Every day I talk with dealership about Internet marketing. One thing that always stands out to me is the email correspondence that dealerships send to shoppers, from the initial autoresponder to the letter 60 days later, if they even send that many. This could be a great place to stand out to make your business case but, unfortunately, most dealership’s marketing emails all read and look the same.

When shoppers visit five websites looking for the best deal and submit email forms nothing is worse than looking just like your competitor. It screams to the shopper a duck is a duck is a duck. The only problem is you don’t want to be a duck. You want your marketing to stand out and give a different vibe. You need to show the shopper you are different.

1. Throw out the typical autoresponder. Send a video email introduction instead.
2. Don’t talk about how great your dealership is; follow up on what the shopper wants instead—make sure you address their request.
3. Don’t send a long, text heavy email. Make it exciting and get them engaged. Show off the vehicle and highlight some key features. Offer to bring it to them.
4. Don’t give up. Take your marketing campaign to at least 180 days. If you’ve got the chops market to all leads for a year.

A wise person also told me to watch the competition but never follow them. They could be leading you into bankruptcy. These wise words to live by that I have never forgotten. So, I challenge you to throw out your email campaign and redesign one that will kick butt.

Happy Chatting

Todd