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Going Digital: How Strategic Signage Creates Exceptional Customer Experience

Going Digital: How Strategic Signage Creates Exceptional Customer Experience

Car owners spend 400 million hours annually at dealerships, providing a huge opportunity for dealers to build relationships via targeted digital messaging.

In a digital world that caters to short attention spans, automotive dealers must think creatively to communicate their message and make a lasting impression on customers.

While this can be easier said than done, getting started is a matter of understanding one fact: Last year over 227 million Americans went to a franchised car dealership to shop for a vehicle or have their existing vehicle serviced.

Collectively, these car owners spent over 400 million hours at the dealerships they visited, which is 400 million hours managers could have leveraged to deliver targeted messaging, build lasting relationships and establish brand loyalty. How can dealers convert this time into money?

While most dealerships offer daytime TV programming alongside traditional banners and general service menus, studies have shown digital signage increases revenue and performs better in retail environments than legacy static banners and point-of-purchase marketing.

Therefore, considering the client is a captive audience while he or she waits for a vehicle to be serviced, and is pre-disposed to doing business with the dealership, dealers should consider shifting away from traditional daytime TV that plays ads for competitors in favor of custom content that highlights only the dealership’s services, upcoming deals, and even vehicle maintenance tips.

When displayed in a dealership, this kind of carefully curated content improves the in-store atmosphere and overall customer, and employee, experience.

Providing entertainment in the service waiting area is a must in this age of superior customer service, but this does not mean management must broadcast random content that dilutes messaging or detracts from valuable opportunities to make a sale.

Instead, think of this solution: A waiting area with various televisions playing a strategically created package of fan-favorite entertainment, dealership-specific advertisements and messages targeting specific customers with real-time updates about their individual visit – all of which is under management’s control.

A thoughtfully developed framework of content such as this provides the perfect balance of customer engagement and promotion of the business, all while facilitating a unique, enjoyable client experience.

Now armed with a system to deliver an engaging customer experience, dealers must leverage their services and expertise to turn a single customer visit into repeat business and ultimately a customer for life.

Cultivating repeat business can be extremely challenging, perhaps even more so in the automotive industry, where turning buyers into regular service customers is often a hard won victory.

A comprehensive digital strategy can set any dealership up for success by establishing transparency and accessibility. For example, signage featuring staff certifications and customer reviews will impress the customer and shows just how qualified and reliable the dealership is, allowing clients to trust they are receiving sound advice from industry professionals.

Digital signage is more than a simple advertising mechanism; it’s a valuable tool with the potential to create truly exceptional customer experiences that endure long after the client has left the dealership.

Taking a simple, often mundane transaction and turning it into a client-centric, yet brand-focused interaction not only will build a business’s reputation, but also will drive revenue and increase return on investment.

It is time to turn those 400 million hours of customer dwell time into a strategic marketing foundation that drives transactions, enhances the brand image and, ultimately, improves customer loyalty through immersive customer experiences.

Jerry Daniels is founder, president and CEO of Automotive Broadcasting Network.

http://www.abnetwork.com/

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