Those embroiled in local media & commerce know that it’s essentially a collection of verticals. In the SMB world specifically, dividing lines in marketing and SaaS are vertical. The age-old question is whether to go for horizontal breadth (scale), or vertical refinement (differentiation and specialization).
The latter is often seen in bigger local-business verticals. We’re talking home services, health & beauty and, of course, autos. In fact, auto has been the subject and source of ample innovation and investment over the years – everything from Auto Trader to more recent disruptors like Vroom and Carvana.
When it comes to automotive martech and adtech, vertical specialization is likewise well placed. Like dentists, plumbers and banks, there are unique factors in auto marketing (e.g. regulatory). This compels specialization and focus, which is why we see so many auto-focused marketing plays.
The Latest Action
The latest development in auto-focused martech comes from CLIKdata, a division of Integrated Media Partners. Today, it announced that its ad platform, Social HubAIO, integrates top social platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Pinterest, and MSN Autos Marketplace.
Updates to the platform also include (verbatim from company release):
– Generates first-party leads for dealerships.
– Targets behavioral-based low funnel shoppers.
– Uses a combination of 30 static and video creatives deployed across multiple channels such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. TikTok, Pinterest, and MSN Autos Marketplace.
– Results in high engagement rates from shoppers who are ready to buy, sell or trade vehicles.
– Deploys and is managed from the Social HubAIO platform and offers transparent reporting, KPIs, and the ability to save on ad waste.
As background, Social HubAIO offers car dealerships an ad-tech suite, including programmatic and behavioral-targeted display advertising. These can be optimized for branding, event promotion (think: seasonal sales), and inventory ads. The latter has become a popular ad format on Facebook.
Moving Target
The point in all of the above is to span the consumer purchase cycle – from upper-funnel branding & awareness to lower funnel action-oriented messaging for in-market car shoppers. Covering this range has become table stakes in high-consideration (and big-ticket) verticals like autos and furniture.
Back to the question posed in the headline, there’s ample room for innovation and advancement, even in these mature local marketing verticals. Beyond chasing a moving target of tech advancement, there’s a perpetual phasing-in of local businesses as they upgrade and raise their game.
That cycle shows no signs of stopping, and we’ll keep tracking it into the new year. Meanwhile, for additional reading on the auto vertical, see Dan Silver’s recent piece in Localogy Insider about auto marketers’ 2022 tune up; and Charles Laughlin’s article on Urgently’s cash infusion.
