Consumer behavior is changing – and the automotive industry is responding. Throughout 2017 automotive marketing leaders kept up with the changes – from the rise of voice-activated cars to the limitations of last-touch attribution in a mobile world – here on GrowWithCars.com
So, what were the topics that most automotive marketers were reading to grow their thinking, as well as their dealerships this year? We took a look at the top articles of 2017 on GrowWithCars.com (based on page views) and here’s what the data tells us:
- The rules of automotive marketing are changing…and The 4Ps of Automotive Marketing™ are connecting. The most popular blog post of 2017 discussed a landmark report in which we introduced the 4Ps of Automotive Marketing – product, price, place, and person. Today, personal connections have become so essential to the purchase of an automobile that “person” has supplanted “promotion” as the fourth pillar of the automotive marketing mix. We delved into each element of the 4Ps – with articles and a video series– and will continue to explore this evolution throughout 2018.
- Mobile consumer insights are trending. In 2017, we launched monthly On-the-Lot Trends Reports to help dealers better understand mobile shopping behavior. Fueled with data from our patented Lot Insights technology – a first-to-market solution that pinpoints mobile shopping data actively looking for vehicles on dealer lots nationwide – our on-the-lot trends reports quickly became popular, accounting for many of our most-read posts in 2017. (Your interest on-the-lot consumer behavior also underscores why person has supplanted promotion as one of the 4Ps of Automotive Marketing.)
- The modern consumer journey is multi-touch – as a result, marketing measurement must be multi-touch as well. Attribution was the focus of a few of our Top 10 posts, including our January announcement from NADA that we were partnering with Clarivoy to give Cars.com customers a multi-touch view of the influence their marketing efforts have in today’s multi-touch world. You also responded to a post we wrote in May regarding a study we did with analytics firm Transparency to show how much Cars.com influences dealerships’ sales. (We were happy to report that Cars.com influences 60 percent of average dealers’ sales and service transactions, delivering more than $91,000 of self-reported service profit per month.)
To get a quick snapshot of our Top 10 posts from 2017, read on. Meanwhile, thank you for spending time on Grow With Cars. We strive to provide content and information that will help you, your team, and your dealership grow. And, by focusing on person rather than promotion – we will continue to strive to do so in 2018 and beyond…Happy New Year!
- “Get the Cars.com Guide to the 4Ps of Automotive Marketing™,” by Tari Haro, September 20, 2017
- “New Study Shows Cars.com Fuels Dealership Growth,” by Michael Biasco, May 11, 2017
- “Cars.com Reports On-the-Lot Trends for August 2017,” by Brian Archey, September 28, 2017
- “September Cars.com On-the-Lot Report Predicts Hot Sellers,” by Brian Archey, October 21, 2017
- “Walk-in Shoppers Aren’t Sending Leads,” by Zach Englum, March 7, 2017
- “Cars.com November 2017 On-the-Lot Report Cross-Shopping Analysis,” by Brian Archey, December 14, 2017.
- “A New Chapter for Cars.com,” by Alex Vetter, June 5, 2017
- “Cars.com and Clarivoy Partner to Upgrade Google Analytics and Support Dealer Growth,” by John Clavadetscher, January 28, 2017
- “Cars.com October On-the-Lot Cross-shopping Analysis,” by Brian Archey, November 30, 2017
- “On-the-Lot Trends from Summer’s Biggest Holiday,” by Brian Archey, July 25, 2017
