Hyper-local platform drives retail sales online

A new platform from Goodway Group's online advertising network Beep! Automotive is having an interesting impact on local advertising. The platform, called Direct2Dealer, uses cross-channel advertising to engage and convert consumers. The platform gives local marketers the ability to target to specific regions, cities or possibly even neighborhoods to reach the targeted consumer base.

by Kristina Knight

"Direct2Dealer allows you hone in on each market individually instead of painting things with one brush," said Goodway Group Southeast Region Vice President Geoff Halsema. "Getting the shopper most efficiently to relevant content that will make them convert is crucial in the current economy."

Here is how the platform works: Consumers spot an ad on a national website, that ad is modified to meet their specific market - city, region, etc. For automotive advertisers, especially, the ability to target local consumers is crucial to driving sales. According to Goodway Group company information a pilot program with the platform (January 2009) helped a luxury manufacturer significantly life the number of local sales.

"When consumers enter the desirous step of building their 'dream' vehicle, it's integral to take them from the research phase into a brick and mortar location. Current nationally-placed campaigns drive users to an interim landing page that requires a user to define a radius and then select from a number of dealers within the range," writes the company.

Tags: advertising, auto advertisers, automakers, hyper-local, local advertising, online advertising, online content