“Welcome to the dealership! How may we help you today?”

You may not think it, but a simple greeting when you first walk into a dealership can lay the groundwork for keeping a customer for life.   In today’s competitive environment, the lengths a car dealership goes with their customer service can help determine how they can keep their customers.

What can an automotive dealership do to establish a long-lasting relationship with their customers?  Here are a few simple reminders to help nurture customer loyalty.

Promises are more than just words. When trying to close a sale, making promises comes with the territory.  Sometimes these can go beyond the basics of quality automotive service and fuel price guarantees.  Keeping core promises simple and developing them as time goes on helps establish long-term customer loyalty.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. This scenario may seem rather basic: a customer comes into your dealership, test-drives a vehicle and after mulling the numbers, they decide to purchase it.  As a rule of thumb, whether it’s after a vehicle test-drive or post dealer delivery, a salesperson should take the time to write a handwritten note of “thanks” and send them out promptly.   This simple consideration provides a personal touch and shows the customer you’re more than a number.

Be accessible. Whenever an issue crops up—a dead battery, a blown tire or even an engine service issue—being available and willing to help customers is key.  Providing service to your customers at their convenience rather than your own shows customer loyalty.  Why? You’re available to them when they need you.

Dissatisfied customers require attention, too. Let’s face it: customers aren’t happy all the time.  Whether it’s a complaint on your dealership’s Facebook page or a complaint via phone regarding service they received, a dissatisfied customer complaint requires a swift response.  Handling the issue by going the extra mile can help service the relationship for both parties – the customer’s issue is handled to their satisfaction and the car dealership can help foster a lucrative relationship. In the best case scenario, they may take notice of your extra effort, and become an advocate rather than an enemy.

“Thank you for stopping in…we look forward to seeing you soon!”

~ Missy Jensen, Social Media Manager at DMEautomotive

Bio:
Missy designs, deploys and maintains the social media initiatives for DMEautomotive in an effort to increase brand awareness, distribute company and industry news, provide updates on products and services and promote consumer engagement. Missy enjoys the process of learning; researching and watching projects come to fruition!

Prior to her transformation into a web specialist and work with DMEautomotive, she has 10 years of experience in the marketing and communications industry. Missy served as the Director, Handicapping & Communications for a regional golf association and helped successfully launch and maintain a cutting edge technology-based ticket resale program on behalf of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Missy attended St. Lawrence University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BS in Psychology. She also holds a Master’s Degree from Miami University in Oxford, OH. She can be reached at missy.jensen@dmeautomotive.com and check her out on LinkedIn.

“Welcome to the dealership! How may we help you today?”

You may not think it, but a simple greeting when you first walk into a dealership can lay the groundwork for keeping a customer for life.   In today’s competitive environment, the lengths a car dealership goes with their customer service can help determine how they can keep their customers.

What can an automotive dealership do to establish a long-lasting relationship with their customers?  Here are a few simple reminders to help nurture customer loyalty.

Promises are more than just words. When trying to close a sale, making promises comes with the territory.  Sometimes these can go beyond the basics of quality automotive service and fuel price guarantees.  Keeping core promises simple and developing them as time goes on helps establish long-term customer loyalty.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. This scenario may seem rather basic: a customer comes into your dealership, test-drives a vehicle and after mulling the numbers, they decide to purchase it.  As a rule of thumb, whether it’s after a vehicle test-drive or post dealer delivery, a salesperson should take the time to write a handwritten note of “thanks” and send them out promptly.   This simple consideration provides a personal touch and shows the customer you’re more than a number.

Be accessible. Whenever an issue crops up—a dead battery, a blown tire or even an engine service issue—being available and willing to help customers is key.  Providing service to your customers at their convenience rather than your own shows customer loyalty.  Why? You’re available to them when they need you.

Dissatisfied customers require attention, too. Let’s face it: customers aren’t happy all the time.  Whether it’s a complaint on your dealership’s Facebook page or a complaint via phone regarding service they received, a dissatisfied customer complaint requires a swift response.  Handling the issue by going the extra mile can help service the relationship for both parties – the customer’s issue is handled to their satisfaction and the car dealership can help foster a lucrative relationship. In the best case scenario, they may take notice of your extra effort, and become an advocate rather than an enemy.

“Thank you for stopping in…we look forward to seeing you soon!”

~ Missy Jensen, Social Media Manager at DMEautomotive

Bio:
Missy designs, deploys and maintains the social media initiatives for DMEautomotive in an effort to increase brand awareness, distribute company and industry news, provide updates on products and services and promote consumer engagement. Missy enjoys the process of learning; researching and watching projects come to fruition!

Prior to her transformation into a web specialist and work with DMEautomotive, she has 10 years of experience in the marketing and communications industry. Missy served as the Director, Handicapping & Communications for a regional golf association and helped successfully launch and maintain a cutting edge technology-based ticket resale program on behalf of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Missy attended St. Lawrence University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BS in Psychology. She also holds a Master’s Degree from Miami University in Oxford, OH. She can be reached at missy.jensen@dmeautomotive.com and check her out on LinkedIn.

When it comes to setting up sales goals for your car dealership, there is no magic equation.

Some dealers use prior sales data, consider any changes in personnel and then make a reasonable guess as to how many vehicles they should sell the next month.  Some dealers compare last month’s sales data to the same month from last year.  Others use methods that require adding the number of vehicles in stock to calculate inventory turn rates.

No matter the tactic, the point is simple: there is no simple solution to project your sales goals.  Whatever equation you implement, the key to achieving those goals is to calculate the activity needed.

Tracking and reporting activity is a vital aspect in understanding exactly where in your sales process each associate needs help and it will help each of your associates achieve their goals.  The equation will remain the same but the numbers in the equation must be unique to each individual.   We’ve all heard the cliché that “sales are a numbers game.”  Most dealers track their close ratio by comparing the number of logged ups to sales.  In order to use statistics to help achieve your goals, the equation can be and needs to be more detailed and tailor-made for each associate.

For example, you set a goal of 10 cars next month for one of your sales associates (for this discussion, we’ll call him “Ben”).  Let’s work backwards from there to track Ben’s activity.  First, you’ll need answers to the following questions:

• How many “write ups” does it require for Ben to sell a vehicle?
• How many test drives does it take Ben to complete a “write up?”
• How many people does Ben need to greet on the sales lot to complete a test drive?
• If you rotate “phone ups” track those statistics too.
• Of those “phone ups,” how many does it take for Ben to set an appointment?
• Of those appointments, how many does Ben need to set in order to get a “lot up”?

Now you have Ben’s activity stats to help Ben understand what activity he needs to generate in order to meet his goal.  For example, let’s say his numbers are the following:

• 10 sales = 20 write ups
• 20 writes = 30 test drives
• 30 test drives = 35 lot ups
• 5 shown appointments = 10 scheduled appointments
• 10 scheduled appointments = 20 phone ups

So, Ben will need 35 lot-ups each month to reach the 30 test drives and 20 write-ups to ultimately reach his projected goal of 10 sales.  For phone ups, he will need to answer the phone 20 times next month to reach his projected goals.

When your dealership starts to create associate-specific goals, you’ll need to keep measurements like this in mind.  There will also be other factors at work, like the “40/60 Rule” (which states that 60% of vehicles are sold in the final 2 weeks of the month).

The other key to successfully using statistics to achieve your goals is to drill your equations all the way down to daily activity.  After a few months, give your associates their sales goals and let them calculate the activity needed to accomplish their goals.

So before setting up next month’s projections and goals, take a look at the stats from your activity for your current month and grind away!

~ Steve Dozier, National Director of Training @ DMEautomotive

Bio:

Steve Dozier brings 15 years of experience in the automotive industry to DMEautomotive (DMEa). Before joining DMEa, he held upper level management positions in the retail industry. Steve also owned a consulting company that specialized in CRM and direct mail, which brought in $2 Million in Sales for approximately 5 years. While serving as a consultant Steve was consistently recruited by the top 3 CRM firms of that time. Steve started at DMEautomotive in a managerial position overseeing the Direct-to-Dealer team, and is now responsible for developing and growing DMEa University; DMEa’s in-house dealer training organization. Steve is married with two children and enjoys scuba diving and boating in his free time.

When it comes to setting up sales goals for your car dealership, there is no magic equation.

Some dealers use prior sales data, consider any changes in personnel and then make a reasonable guess as to how many vehicles they should sell the next month.  Some dealers compare last month’s sales data to the same month from last year.  Others use methods that require adding the number of vehicles in stock to calculate inventory turn rates.

No matter the tactic, the point is simple: there is no simple solution to project your sales goals.  Whatever equation you implement, the key to achieving those goals is to calculate the activity needed.

Tracking and reporting activity is a vital aspect in understanding exactly where in your sales process each associate needs help and it will help each of your associates achieve their goals.  The equation will remain the same but the numbers in the equation must be unique to each individual.   We’ve all heard the cliché that “sales are a numbers game.”  Most dealers track their close ratio by comparing the number of logged ups to sales.  In order to use statistics to help achieve your goals, the equation can be and needs to be more detailed and tailor-made for each associate.

For example, you set a goal of 10 cars next month for one of your sales associates (for this discussion, we’ll call him “Ben”).  Let’s work backwards from there to track Ben’s activity.  First, you’ll need answers to the following questions:

• How many “write ups” does it require for Ben to sell a vehicle?
• How many test drives does it take Ben to complete a “write up?”
• How many people does Ben need to greet on the sales lot to complete a test drive?
• If you rotate “phone ups” track those statistics too.
• Of those “phone ups,” how many does it take for Ben to set an appointment?
• Of those appointments, how many does Ben need to set in order to get a “lot up”?

Now you have Ben’s activity stats to help Ben understand what activity he needs to generate in order to meet his goal.  For example, let’s say his numbers are the following:

• 10 sales = 20 write ups
• 20 writes = 30 test drives
• 30 test drives = 35 lot ups
• 5 shown appointments = 10 scheduled appointments
• 10 scheduled appointments = 20 phone ups

So, Ben will need 35 lot-ups each month to reach the 30 test drives and 20 write-ups to ultimately reach his projected goal of 10 sales.  For phone ups, he will need to answer the phone 20 times next month to reach his projected goals.

When your dealership starts to create associate-specific goals, you’ll need to keep measurements like this in mind.  There will also be other factors at work, like the “40/60 Rule” (which states that 60% of vehicles are sold in the final 2 weeks of the month).

The other key to successfully using statistics to achieve your goals is to drill your equations all the way down to daily activity.  After a few months, give your associates their sales goals and let them calculate the activity needed to accomplish their goals.

So before setting up next month’s projections and goals, take a look at the stats from your activity for your current month and grind away!

~ Steve Dozier, National Director of Training @ DMEautomotive

Bio:

Steve Dozier brings 15 years of experience in the automotive industry to DMEautomotive (DMEa). Before joining DMEa, he held upper level management positions in the retail industry. Steve also owned a consulting company that specialized in CRM and direct mail, which brought in $2 Million in Sales for approximately 5 years. While serving as a consultant Steve was consistently recruited by the top 3 CRM firms of that time. Steve started at DMEautomotive in a managerial position overseeing the Direct-to-Dealer team, and is now responsible for developing and growing DMEa University; DMEa’s in-house dealer training organization. Steve is married with two children and enjoys scuba diving and boating in his free time.

Before the age of the Internet, gathering information for a new vehicle required taking a look at the local paper or paging through a manufacturer’s booklet.  Driving down to your local dealership for a test drive it was something that was part of the norm.  In some of those cases, it may have necessitated a phone call to schedule an appointment to get a hands-on experience. 

Today’s automotive marketing efforts now open us to numerous possibilities to gather information for a new vehicle purchase, especially with access to the Internet.  With a few finger taps on the keyboard or a few clicks of the mouse, we have 24/7 access to automotive reviews (both professional and peer), reliability ratings and pricing details for any make or model that may fit into a targeted purchase.

At this point in the automotive buying process, it’s crucial that online car dealer marketing be effective.  To do so, a dealership needs to develop an online presence that stands out among a crowded landscape and gives the consumer a need to visit their sites and showrooms.

The follow represent just a handful of points to consider when putting an online plan in motion.

Engagement. As social media continues to make inroads in all facets of automotive marketing, the most important aspect is that it provides engagement with the customer.  With the emergence of Facebook as a social media dominator, it’s vitally important in establishing a presence on that medium to build a robust online brand.

Reach. As noted in previous posts, the Internet offers “active reach.” Teamed with a traditional car dealer marketing plan (mailers, collateral coupons, etc.), automotive dealers now have unprecedented reach in offering prospects information on future sales, service specials and more.  Putting more relevant details into the right hands helps enhance reach, can improve sales and offers a better return on investment.

Choice. Developing a dealership’s online presence also offers the ability to tailor messages to specific targets.  Recently, we touched upon being proactive in your automotive marketing campaigns.  Within that entry, there were four key points (control, active listening, engagements and staying on point) that give planning online some clout.  When coupled with the identification of active and non-active prospects, these plans can help improve the efficiency of marketing campaigns.

A strong, online presence should consist of many key elements that help establish the dealership’s standing and reputation amongst peers.  A plan that offers engagement, reach and choice provides automotive marketing campaigns a solid starting point and lays the groundwork for establishing an online presence.

In the future, we will delve further into this topic and explore how each of these points can prove valuable for your dealership.

~ Missy Jensen, Social Media Manager at DMEautomotive

Bio:
Missy designs, deploys and maintains the social media initiatives for DMEautomotive in an effort to increase brand awareness, distribute company and industry news, provide updates on products and services and promote consumer engagement. Missy enjoys the process of learning; researching and watching projects come to fruition!

Prior to her transformation into a web specialist and work with DMEautomotive, she has 10 years of experience in the marketing and communications industry. Missy served as the Director, Handicapping & Communications for a regional golf association and helped successfully launch and maintain a cutting edge technology-based ticket resale program on behalf of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Missy attended St. Lawrence University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BS in Psychology. She also holds a Master’s Degree from Miami University in Oxford, OH. She can be reached at missy.jensen@dmeautomotive.com and check her out on LinkedIn.

Before the age of the Internet, gathering information for a new vehicle required taking a look at the local paper or paging through a manufacturer’s booklet.  Driving down to your local dealership for a test drive it was something that was part of the norm.  In some of those cases, it may have necessitated a phone call to schedule an appointment to get a hands-on experience. 

Today’s automotive marketing efforts now open us to numerous possibilities to gather information for a new vehicle purchase, especially with access to the Internet.  With a few finger taps on the keyboard or a few clicks of the mouse, we have 24/7 access to automotive reviews (both professional and peer), reliability ratings and pricing details for any make or model that may fit into a targeted purchase.

At this point in the automotive buying process, it’s crucial that online car dealer marketing be effective.  To do so, a dealership needs to develop an online presence that stands out among a crowded landscape and gives the consumer a need to visit their sites and showrooms.

The follow represent just a handful of points to consider when putting an online plan in motion.

Engagement. As social media continues to make inroads in all facets of automotive marketing, the most important aspect is that it provides engagement with the customer.  With the emergence of Facebook as a social media dominator, it’s vitally important in establishing a presence on that medium to build a robust online brand.

Reach. As noted in previous posts, the Internet offers “active reach.” Teamed with a traditional car dealer marketing plan (mailers, collateral coupons, etc.), automotive dealers now have unprecedented reach in offering prospects information on future sales, service specials and more.  Putting more relevant details into the right hands helps enhance reach, can improve sales and offers a better return on investment.

Choice. Developing a dealership’s online presence also offers the ability to tailor messages to specific targets.  Recently, we touched upon being proactive in your automotive marketing campaigns.  Within that entry, there were four key points (control, active listening, engagements and staying on point) that give planning online some clout.  When coupled with the identification of active and non-active prospects, these plans can help improve the efficiency of marketing campaigns.

A strong, online presence should consist of many key elements that help establish the dealership’s standing and reputation amongst peers.  A plan that offers engagement, reach and choice provides automotive marketing campaigns a solid starting point and lays the groundwork for establishing an online presence.

In the future, we will delve further into this topic and explore how each of these points can prove valuable for your dealership.

~ Missy Jensen, Social Media Manager at DMEautomotive

Bio:
Missy designs, deploys and maintains the social media initiatives for DMEautomotive in an effort to increase brand awareness, distribute company and industry news, provide updates on products and services and promote consumer engagement. Missy enjoys the process of learning; researching and watching projects come to fruition!

Prior to her transformation into a web specialist and work with DMEautomotive, she has 10 years of experience in the marketing and communications industry. Missy served as the Director, Handicapping & Communications for a regional golf association and helped successfully launch and maintain a cutting edge technology-based ticket resale program on behalf of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Missy attended St. Lawrence University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BS in Psychology. She also holds a Master’s Degree from Miami University in Oxford, OH. She can be reached at missy.jensen@dmeautomotive.com and check her out on LinkedIn.

In the customer retention management field, automotive retention programs that allow for users to ‘opt-in’ for continuous updates on their vehicles serve as an important tool for automotive dealerships to drive customers into their service centers.

In fact, automotive dealerships use multiple channels of communication such as targeted direct mail, voice messaging and emails to make sure they’re always in touch with their customers.  By using data segmentation techniques, these solutions allow dealerships to save on costs by sending out crucial information to relevant targets.

The following are some benefits in using a set it and forget customer retention strategy to help drive traffic into your dealership and help with your overall return on investment (ROI).

• Right offer, right time. One of the primary advantages of a targeted marketing plan is delivering the right offer, to the right person, at the right time.  If a customer is coming out of a lease arrangement, a well-timed email informing them of some leasing offers can help pique your customer’s interest in a new vehicle.

• Budget appropriately. When putting together direct marketing initiatives, it’s easy to want to have grand plans and want to do anything you can to increase that ROI for your dealership.  But take a deep breath: if you’ve strategized right and used all the tools available to you (email, texting, social media and an properly maintained database), you can have a very budget-friendly campaign that delivers results.

• Be aggressive – to the right targets. With any direct marketing campaigns, there are two sets of targets: customers that actively consume offers that come their way and inactive ones that either read the offer and forgets it or simply tosses it aside without batting an eye.  It’s the latter that an aggressive, discounted promotional campaign should be directed towards.  By doing so, you’ll give them incentive to come to your dealership for such items as brake specials, services and wheel alignments.

Putting together effective targeted direct marketing campaigns that use multiple channels helps increase response rates and augments your chances of reaching customers.  It also ensures that you’re always communicating with them the way they want to receive communications.  So if you’re timely with your targeted direct mail offers, budget your plans appropriately and are aggressive in your offers with inactive customers, you’re well on the road to a rock solid ROI on your efforts.

~ Missy Jensen, Social Media Manager at DMEautomotive

Bio:
Missy designs, deploys and maintains the social media initiatives for DMEautomotive in an effort to increase brand awareness, distribute company and industry news, provide updates on products and services and promote consumer engagement. Missy enjoys the process of learning; researching and watching projects come to fruition!

Prior to her transformation into a web specialist and work with DMEautomotive, she has 10 years of experience in the marketing and communications industry. Missy served as the Director, Handicapping & Communications for a regional golf association and helped successfully launch and maintain a cutting edge technology-based ticket resale program on behalf of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Missy attended St. Lawrence University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BS in Psychology. She also holds a Master’s Degree from Miami University in Oxford, OH. She can be reached at missy.jensen@dmeautomotive.com and check her out on LinkedIn.

In the customer retention management field, automotive retention programs that allow for users to ‘opt-in’ for continuous updates on their vehicles serve as an important tool for automotive dealerships to drive customers into their service centers.

In fact, automotive dealerships use multiple channels of communication such as targeted direct mail, voice messaging and emails to make sure they’re always in touch with their customers.  By using data segmentation techniques, these solutions allow dealerships to save on costs by sending out crucial information to relevant targets.

The following are some benefits in using a set it and forget customer retention strategy to help drive traffic into your dealership and help with your overall return on investment (ROI).

• Right offer, right time. One of the primary advantages of a targeted marketing plan is delivering the right offer, to the right person, at the right time.  If a customer is coming out of a lease arrangement, a well-timed email informing them of some leasing offers can help pique your customer’s interest in a new vehicle.

• Budget appropriately. When putting together direct marketing initiatives, it’s easy to want to have grand plans and want to do anything you can to increase that ROI for your dealership.  But take a deep breath: if you’ve strategized right and used all the tools available to you (email, texting, social media and an properly maintained database), you can have a very budget-friendly campaign that delivers results.

• Be aggressive – to the right targets. With any direct marketing campaigns, there are two sets of targets: customers that actively consume offers that come their way and inactive ones that either read the offer and forgets it or simply tosses it aside without batting an eye.  It’s the latter that an aggressive, discounted promotional campaign should be directed towards.  By doing so, you’ll give them incentive to come to your dealership for such items as brake specials, services and wheel alignments.

Putting together effective targeted direct marketing campaigns that use multiple channels helps increase response rates and augments your chances of reaching customers.  It also ensures that you’re always communicating with them the way they want to receive communications.  So if you’re timely with your targeted direct mail offers, budget your plans appropriately and are aggressive in your offers with inactive customers, you’re well on the road to a rock solid ROI on your efforts.

~ Missy Jensen, Social Media Manager at DMEautomotive

Bio:
Missy designs, deploys and maintains the social media initiatives for DMEautomotive in an effort to increase brand awareness, distribute company and industry news, provide updates on products and services and promote consumer engagement. Missy enjoys the process of learning; researching and watching projects come to fruition!

Prior to her transformation into a web specialist and work with DMEautomotive, she has 10 years of experience in the marketing and communications industry. Missy served as the Director, Handicapping & Communications for a regional golf association and helped successfully launch and maintain a cutting edge technology-based ticket resale program on behalf of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Missy attended St. Lawrence University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BS in Psychology. She also holds a Master’s Degree from Miami University in Oxford, OH. She can be reached at missy.jensen@dmeautomotive.com and check her out on LinkedIn.

In the earlier days of direct email marketing, the line of thinking by many car dealers was to send as many messages as possible to get the consumer’s attention.  It wasn’t about the message’s relevancy, it was simply an effort to grab the consumer’s attention and say, “Hey, we’re here! Click me for more information!”   It wasn’t unprecedented, however – its predecessor direct mail marketing was often used in the exact same way.

Over time, marketers using direct mail and email have made adjustments to make their efforts and objectives more pointed and relevant to their targeted clients.  By narrowing down selected targets through initiatives like database cleansing, direct marketers are finding that it’s not the amount of mailing pieces being distributed to intended targets; it’s the relevancy and quality of the message that’s important.

What other considerations are there in having more relevant, targeted campaigns?

The simple answer as to why car dealers should opt for quality over quantity in their marketing efforts is “it saves money.” The more elaborate explanation is that by using an updated client database, the campaign is more likely to benefit from a better return on investment because the right message is being delivered to the right people – at the right time.

DMEautomotive’s Paul Ryan recently noted that using themes for automotive direct marketing campaigns can make the sales doors swing.  Opting for themes in your customer retention campaigns can be highly effective in producing revenue for car dealerships due to the timeliness of the message.  Companies such as DMEautomotive offer customer retention programs that offer thematic campaigns that dealers can choose, implement and send with a click of a button and only a few pieces of information.

The pitch of the targeted direct marketing should have effective content.  The content needs to draw the prospect in and get them to act on the offer.  Offers of discounted oil changes, reduced services on a next visit or even car washes on every visit can be effective tools to getting in the consciousness of the consumer when it comes time to make car decisions.

When it comes to the actual “hook or pain” of your automotive service marketing campaigns, it’s how the message is delivered to your target that grabs their attention. When you’re thinking about your direct marketing materials, you should consider:

• Is it pointed?
• Should I use direct mail or email?
• Is it professional?
• Would a postcard or a tri-fold mailer be more effective?
• How is the pitch delivered?

In automotive marketing, it is true what the old adage says: quality rules quantity.

~ Missy Jensen, Social Media Manager at DMEautomotive

Bio:
Missy designs, deploys and maintains the social media initiatives for DMEautomotive in an effort to increase brand awareness, distribute company and industry news, provide updates on products and services and promote consumer engagement. Missy enjoys the process of learning; researching and watching projects come to fruition!

Prior to her transformation into a web specialist and work with DMEautomotive, she has 10 years of experience in the marketing and communications industry. Missy served as the Director, Handicapping & Communications for a regional golf association and helped successfully launch and maintain a cutting edge technology-based ticket resale program on behalf of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Missy attended St. Lawrence University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BS in Psychology. She also holds a Master’s Degree from Miami University in Oxford, OH. She can be reached at missy.jensen@dmeautomotive.com and check her out on LinkedIn.

In the earlier days of direct email marketing, the line of thinking by many car dealers was to send as many messages as possible to get the consumer’s attention.  It wasn’t about the message’s relevancy, it was simply an effort to grab the consumer’s attention and say, “Hey, we’re here! Click me for more information!”   It wasn’t unprecedented, however – its predecessor direct mail marketing was often used in the exact same way.

Over time, marketers using direct mail and email have made adjustments to make their efforts and objectives more pointed and relevant to their targeted clients.  By narrowing down selected targets through initiatives like database cleansing, direct marketers are finding that it’s not the amount of mailing pieces being distributed to intended targets; it’s the relevancy and quality of the message that’s important.

What other considerations are there in having more relevant, targeted campaigns?

The simple answer as to why car dealers should opt for quality over quantity in their marketing efforts is “it saves money.” The more elaborate explanation is that by using an updated client database, the campaign is more likely to benefit from a better return on investment because the right message is being delivered to the right people – at the right time.

DMEautomotive’s Paul Ryan recently noted that using themes for automotive direct marketing campaigns can make the sales doors swing.  Opting for themes in your customer retention campaigns can be highly effective in producing revenue for car dealerships due to the timeliness of the message.  Companies such as DMEautomotive offer customer retention programs that offer thematic campaigns that dealers can choose, implement and send with a click of a button and only a few pieces of information.

The pitch of the targeted direct marketing should have effective content.  The content needs to draw the prospect in and get them to act on the offer.  Offers of discounted oil changes, reduced services on a next visit or even car washes on every visit can be effective tools to getting in the consciousness of the consumer when it comes time to make car decisions.

When it comes to the actual “hook or pain” of your automotive service marketing campaigns, it’s how the message is delivered to your target that grabs their attention. When you’re thinking about your direct marketing materials, you should consider:

• Is it pointed?
• Should I use direct mail or email?
• Is it professional?
• Would a postcard or a tri-fold mailer be more effective?
• How is the pitch delivered?

In automotive marketing, it is true what the old adage says: quality rules quantity.

~ Missy Jensen, Social Media Manager at DMEautomotive

Bio:
Missy designs, deploys and maintains the social media initiatives for DMEautomotive in an effort to increase brand awareness, distribute company and industry news, provide updates on products and services and promote consumer engagement. Missy enjoys the process of learning; researching and watching projects come to fruition!

Prior to her transformation into a web specialist and work with DMEautomotive, she has 10 years of experience in the marketing and communications industry. Missy served as the Director, Handicapping & Communications for a regional golf association and helped successfully launch and maintain a cutting edge technology-based ticket resale program on behalf of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Missy attended St. Lawrence University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BS in Psychology. She also holds a Master’s Degree from Miami University in Oxford, OH. She can be reached at missy.jensen@dmeautomotive.com and check her out on LinkedIn.