moments 3 & 4
These moments are several notches more specific in the customers’ journey. Shoppers have decided on the “what,” and they are now moving to the “how.” Here is most certainly where the Tier-3 dealer can take an active role to influence the sale. The best offers visible across the integrated marketing channels will pique user interest, and flexibility for buy/lease/finance can win the day.
Moment 5
Lastly, moment 5 is a direct hit toward Tier-3. Shoppers have answers for the “what” and “how” and are now squarely focused on the “where.” On the sliding scale of Tier-1’s involvement for these queries, they would be found the least, so this moment is where the local dealer will shine.
When it comes to dollars allocation, the Tier-3 dealer should have a dominant presence for moments 3-5. When saturation is achieved, only then would it be sensible to develop a presence for the higher-level terms. Chumney & Associates provides in-depth analytics to help you understand your impression share in all of these areas, and we make it easy to understand at a glance.