Christian Fuller offers insights on multi-channel marketing at J.D. Power

What’s the key to successful multi-channel marketing? That’s one question Search Optics chief relationship officer Christian Fuller addressed at the J.D. Power Automotive Roundtable—the automotive industry’s leading marketing event. Fuller joined more than 1,400 marketing professionals in Las Vegas last month to exchange ideas and discuss the latest industry trends.

Fuller took part in a panel titled “From Awareness to Purchase: The Journey of Auto Shoppers & Multi-Channel Experience,” along with Opera Mediaworks vice president Nadine Jarrard and Drawbridge founder and CEO Kamakshi Sivaramakrishnan. Moderated by Audi marketing analytics and consumer insights manager Scott Martino, the panel discussed the influence of mobile as part of the car shopping experience, as well as the importance of measurement with all platforms.

Fuller kicked off the panel by noting that nearly 70 percent of visitors who come to automotive dealer websites are using a mobile device. Additionally, he pointed out that shoppers’ attention spans are shorter than ever. For Fuller, those observations indicate that a key concern for digital marketers—today and in the future—is not only how to attract users’ attention, but how to do it quickly in order to convert them.

The panelists went on to discuss the challenges of measurement as consumers increasingly turn to multiple devices throughout the car shopping process. “There is absolutely no walking away from cross-device,” Sivaramakrishnan said, noting that more than 75 percent of in-market automotive shoppers now utilize two or more devices during their shopping journey. Additionally, consumers tend to rely on different devices at different stages of their shopping process—laptop or desktop computers for initial research and mobile devices as they near their final purchase decision.

It’s critical for digital marketers to understand these shifts in consumer behavior and adjust their strategies accordingly. Fuller advised marketers to hook consumers with rich content, such as vehicle comparison data. Then, to generate quality leads, marketers should follow up with search and display retargeting with offers related to the content users been viewing.

Additionally, the panelists discussed the need to tailor communication and measurement strategies to specific platforms and devices. “The mobile consumer journey is much, much different than TV,” Jarrard said. “It’s really different than any other format and platform.” As a result, digital marketers should keep certain parameters in mind when developing content for mobile. For example, videos should feature large fonts and include lots of close-up shots of subjects—and they should not depend heavily on sound (since not all mobile video platforms offer audio features).

As the discussion wrapped up, Fuller summarized a key takeaway for any auto dealer who may be wondering how to leverage the panelists’ insights. A strong digital marketing strategy is about “taking it back to what actually matters—and that’s generating a lead,” he said.

To learn more about strategies for better lead generation, click here.