By: Jim Merle
ACC Board Member
Group Publisher for Babcox Media, Brake & Front End, ImportCar, Underhood Service, ShopOwner, Servicio Automotriz, Tomorrow’s Tech

Integrated B-to-B marketing can take many shapes and forms. For this blog, I thought to focus on the current landscape of B-to-B media and the value of integrated messaging.

Want some good news? An integrated marketing strategy is achievable and affordable.  Whether print, digital, social, or video, when we focus on delivering great content in the format that your audience wants – everyone wins.

It’s all working is not an understatement and here are five reasons why print, digital, video and social media channels are effectively capturing target audiences across the automotive aftermarket:

  1. The independent repair shop owner is comfortable with technology. Research conducted by the Babcox Media Data and Insights Team estimated that only three years ago about half of all shop owners owned a smart phone. Today, research tells us virtually every shop owner owns one and is using it to capture helpful management and technical information.
  1. The average age of a repair shop owner is 55 years old. They have a reliance on print as a relevant and useful delivery mechanism of information. This trusted source of content extends to the digital and video platforms provided by print magazines that engage this audience to actively pursue content delivered by newsletters, podcasts, video, websites and social media.
  1. Content is King. Producing relevant and authentic content is mission critical. Brands should be working hard to produce this type of content across their multiple platforms with the objective to serve audiences in a new way.
  1. This authentic content is driving the success of digital channels. Video consumption of content is growing exponentially year over year. More than 80% of content consumed on the internet is in video form. This parallels the demand of video content with our digital channels too. Video on newsletters, social media and websites are producing growing engagement metrics.
  1. Data. Data. The more we know, the better our ability to serve our subscribers and advertisers. Data assists in the development of an integrated strategy translating to sensible and effective application of tactics to best reach the masses or a selective audience.

It’s easy to over-think or over-engineer the planning, but don’t let that happen. Integrating your marketing and communication messaging is a complex project but the tools available at your discretion are proven and effective.