When creating a direct mail campaign, the goal is to make it as profitable as possible. Did you know there are seemingly small mistakes you might make that can affect the overall revenue of your campaign? The marketing experts at Aspen Automotive have sat down and compiled a list of the 10 direct mail mistakes that cost your auto dealer.
Keep reading to learn more!
1). Not Setting a Targeted Audience
One of the biggest mistakes you can make with your direct mail campaign is not setting a targeted audience. A targeted audience is typically based on demographics, such as income, credit score, age, and more.
By sending out generic mail to everyone, or by sending mail without seeing where it’s going, you’ll likely spend more to create your campaign than you’ll get from your campaign.
2). Sending to Recipients Too Far Away
Related to sending mail to the wrong people, another direct mail mistake that costs you is sending mail too far away. As a dealership, you’re likely serving the local communities near you. This makes sense, since a visit to your dealership would be a quick drive.
The farther from your dealership that you send mail, however, the less likely they’ll utilize your services.
3). Falling Short in Terms of Design
The design of your mailer is the first thing the recipient sees. If your mailer blends in with everything else in their mailbox or doesn’t look professional, chances are the recipient won’t give your mailer a second look.
4). Skimping on the Offer
The reason people read direct mail is because they want to know what they’re being offered. If you skimp on the offer or offer something most people wouldn’t be interested in, chances are your mailer will be overlooked.
Some of the best offers include a free gift, a two-for-one service deal, limited time vehicle sales, and more.
5). Forgetting a Call to Action
While the offer is important, the call to action (CTA) is arguably one of the worst things to skip on your mailer. The CTA tells the reader what to do next. Should they visit your dealership or schedule a service appointment? Without the CTA, you won’t see the results you expect.
6). Sending to the Wrong Address
It’s important to regularly update your client list. The last thing you want is having an established relationship with a customer end because they moved and you didn’t know it. Not only are you spending money to send mail to the wrong person, but you’re also losing money because they weren’t aware of your offers.
7). Skipping on Tracking Results
If you’re following a “send it and forget it” approach to your direct mail, it’s costing you. You must track results on your campaign to help you identify areas of strength and weakness. This way, each new campaign will be better than the last.
8). Not Following Up
In addition to tracking the results of your campaign, you need to follow up with the recipients of your mail. Sometimes, shoppers need a little extra nudge. Life happens and their attention is pulled, so don’t be afraid to follow up after sending your mailer as an extra push to your dealership.
9). Forgetting to Test Mail
You put the effort in to track the success of your previous campaigns. Don’t let that effort be wasted. Adjust your future campaigns based on the results from past successes and failures. If not, you’ll continue making the same marketing mistakes again and again.
10). Not Following Postal Regulations
The United States Postal Service (USPS) makes it easy to distribute your direct mail…if done properly. If you’re over regulations for postcard size and your mailer is now being shipped as a mailer, this is costing you. Make sure to always follow USPS regulations to ensure you’re not getting charged extra.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Direct Mail Campaign for Less
Now that you’ve learned about the 10 direct mail mistakes that cost your auto dealership, let’s take a closer look at how we at Aspen Automotive can help you get the most out of your next direct mail campaign.
With more than 35 years in the industry and more than 10,000 dealership success stories, our in-house agency can provide the marketing support you need. We can help with everything from data solutions and marketing strategy to design and production. Plus, with all our services completed in house, you can rest assured that each step of your campaign is handled with the same level of care and expertise.
Make Sure the Right People See Your Mailer: Data Solutions
Many of the 10 direct mail mistakes that can cost your dealership are all audience-based mistakes. Sending to the wrong address and not creating a target audience are all easy-to-fix issues when you utilize data solutions.
Each time you shop online, a little piece of information is stored about you and your interests. Other things—such as age, demographic, household income, and more—are also determined when you’re online.
Using our data solution tools, you can ensure you’re sending your mailers to the right people. Some of our databases include:
- Real Time Credit Score: Get the most accurate credit score possible. This database pulls information from Equifax®, Experian®, and TransUnion®, so you know you’re getting the most accurate, up-to-date score possible.
- Dealer Data Download: Gone are the days of sending mailers to the wrong address. This database helps ensure mail is getting sent to the right addresses. It even removes duplicate addresses from your house list!
- Lease/Loan Ender: See who in your area is getting ready to trade in their vehicle. This database also lets you see information about the percentage and/or number of payments remaining on an automotive lease or loan.
With the help of our data solutions team, you can ensure your mailers are getting seen by the right people.
Make a Good First Impression: Design
Sending mail to the right people is only the first step to seeing the results you want in your direct mail campaign. Now, you need to make sure your mailer will stand out in the mailbox. Luckily for you, our award-winning design team works hard to make your design unique.
All of our designs are completely customizable, meaning they’ll expertly incorporate your dealerships’ imaging into your mailer while using our expertise in color theory, typography, and overall design to create an aesthetically pleasing mailer.
Our design team can also recommend using things like QR codes and pop-card promotions to help your mailer stand out even more!
Fast Results with Our Production Team
You’ve put the time and energy into your next direct mail campaign. We know you’re eager to see the results. That’s why we work hard to ensure you see the results as quickly as possible by getting your mailers to the post office in as little as 72 hours after design approval.
This is all thanks to our in-house production team.
Our production team has access to cutting-edge technologies, like laser and ink printers. Printing your mailers isn’t all our team can help with, though. We can also fold, insert, seal, and stamp your mailers for you. This way, you know your mailers will follow postal regulations.
Get the Most Out of Your Direct Mail Campaign
When you partner with the automotive marketing experts at Aspen Automotive, you can rest assured these 10 mistakes won’t get overlooked. Better yet, you can feel confident you’re seeing the best returns on investment (ROIs) possible.
Ready to get the most out of your direct mail campaign? Contact us today!
