There are many different ways that dealerships can reach potential car buyers in the new age of internet marketing and sales. The problem is that the internet has also created a lot more competition in the marketplace. In the not so distant past, people were beholden to the dealerships that were in their immediate area.
Now, all consumers have to do is get on the internet and Google what they want. This can be either a blessing or a curse, depending on how car dealerships choose to use the internet to reach out to their consumer base. Although Facebook, Twitter, and online ads are all good ways to market your car dealership, there is one online marketing channel that is too often underestimated: Email Marketing.
Email marketing is one of the best tools that a car dealership can use to keep their customer base engaged, build brand loyalty, and stay in constant contact with potential car buyers. It is also an excellent way to reach car owners who need maintenance and repairs. Email marketing campaigns can even reach people who didn’t even know they wanted a new car until you convinced them that they did.
When you send a customer an email, it is like sending them a personal message. If you make it something that has real value, you’re sending them something useful for free. Who doesn’t want free things? Email marketing is all about building a relationship with potential car buyers and staying in touch with those who you have served before. The key is to know how to use email marketing in an effective way.
When you open your mailbox at home and get a barrage of marketing flyers, what is the first thing you do? You probably throw them out. Email is the same. Email marketing isn’t about stuffing your customers’ inboxes full of emails that they don’t want.
If your content isn’t interesting, people will unsubscribe – or worse yet, you will leave them with a negative impression of your dealership. Car dealerships can already come with a reputation for being pushy and irritating. Don’t take the risk of pushing the consumer away by flooding their email with things that are nothing but advertising that they don’t need or want.
When you’re using email marketing, what you want to do is to give your audience useful tools that will make them consider buying a car, consider buying maintenance services, or visit your website to check out useful tips and tricks located on your blog page. It’s important to make them feel as if you have something to offer and aren’t just bothering them.
An auto dealership thrives not just by the volume of cars that they sell. A huge chunk of their bottom line comes from maintenance and repairs. In fact, it is estimated that when it comes to car repairs and maintenance work, every dollar spent by the consumer is a dollar that goes directly to a dealership’s bottom line. This is where email marketing can increase your revenue. Use it to promote specials for oil changes or tire rotations, or even offer free car washes. Anything that gets customers in the door gets them one step closer to either having their car worked on, or falling in love with a car on your showroom floor.
Another way to entice customers is by promoting a new car just hitting the showroom floor. Even those who aren’t in the market for a new vehicle may find one of the latest models so enticing that they just have to get a look. Using links to send people from an email to your website will not only increase brand familiarity, but it will also increase your website’s ranking, helping you beat out other area dealerships.
The higher up you are on an engine search, the more likely you are to gain customers. If you have a blog that is full of information and value, your customers are more apt to share it with other contacts. If you use email marketing successfully, it can create a multi-stream of new customers, enhancing your website ranking and building loyalty.
Although it’s sometimes undervalued, email is still an integral part of marketing for a car dealership. A great way to drive traffic to your website, it also helps to promote your business and build a relationship with the consumer. If you aren’t using it, you are missing out on a huge potential for your bottom line.