Most of us buying a new car go first to the web to research it. In some markets like the UK that’s been true for 10 years and it would be incredibly unusual to do anything else, but increasingly it’s the normal practice worldwide. We use search engines to find the sites with information, online car magazines to read reviews, online car databases to check prices, online blogs and forums to hear what other people think, and the car brand’s own websites to experience the look and feel. Yes, we still ask our friends in the bar what they think, we probably still see some television and outdoor advertising about cars, so traditional media still has a place.
Yet those car companies may put less than 20% of their energy into internet marketing, missing where the customers are in the right mindset and asking to be engaged with. Buy not using internet marketing they:
• Miss talking with customers when they are most interested in the product
• Invest heavy advertising budgets in media that either don’t reach the customer or reach them at the wrong moment
• Fail to fully display their products in the way internet advertising can
• Miss the chance of taking the customer immediately on their next step in the purchase process
The same is true for all product purchases that require research and information. Even if the final sale isn’t made online, the internet can dominate the journey to purchase. From travel products to mobile phones, credit cards to business services, apartments to laptops – the web is playing the critical role. And even for a bar of chocolate or fashion clothing, the web can be the media channel where those customers spend most of their time.