Publishing Dynamics' VP explores the value of branded desktop applications for conveniently communicating the competitive benefits of an automotive business-- and for eliminating the influence of your competition while doing so.

One of the more elusive quests in today's internet-driven age is finding a way to integrate technology convincingly, naturally, into the sales cycle-- and make the captivating experience of the local dealership come to life on the computer screen.

Dealerships have continued to stick with more traditional approaches to pull people in: personal service, price competition and promotions (read: huge balloon animals) to get people into the showroom and closer to a purchase.

But with internet tools like branded desktop applications (BDAs), dealers can form more personal, more lasting customer relationships without resorting to gimmicks and giveaways. Every step of the BDA experience moves potential buyers away from the competition and towards captivation, with the same basic techniques dealers are already using to communicate today.

BDA technology is very simply a website sitting on the user's computer desktop instead of residing in a browser window. And with the help of a good BDA company, you can quickly, efficiently leverage your existing technology on the desktop without having to re-create the wheel.

Step one: the basic difference is controlling the context
The fundamental difference between the browser and the BDA is simple: BDAs are always connected to the internet, giving your customers instant access to personalized information. With push technology, you can update a BDA just like you would your website, and alert users on an individual basis when there are matches between their profile and database triggers-- like new cars, pre-owned cars or service appointments.

This is very much like the services you offer on your website, except that it makes every step in the process personalized to your audience, and the message timing is controlled by you. Your customers and prospects never have to use a web browser to access the information they need. This is great for dealers because it reduces factors they can't control when trying to bring customers to their websites, like users forgetting the URL, getting distracted from your site and so on. With a BDA, many competitive influences are removed.

Users also won't have the chance to be courted by your competition at every turn-- portal sites, banner ads, search engines and the myriad of web properties in the auto space vying for qualified eyeballs. Putting a BDA on the desktop stops the user before they even begin to engage in the browser.

Step two: use content you already have, with more personality
Now that you control the context, you have to program the channel. It's easy. Just look to the content you already have:

Searching cars on your lot. Chances are you have this feature online already and consider it a competitive advantage. In traditional marketing, a technique for reach vehicles is for dealers to boast strength through size of inventory-- letting individuals know that the best bet to find their perfect combination of features and price can be found through sheer numbers.

Your website is the next step of personalization, where consumers can use search criteria to locate exactly the cars on the lot that match the combination of features and price they're interested in. But this is often a one-shot deal. What happens if the car they're looking for doesn't come up in that search? They have to remember to visit your site later, re-enter the search criteria, and check again. The likelihood of you converting that prospect after they click "search" the first time becomes perilously low.

BDAs help here to make the web process a win for the user and the dealership. For example, on the desktop the user can create search criteria and save it, running an auto-search (excuse the pun) every day for the car they'd like, without them doing anything more.

Your people. Personal service has always been revered as a competitive advantage, but it has never quite found its way to the web. Since BDAs are personalized to the user, you can assign salespeople to each BDA downloader. Their picture (or video), name and contact information can appear on the BDA of their users. You can integrate real-time chat or email functions. Consumers will feel personally connected to the information they receive, as though it's coming directly from the salesperson.

The added efficiency here is that as users interact with their personalized BDA, your salespeople can also have their own personalized BDA tracking their audience-- right down to individual clicks. Prospects' BDA interactions can trigger an alert on your salesperson's desktop, letting them know when to contact a person, and what they're interested in, based on real-time intelligence. And in case of staff turnover, a simple content management system makes adding, deleting, and assigning salespeople easy-- and the changes are reflected on user BDAs without interruption to the user experience.

Your service department. You already know the value of your maintenance and repair shops, and how loyal customers are after experiencing a high level of service. Instant push in BDAs means you can send automatic alerts to specific customers in real-time, reminding them it's time for service, giving them a single click to schedule an appointment (or be contacted to schedule one). Your service department then gets an instantaneous alert on their desktop, with all the pertinent customer information included.

Step three: seamless distribution
Since BDAs are small files, current marketing and sales programs are perfect distribution networks for BDAs. A good place to start is to create a splash page on your site and send out HTML emails that link straight to the splash page and the application download itself.

After that, you can print BDAs to CD-ROMs and direct mail them (this also gives you the room to get even more interactive with videos and motion graphics). Or, in the showroom salespeople can hand one out on a USB key. USB keys are fairly inexpensive to mass produce (it is a promotional product), and can be chromed or otherwise customized for maximum branding. So it will be easy to leave a box of USB keys on your service desk, and make sure that everyone leaving a service appointment has one-- so they can be reminded of their next appointment automatically.

The best part for any dealership handing out BDAs: you're already doing the things that win customers and loyalty. BDAs simply collect these advantages, and put them in the right place for the ultimate convenience and utility of your customers.

Michael Leis is VP of Publishing Dynamics. Read full bio.