Despite the rise of more modern advertising methods, direct mail marketing still holds its place as a go-to tactic for automotive marketers looking to drive sales. In fact, according to the United States Postal Service, 67 percent of people feel that direct mail is more personal than the Internet.1
In addition to eye-catching brochures and welcome postcards, automotive direct mail offers the chance to retain and attract customers. But, how do you start building an effective direct mail list that’s sure to get your mailers into your audience’s mailboxes?
Well, the team at Aspen Automotive is here to provide you with a guide to building a direct mail list and why automotive direct mail is a smart choice for any dealership looking to boost revenue.
How to Build Your Automotive Direct Mail List
Use Digital Tactics to Fuel Direct Mail
If you’re like most dealerships, you likely have at least some information gathered on your prospective and current customers like their email addresses, perhaps. Luckily, this is enough to kick start your automotive direct mail efforts.
All you have to do is create an email or social media campaign that provides your leads with a place to include their contact information (i.e. their physical address).
By taking this automotive advertising route, you’ll make sure that you’re only sending direct mailers to prospects that are interested in receiving physical mail from your dealership. Plus, you’ll know that the information given to you by your customers is reliable, which will help you avoid sending mailers to old or incorrect addresses.
Target Low-Engagement Customers
Depending on the specific demographics of certain consumers, you may find that different subsets of your audience engage less with your dealership’s website and digital advertising efforts. These are the individuals who you should attempt to reach with automotive direct mail.
To encourage more communication between these potential buyers and your dealership, you’ll want to gather data from your tracking platforms and build a direct mail list that contains the addresses of your least-engaged customers.
That way, those who prefer to do business over the phone or in person can still access exclusive offers and coupons from your team. Ultimately, the effort you put into connecting with these buyers will ensure that you’re reaching those who are less likely to communicate with your dealership through digital marketing means.
Craft Interesting Content
A solid automotive direct mail list begins with engaging, online content. For instance, dealerships can regularly create informative blog posts about automotive topics that your customers care about—whether it’s a preview of a redesigned vehicle, a step-by-step guide to oil changes, or even a profile on one of your service professionals.
Most importantly, these posts should include a way for your readers and blog subscribers to provide their contact information.
Often times, the most effective method of gathering your audience’s physical address is to gate your dealership’s blog posts with a contact information landing page. By doing so, your visitors will be more likely to give you the details your team needs to build a strong direct mail list.
Benefits of Automotive Direct Mail Campaigns
Now that you understand a little bit more about some of the best ways to develop an automotive direct mail list, let’s review some of the main advantages of using direct mail as part of your dealership’s marketing tactics.
Targeting a Niche Audience
Generally, the more targeted your efforts at marketing, the better your marketing results will be. With automotive direct mail marketing, it’s possible to send details to a chosen group that is interested in your services and boost your opportunity of closing the deal.
Offer In-Depth Details
Direct mail pieces offer lots of room to work with; therefore, you also can provide customers with much more information. An in-depth event invite, letter, or flyer, for instance, can outline your company’s benefits, its local history, as well as offer a unique deal for new clients.
Easily Keep Track of Your Response Rate
Direct mail response rates help your team understand more about the aspects of your campaign that were most effective. Regardless if you track your audience’s response via a coupon code or pre-filled application, automotive direct mail is an ideal medium from which to calculate the success of each of your dealership’s marketing strategy.
In addition, your campaign’s response rate can help you determine the overall ROI of your direct mail programs. Once you know your direct mail ROI, you can factor that into the overall returns of your automotive marketing efforts.
Direct Marketing Strategies Promote Personalized Content
Automotive mailing lists can prove to be very effective in allowing auto dealers to efficiently present valuable and relevant content to your customers.
Thanks to the data you gathered from your consumers to build your mailing lists, you know have a host of details that can ground the messages of your future campaigns and make them more personalized to the lifestyles of each recipient.
Once you’ve infused your dealership’s content with information that’s relevant to your targeted audience, the recipients of your direct mailers are more likely to both engage with your message and do business with you. It’s a win-win!
Recognized and Reliable Model
Automotive direct mail is considered one of the most reliable customer engagement forms. Why? According to the United States Postal Service, 98 percent of Americans check their mail on a daily basis.1
Due to the fact that so many individuals pay attention to the items placed in their mailbox, automotive direct mail is a surefire way to get eyes on your dealership’s message.
Build Your Automotive Direct Mail List Today!
As automotive direct mail becomes more capable of delivering in-depth customer information, it allows dealerships to personalize content in a way that generates more leads and remains within your team’s budget.
Well-planned direct marketing campaigns can connect you directly to the customers which are searching for the automotive products you’re offering. The key is to build a solid direct mail list that’s filled with the addresses of consumers who are most likely to participate in your offer.
Ready to get started on your dealership’s direct mail list? The team at Aspen Automotive is here to help! Simply give us a call or send us an email today!
