SAN FRANCISCO — Among the findings in “The Long Run: Why Constant Brand Presence Matters” — a new report from Jumpstart Automotive Media that analyzed more than 4,000 dealership digital marketing campaigns — is that, on average, longer campaigns generate higher click-through rates, resulting in a lower cost per lead.

Jumpstart’s analysts divided the campaigns into durations of one month, two months, three months, and four months or more, then calculated the average click-through rate (CTR), cost per visitor and cost per visit. The longest-lasting campaigns delivered an average CTR of 0.08% compared to 0.06% for campaigns in the one-month group. The four-month group also enjoyed the lowest cost per visitor ($7.55) and cost per visit ($3.71), a significant improvement over the one-month group’s per-visitor ($30.58) and per-visit ($17.34) costs.

“While it can be tempting to try and drive immediate ROI through short-flighted campaigns, data reveals that longer campaigns see higher click-through rates,” the report states, in part. “This translates to lower costs per visits and visitor.”

Additional insights from the Jumpstart analysis include:

• A majority of auto shoppers begin researching with three brands, two body styles, and three models in mind.

• Ninety-three percent take approximately four months or less — start to finish — to research and purchase their next vehicle, and 68% are done in just one month.

• Eighty-four percent of shoppers say that online research impacted their choice of vehicle.

To read the full text of the report, click here.