Effective Email Marketing | Car Dealer Digital Advertising
Email is often considered the last choice for marketing an automotive dealer, but in many cases, it can be the most important if handled correctly. In many ways, email can be the most cost-effective form of dealer advertising, so don’t ignore the opportunity. We here at DeAngelis Automotive Advertising want to share are some tips to make your email campaigns more effective.
It’s the quality that counts
Dealers who routinely blast their email lists with notices and specials are probably not gaining clients. On the contrary, they may be driving them away. You can use far less email to market your dealership if the quality of your message is very high. The email needs to be visually clear, free of spelling and grammar errors, and gets to your key message quickly. Remember that many customers read emails on mobile devices, so use email designs compatible with smaller screens.
Don’t clone your ads
Sending out a copy of your newspaper ad to your email list is cheesy and will lose you customers. Make your emails specific to a single message and keep them unique and different from your paper ads. If your customers see the same ads everywhere they will most likely stop reading them entirely.
Keep your email lists segmented
Segmenting is separating your customers by the model they last purchased, or have expressed interest in owning. Sending a small sedan owner your latest SUV specials is not productive, and once again can turn off groups of customers. A good email list should be able to separate customers in ways that let you target them with emails they will find valuable. This is one of many things DeAngelis Advertising does very well for you.
Make the emails personal
A good email should appear to be sent to that person, not an email list. A good opening sentence, such as “Thanks for taking a few minutes to let us describe our latest special” or “We know your time is valuable, but we’d like to make you aware of a new model you may like” and sent by a specific person such as the sales manager, goes a long way to keeping the customer engaged. Then quickly and clearly provide your sales message. At the end, close with a thank you and an alternative way to reach the sales manager by adding their phone number. Keep fax numbers, social media pages, and other boilerplates in the email footer small print where it belongs. Don’t clutter up the sales manager’s signature line with several lines of alternative phone numbers and Facebook page links. All that extra stuff de-personalizes the message, and will turn off many customers.
If it smells like spam, it probably is spam
If your emails are wordy, full of ad coupons, offer non-specific specials, and have just been sent to your entire email list, you are creating spam. If your customers mark your emails as spam often enough, the email providers will take note and call you a spammer. This can hurt your reputation on-line and prevent your emails from reaching your customers. Send targeted ads to specific segments of your email list, keep the message short and clear, and use quality rather than quantity. You will be much less likely to gain a reputation as a spammer and will have happy email customers.
If this seems difficult to do or you just don’t have the personnel to manage a good email database, let the DeAngelis Automotive Advertising Agency do it for you. We can create targeted ads using a clear message to promote your dealership. We understand email marketing and what it takes to be successful, so contact DeAngelis Advertising today and let us get your email marketing on track.
