Plenty of companies are addicted to the same old same old – turning out the same kinds of marketing materials year after year, season after season. These companies fall prey to the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” syndrome that stops many automotive dealerships from becoming progressive with their marketing. The result is an opportunity for conversion loss for a dealership that could really have a robust, high-performance marketing program. Rather than using the same types of marketing materials, year after year and promotion after promotion, maybe it’s time to take your dealership to the next level with a marketing plan that’s more suitable for your business.

What Kind of Dealership Are You?

We don’t have to explain the fundamental differences between a Mercedes-Benz dealership and a smaller budget, used car dealer. We also don’t have to explain that the kinds of people shopping in these two different places will require different marketing materials – or will they? When sending automotive direct mailers to a lower-income audience, why not make them feel like they’re in for a luxury experience? If you’re in charge of marketing efforts for a lower-budget dealership, maybe it’s time to rethink the way you’re approaching your customers. Don’t just talk about savings in your automotive direct mail pieces – consider how you can make your clients feel as if buying a used car is going to improve quality of life, as well as save a few bucks.

Get Ideas from the Competition

We’ve talked about this in the past, but can’t stress it enough. It’s absolutely your responsibility to take a look at what your competitors are doing. This isn’t so you can copy them, but so you can get an idea of what types of promotions are bringing your potential customers to someone else’s lot. The face of a company is always going to be represented on automotive direct mailers – is your branding reflective of what you want customers to know about you? Don’t just tell them what you think they want to hear – refine your audience, watch what your competitors are doing, and perfect the kind of images you’re sending out about your business. Remember, your branding is important, and this is what connects you with the customers who buy from you. Take the opportunity to evaluate the way you’re using automotive direct mail pieces to reflect your business and your audience, and plan to make this evaluation at least a few times a year.