How Remarketing to Service Page Visitors Can Increase Dealership Revenues

According to NADA data, revenue from service and parts accounts for 13.2% of the automotive industry, and this share is on the rise, making the service lane a revenue opportunity that dealers can’t afford to overlook. By utilizing the customer data they already have, dealerships can re-engage known shoppers who visit their service page on the website, and bridge the gap between service visitors who are merely “browsing” and those who are ready to “book now.”

Why Visitors Bounce (and Why They Matter)

More so than sales, service shoppers can provide a recurring stream of revenue for car dealers, encompassing anything from annual services to repairs or general check ups. Every shopper who visits a dealership’s service webpage without making an appointment represents potential revenue left on the table—not to mention the lost bookings from cancellations.

Understanding why website visitors bounce or why appointments are missed is essential for dealers to minimize their service bounce rate and better serve their shoppers. Here are several factors to consider when addressing bounce rates:

• Pricing Transparency: If visitors can’t easily find clear information about pricing for services or repairs, they may leave in search of more transparent options elsewhere.
• Lack of Trust: When a website lacks trust signals—such as customer testimonials, reviews, or secure payment options—shoppers may hesitate to commit to an appointment.
• Comparison Shopping: If visitors are comparing multiple dealerships, they may leave for a competitor’s site without taking steps to schedule an appointment, especially if they don’t see a clear advantage.
• Poor Mobile Experience: With an increasing number of users browsing on mobile devices, a suboptimal mobile experience can lead to higher bounce rates. Ensuring that the site is mobile-friendly can help retain visitors.
• Slow Load Times: If pages take too long to load, users may not wait around and leave the site for a faster competitor.
• Insufficient Calls to Action (CTA): If visitors don’t encounter clear prompts to book an appointment or learn more about services, they might leave without taking any action.

By leveraging AI-driven analytics, dealerships can gain in-depth insights into user behavior on their websites. Dealers utilizing AI analysis tools can leverage the insights to identify areas of a webpage where users tend to drop off, indicating potential issues including confusing layouts or unclear calls to action. This level of analytical capability empowers dealerships to make data-driven adjustments and optimizations to their websites, enhancing the user experience and ultimately driving higher conversion rates. 

Segmenting & Building Your Remarketing Lists

Remarketing to website visitors is a powerful strategy for increasing dealership service revenue. Using a Customer Data Platform (CDP), dealers can easily create specific audience segments for retargeting campaigns aimed at shoppers who visited the website but didn’t make appointments, as well as those who canceled without rebooking. Here are several audience segments you can build to enhance service revenue:

• Recent Service Page Visitors: Include visitors who have accessed the website’s service page within a recent time frame, excluding people who have an upcoming appointment. This will give you a list of people who may still be in the market for service.
• Past Car Buyers: Target customers who purchased a vehicle from the dealership over 10 months ago but have not had a service repair order (RO) in the past 12 months. These customers are likely due for service, if not already overdue.
• Long-Term Service Customers: Identify individuals who had a confirmed service RO over 10 months ago while excluding those with upcoming service ROs in the next two months. This will create a list of shoppers who have previously serviced their vehicles with the dealership but have yet to schedule their next appointment.

Another effective method for identifying interested shoppers is through your website’s chatbot. The conversations between the chatbot and online visitors can yield valuable insights beyond just immediate customer assistance. They provide the dealership with key information about what shoppers are interested in and what follow-up messages may be most effective in encouraging service-related conversions. 

Take for example, Fullpath’s ChatGPT-powered chatbot. Following each conversation the chatbot has with a shopper, it sends the conversation to the CRM and, if the shopper converts, it also updates the shopper page within the CDP to reflect the new lead status. With this new shopper information accessible in the CRM and CDP, dealers can easily assess whether or not the individual set up a service appointment, helping determine where to focus service marketing efforts and which customers to engage.

Crafting Personalized Ad Creative

Retargeting or remarketing isn’t limited to just website visitors; it also applies to anyone who has interacted with digital service ads. Whether on Google, Facebook, or other platforms, ad accounts contain invaluable data on who engaged with ads, which ads they clicked on, and their performance metrics. Integrating these platforms into the Customer Data Platform allows dealers to view the entire customer journey in one centralized location, which is essential for optimizing marketing strategies and budgets.

Personalization is critical in winning new and keeping existing customers. By leveraging insights from previous interactions with the dealership, dealers can craft highly personalized ad creatives that resonate with individual shoppers. For example, if a user clicked on an ad about oil changes, dynamic retargeting allows you to serve them ads specifically highlighting oil change services or special pricing opportunities, complete with details tailored to their interests. This level of personalization not only captures attention but also increases the likelihood of conversion, as consumers are more inclined to engage with content that directly speaks to their needs.

The CDP plays a pivotal role in this personalization process by aggregating data from various sources—website behavior, ad interactions, customer demographic information, and more. This comprehensive data allows marketers to segment their audience effectively and develop messaging that emphasizes trust signals, such as “4.8 ⭐ average service rating” or “X customers served in your ZIP code.” By showing potential customers that others like them have benefited from the dealership’s services, you establish an environment of trust and reliability.

Ultimately, the more tailored and relevant ad creatives are, the more likely shoppers will view the dealership as a brand that understands their unique needs and preferences. This targeted approach not only strengthens brand loyalty but also drives higher conversion rates, making the integration of ad performance data into the CDP an essential strategy for success.

Choosing the Right Channels & Frequency

Once you’ve identified your audience segments and crafted personalized ads, the next step is to determine the right channels and frequency for remarketing efforts. A strategic approach to channel selection and timing can maximize engagement and conversion rates.

Google Display & YouTube Bumper Ads for Visual Reminders

Utilize Google Display Network and YouTube for visually impactful reminders. These platforms are ideal for reaching a wide audience with engaging display ads or short bumper ads that reinforce the dealership’s service offerings. By utilizing eye-catching graphics or quick video snippets, you can remind potential customers about the specific services they showed interest in, such as tire rotations or oil changes.

Facebook & Instagram Dynamic Ads for High-Intent Segments

Leverage dynamic ads on Facebook and Instagram to target high-intent segments of your audience. These platforms allow for rich visual storytelling, showcasing your services alongside compelling calls-to-action. Dynamic ads can automatically pull in relevant content and offers based on user behaviors, ensuring that users see promotions tailored to their interests, such as discounts on services they previously viewed.

Email and SMS Follow-Up via Your CDP

Don’t underestimate the power of direct communication channels. Use your targeted the CDP audiences to send personalized follow-up emails or SMS messages to potential customerscustomers who have opted in. Personalize the messaging to specifically engage their user behavior or include an enticing offer based on their specific interests.Segmented messaging can remind them of their interests, provide unique offers, or prompt them to schedule their needed service.  Personal touches, like acknowledging their previous interactions or highlighting local customer testimonials, can significantly increase engagement rates.

Consistency is key—ensuring the messaging remains relevant and resonates with users across multiple touchpoints will keep your dealership top-of-mind.

Measuring Success & Optimizing & Measuring Success

To ensure the effectiveness of your remarketing efforts, it’s essential to measure success through key performance metrics. Tracking and analyzing these metrics will enable you to refine your approach and optimize your campaigns for better results.

Key Metrics

Focus on crucial performance indicators such as click-through rate (CTR), booking conversion rate, and cost per completed service. The CTR will help you evaluate how well yourthe ads are engaging your audience, while the booking conversion rate reveals the percentage of visitors who take action and schedule a service based on those ads. Analyzing the cost per completed service will inform you about the efficiency of spending and overall return on investment (ROI).

A/B Test Ad Copy

Implement A/B testing to experiment with different ad copies and calls-to-action. For example, you might compare the effectiveness of “Book now & save 10%” versus “Secure your appointment spot today.” Testing variations allows you to identify which messages resonate best with your audience and prompts them to take action, ultimately driving higher engagement and conversions.

Loop Data Back into Your CDP

After analyzing campaign performance, loop the data back into the CDP to ensure that you maintain an updated understanding of customer behaviors and preferences. By utilizing these insights, you can enhance future targeting efforts, tailoring ads to more effectively reach users based on their previous interactions and engagement patterns.

Harnessing Customer Insights to Maximize Service Revenue

Remarketing to visitors of your dealership’s service page visitors is a powerful strategy that can significantly enhance return on investment (ROI). By effectively utilizing customer data, you can re-engage potential customers who have shown interest in the dealership’s services but left without booking an appointment. Personalized ads, tailored messaging, and strategic channel selection ensure that marketing efforts resonate with the right audience, encouraging them to return and finalize their service bookings. Moreover, through diligent measurement and optimization of campaigns, you can continuously refine your approach, driving higher conversion rates and ultimately increasing dealership revenue.

Fullpath’s Customer Data Platform delivers dynamic insights into a dealership’s shoppers, equipping teams with the information needed for personalized follow-ups. Additionally, through its automotive-specific solutions, Fullpath identifies which shoppers represent the greatest opportunities and provides clear pathways for converting them into loyal customers. Ready to capture every dealership service-page lead? Book a demo to learn more about Fullpath’s CDP for dealerships.