Efficiency in the highest gear: Touring CarSelect and Hybrid as one team

Background

Touring CarSelect operates in a highly competitive market in which car websites such as Autoscout hold an almost-monopoly. The goal of Touring CarSelect is to provide a user-friendly platform where car companies can offer their vehicles and consumers can easily find their dream car and, if they wish, arrange financing or insurance.

With large players and rising marketing costs, it became increasingly difficult to maintain direct contact with customers. Touring CarSelect needed to invest in a platform that would attract both organic traffic and reach the right target audience through targeted marketing campaigns.

The challenge

The challenges for Touring CarSelect lay in the nature of the market. “The automotive sector is changing rapidly. Dealers are under pressure, margins are falling, and digitalization ensures that customers no longer physically appear in showrooms, but search for their cars online,” explains Walter. In addition, Touring CarSelect must compete with major classified sites such as Autoscout. “Autoscout is not cheap, and for many dealers it is difficult to generate organic traffic there,” he says.

Another problem was the lack of brand awareness of Touring CarSelect. “No one directly associates BNP Paribas or AG Insurance with buying a car. So we really need to invest in building a brand,” he adds.

Why Hybrid Agency?

Touring CarSelect was looking for a partner that could not only help them with marketing, but also think strategically and technically about the challenges of the platform.

“What convinced me to work with Hybrid was their in-depth knowledge and the fact that they quickly understood what we needed. I immediately felt they could strategically strengthen our platform,” says Walter.

An additional advantage was that Hybrid is part of the Wildstream group, in which complementary services such as business innovation and tech development are offered. This made it possible for Touring CarSelect to accelerate a number of processes even further.

“We hired Hybrid’s marketing team because it was simply not possible for us to pay or retain those profiles internally. The expertise they offer is exactly what we need, without the burdens of a full-time employee,” Walter says.

The collaboration

The collaboration with Hybrid Agency is intensive and dynamic. Every week, the teams of Touring CarSelect and Hybrid hold a meeting to discuss progress and make strategic decisions. “We have a meeting every Tuesday with sales, marketing, and the dev team to set priorities. This weekly alignment saves us an enormous amount of time and money,” says Walter.

A unique aspect of the collaboration is the flexibility and direct communication between the teams. “What is really valuable is that Hybrid is always ready to quickly step in if something changes. If, for example, we see that certain keywords are not performing well, we immediately discuss it in the meeting and they can address it right away,” he says. This creates an efficient way of working, avoiding time-consuming procedures.

Results and impact

Thanks to the close collaboration with Hybrid Agency, Touring CarSelect has achieved impressive results. Not only did the number of leads increase, but the cost per lead (CPSQL) also dropped spectacularly. “On the first day the platform went live, there were already 3400 cars listed, much more than expected, and that was actually too much for our original marketing budget. But Hybrid quickly managed to turn this into a successful strategy,” says Walter.

In addition, Hybrid helped with automating reports and making data visible via Power BI. “We used to do everything in Excel, but Hybrid helped us automate it all. Now we have daily insights into our organic traffic, leads, and campaign performance. That is a game changer,” Walter says.

The flexibility and speed of Hybrid are also essential in the ongoing optimization of the platform. “We continuously run A/B tests and adjust the site based on the feedback we receive. The teams of Hybrid and our development team in Romania work together seamlessly on this,” Walter explains.

The future

Touring CarSelect wants to further expand its platform and increase organic traffic. “We are now at about 7 to 9% organic traffic, and it is growing. Our goal is to further increase that in the coming years, but that takes time,” says Walter. Hybrid remains a crucial partner in achieving these goals.

Content marketing is becoming an increasingly important part of their strategy. “We have a wealth of content, such as reviews and tests of cars, but we need to use it better. Hybrid is now helping us strategically deploy this content on social media to grow our organic traffic,” Walter explains.

Conclusion

The collaboration between Touring CarSelect and Hybrid Agency demonstrates the power of an integrated approach where strategic thinking and operational execution go hand in hand. Thanks to Hybrid, Touring CarSelect can compete in a challenging market, while at the same time controlling their marketing costs and continuing to improve the effectiveness of their campaigns. “Hybrid thinks with us, provides quick solutions, and is always available to help. They are truly an extension of our team,” concludes Walter.

With this dynamic approach, Touring CarSelect demonstrates their ability to thrive in a competitive market, supported by the collaboration with Hybrid Agency.