Many dealerships have at one time or another, had automated email campaigns set up for generating sales. It makes sense with the "new consumer" dominating the industry. Attention spans are shrinking and the new generations are forcing dealerships to create a uniqueness to their brand, all in the hopes of keeping the dealership at the forefront of the mind of the consumer. But exactly what is an automated "drip" campaign? This type of marketing automation includes a series of content, sent usually through email, typically on a set schedule. This type of messaging can be prepared based on different criteria levels as well; position in the sales cycle, vehicle/model most interested in, geographical location, etc. The most complex part of this is knowing how to create effective drip campaigns so they don’t appear as a spam email. This can be done, most importantly, through the use of a CRM.

Why use a drip campaign? Very simple, retention. All dealerships want the consumer to read and/or click on the links sent, as well as to respond to these marketing emails. However, there are numerous advantages to implementing a drip campaign.

• A dealership can maintain the attention of the buyer. We all know sales cycles vary depending on the customer, but with continuous contact (not over-saturating) the dealership and its sales department stay front and center.
• There are not 25 hours in a workday, and marketing is time consuming. With a drip campaign the time is used wisely with intuitive and automated follow up. Which allows sales personnel more time to close more deals.
• An eventual increase in sales is the largest attraction. It's a simple equation; more contacts means a higher yield of engagement, a higher engagement yield leads to more sales closed. 

There are plenty of different scenario's in which a drip campaign would be useful for a dealership as well, all of which have the same end goal; to drive more sales into the showroom. Having said this, there are still two main reasons for an automated campaign; Top of Mind & Lease/Loan Maturities. Not every client will buy on the spot, and staying top of mind is key. Drip campaigns are perfect for those individuals who do extensive research and draw out the sales process, but who you don’t want to be forgotten. It also exposes people to your store’s brand over a scheduled timeframe, and helps to build an appreciation for the uniqueness of the dealership. The same could be said for Lease and/or Loan Maturity. It's nearly impossible to catch every loan or lease ahead of its expiration, but with scheduled drip emails an initial reminder can be set up, along with an array of other reminders, so nothing falls through the cracks.

Through the use of the dealership's CRM, drip campaigns allow the dealership to take one very important aspect OUT of the situation; human error. Whether you like it or not, sales personnel will miss opportunities and send poor emails. However, with a well designed and integrated automated drip campaign, it's nearly impossible to miss the mark.

First Contact & Follow Up. It's a simple ask of sales personnel, yet it's become one of the largest downfalls in the sales process. It's not the act of actually making contact, its the method that in fact creates the madness. By splattering phone calls, texts, and emails at random days and/times, it becomes about as useful as not contacting a consumer at all. Using the correct methods though, along with having the ability to hold sales personnel responsible through reporting and analytics, will be the most efficient way of gaining more sales through proper contact and follow-up procedures.

There are a multitude of methods to take for contacting leads/consumers. Taking a look at each and the correct initiatives to take can dramatically increase the chances for your sales personnel to succeed. Having said that, if these methods are directed through a dealerships CRM, then not only do you have a proper record of each contact, you also have the ability for a more direct targeting campaign. There are three main avenues to take when it comes to contacting the consumer, however it's the approach in which you take that will make the difference.

• Dropping Voicemails will utilize the relationship already established with the dealership, providing a voice to coincide with the faces inside your showroom that the consumer has already visited. Using a CRM that has the ability to set up voicemails, allows the dealership the ability to have custom voicemails created to reach the consumer to close leads, as well as providing another level of customer service. For those who retain an internal/external BDC, this can add to or even replace the department, without having to worry about the questionable voicemails left by some individuals. Some of which, lead to do-not-call lists or robocall worries.

• Time Targeted Texting provides a direct route to the consumer with an exact time scheduled to reach at the peak time. Using a CRM with the technology to establish the best time/day has a dramatic effect on engagement. After all, on average texting provides up to a 45% engagement rate. Its the simple truth that consumers in general believe that texting, used as a form of communication, is more personal than an email or in some cases a phone call. If these texts are custom, and are set to go out depending on the consumers most "alert" time, the engagement is undeniably going to increase.

• Sending the Perfect Email at a specific time will forgo purchasing email marketing from numerous vendors that work outside of your system. With an email directed through the dealership CRM, the sales staff can have the ability to follow up with leads and not impact any of the dealerships' outside marketing efforts. With certain CRM's, emails can be given a unique email account to protect each dealership from being listed as spam. Too many dealerships have had to go through a multitude of email systems because of Gmail and others listing them as spam. This is a problem that actually HAS a solution.

These three contact methods seem normal. All three are even being implemented by almost every dealership across the country. But just because you're performing an action, it doesn't mean your performing it RIGHT. No matter if it's an independent dealership or group, every dealership and its' personnel can improve the methods of contact follow-up. If you believe you're doing everything "perfect", well, most likely you're not.