When it comes to digital advertising, Ken Kolodziej, co-founder and chief executive officer at String Automotive, says the challenge for dealers starts with aligning their inventory with the vehicles consumers are actively searching for in their specific market.

And once the merchandising (photos, pricing, etc.) is done right, “then you’re going to want to, of course, get in front of the right eyeballs.”

Kolodziej’s company has a dealership intelligence platform (Dealer Positioning System, or DPS) that aims to consider the intricacies of a local market and then help dealers make the most profitable and proactive decisions based on what each unique situation calls for.

He talked with Auto Remarketing recently about the digital advertising process, including how to get used cars in front of the right audience.

“And used inventory … it’s tricky,” Kolodziej said. “Used cars aren’t a commodity product. Every used car is unique, and you have to treat it as such.”

Which is why, he said, there have been so many strong digital advertising solutions come up in the industry that aim to “really get down to that VIN-by-VIN level,” and either push shoppers directly to the vehicle details page or having VIN-specific digital ads on search engines, “where you’re letting the used car speak for itself.”

He added: “You’re letting that used car shine, so to speak, and driving those eyeballs, those click-throughs, to the dealer’s site … That’s a relatively cost-effective method of getting the right used inventory, once you have it in stock, in front of relevant shoppers at the right time from a digital perspective.”

We also asked him about the opportunity for dealers going outside of their local markets to find buyers, and that, he said, typically is best looked at on a case-by-case basis.

“It depends on the dealer,” he said. “But from a conquesting perspective … the consistent trend that we’ve seen over the years, looking at not just digital visitors, but also where dealers have actually sold cars — looking at the data from the DMS and geo-plotting that on a map — used cars have always had a broader geographic range than new cars.”

Again, this goes back to each used car being unique and each having its own very specific story.

“I think the smart dealers, they’re making sure that they’re matching up with what customers are looking for and then at that point … you’re able to loosen the reins a little bit, just because someone will drive farther. Or they’ll have a car shipped to them from across the country or across the state or what have you,” Kolodziej said.

“So, you can loosen the reins a bit and you can use those digital advertising methods to be really, really well targeted, so that way you’re not just shotgunning your ad budget and spending 10 times what you would from a focused campaign just to get some more eyeballs on it,” he continued.

“Used inventory is unique in that you have that ability to sell, almost by definition, to a broader geographic range because used cars are more unique,” Kolodziej added, noting that the trick for savvy dealers, again, is to make a targeted approach.

Editor's Note: This story appears in the Nov. 15 print and digital editions of Auto Remarketing, which hone in on the top Used-Car Advertising Ideas for Dealers.