I was asked recently to help a dealership with their email templates. Thought I would pass a long some of the tips I suggested:

• The subject line is the single most important indicator of whether an e-mail message will be opened and read. Ensure that the subject line is clear, concise, and, if possible, contains personalization so the recipient will distinguish it as being unique.

• Studies have proven that consumers are more responsive to e-mail communications when they are sent in a consistent format, with the same “look and feel” from one mailing to another.
   
• Dealers are advised to develop an “e-mail template” which will allow their content to change from month to month but still be consistently identifiable, over time, as a message from the dealership.
   
• Send information that is relevant to the customer.
   
• Provide both sales and non-sales content.
   
• Use Data-Mining tools in your CRM to market to the right people, with the right message, at the right time.
   
• Plan e-mail marketing campaigns in advance.
   
• Do not put critical text in images; many people will never see them as they have images off
   
• Make sure you always have Dealership’s contact info on email.
   
• Add any appropriate qualifying price criteria such as “* Your e-Price is valid ONLY on purchases made directly through our Internet Department. All vehicles are subject to prior sale and Price Quotes Expire in 48 hours. Your e-Price includes dealership discount, factory rebates, and online savings certificates.”

Tips for avoiding spam:

• Never send just a picture
   
• Never use all caps
   
• Never use multiple exclamation points (!!!) or multiple non-alphanumeric characters ie: %* #:?.
   
• Never use different colored fonts, Use Black for fonts only

What are your thoughts?

Hunter Swift is the Business Analyst at DealerSocket and specializes in Automotive/Dealership processes that help dealerships become more effective by maximizing their opportunity to improve all aspects of the sales cycle, including: driving traffic, marketing, proper sales, and demonstration techniques. He also specializes in helping dealerships increase their customer satisfaction, reduce their web-lead response times and to improve accountability.

I was asked recently to help a dealership with their email templates. Thought I would pass a long some of the tips I suggested:

• The subject line is the single most important indicator of whether an e-mail message will be opened and read. Ensure that the subject line is clear, concise, and, if possible, contains personalization so the recipient will distinguish it as being unique.

• Studies have proven that consumers are more responsive to e-mail communications when they are sent in a consistent format, with the same “look and feel” from one mailing to another.
   
• Dealers are advised to develop an “e-mail template” which will allow their content to change from month to month but still be consistently identifiable, over time, as a message from the dealership.
   
• Send information that is relevant to the customer.
   
• Provide both sales and non-sales content.
   
• Use Data-Mining tools in your CRM to market to the right people, with the right message, at the right time.
   
• Plan e-mail marketing campaigns in advance.
   
• Do not put critical text in images; many people will never see them as they have images off
   
• Make sure you always have Dealership’s contact info on email.
   
• Add any appropriate qualifying price criteria such as “* Your e-Price is valid ONLY on purchases made directly through our Internet Department. All vehicles are subject to prior sale and Price Quotes Expire in 48 hours. Your e-Price includes dealership discount, factory rebates, and online savings certificates.”

Tips for avoiding spam:

• Never send just a picture
   
• Never use all caps
   
• Never use multiple exclamation points (!!!) or multiple non-alphanumeric characters ie: %* #:?.
   
• Never use different colored fonts, Use Black for fonts only

What are your thoughts?

Hunter Swift is the Business Analyst at DealerSocket and specializes in Automotive/Dealership processes that help dealerships become more effective by maximizing their opportunity to improve all aspects of the sales cycle, including: driving traffic, marketing, proper sales, and demonstration techniques. He also specializes in helping dealerships increase their customer satisfaction, reduce their web-lead response times and to improve accountability.

One of the biggest areas of improvement I often see at the dealership is fixing the disconnect, lack of communication and cohesiveness between the sales and service departments. How well is your dealership doing in integrating the two departments at your dealership?
 

• Are you marketing to sold customers who have not been in for service?
   
• If someone comes to your service drive with high mileage or is out of warranty, do you have a process of notifying someone in the sales department?
   
• When one of their sold customers comes in for service, do you notify the salesperson to greet them in the service drive (and ask for referral)?
   
• If a salesperson sells a vehicle, are they setting the customer’s first service appointment?
   
• Do you send out sold anniversary letters and/or emails reminding the customer of their registration renewal, recommended services, their current trade-in value, and current sales specials?
   
• Are you sending to your recently sold customers marketing regarding parts and accessories to customize their new vehicle?
   
• Does your sales department market to your service customers who have never purchase a vehicle from your dealership?

If you answered “no” to any of these questions, you are missing an opportunity to drive more traffic to your sales and service departments.

What are your thoughts?

One of the biggest areas of improvement I often see at the dealership is fixing the disconnect, lack of communication and cohesiveness between the sales and service departments. How well is your dealership doing in integrating the two departments at your dealership?
 

• Are you marketing to sold customers who have not been in for service?
   
• If someone comes to your service drive with high mileage or is out of warranty, do you have a process of notifying someone in the sales department?
   
• When one of their sold customers comes in for service, do you notify the salesperson to greet them in the service drive (and ask for referral)?
   
• If a salesperson sells a vehicle, are they setting the customer’s first service appointment?
   
• Do you send out sold anniversary letters and/or emails reminding the customer of their registration renewal, recommended services, their current trade-in value, and current sales specials?
   
• Are you sending to your recently sold customers marketing regarding parts and accessories to customize their new vehicle?
   
• Does your sales department market to your service customers who have never purchase a vehicle from your dealership?

If you answered “no” to any of these questions, you are missing an opportunity to drive more traffic to your sales and service departments.

What are your thoughts?