It’s no surprise that COVID-19 sent a shockwave through the world, affecting the lives of every individual in some way, shape, or form. With many states implementing safer-at-home restrictions, many dealerships were forced to pause on many in-person sales and services.
Throughout the ongoing pandemic, many individuals have set up shop at their kitchen tables to meet virtually with coworkers, making their time spent online even higher than normal.
While life may be approaching pre-COVID normalcy, many businesses and organizations continue operating with modifications, which may include your dealership. Just because things aren’t back to normal yet, that doesn’t mean you can’t continue to run successful marketing campaigns for your dealership, all while breaking through the digital noise individuals are experiencing in high quantities by turning to direct mail.
Curious to learn more? The direct mail marketing experts at Aspen Automotive are here to help. Keep reading!
What Is Direct Mail Marketing?
Direct mail is a form of traditional marketing. It involves sending physical mail directly to an individual at their home address. This form of marketing is highly effective and often produces impressive returns on investment (ROIs), especially now.
Direct mail is a break from the bombardment of digital ads an individual receives each day, sometimes up to 5,000 per day!1
There are many reasons direct mail still prospers in this digital world. Here are some reasons:
- Less competition: Many businesses are turning to digital marketing to keep up with the times. With so many going the digital route, you have a higher chance of your audience seeing your ads by taking the direct mail route.
- Memorable: Receiving physical mail is nostalgic. It makes people feel important. Sending physical mail to an individual likely will make for a memorable experience on their part.
- Creative options: With direct mail, you can create nearly anything. You can customize your colors, material, size, and much more to fit your marketing needs.
Now that you know more about direct mail, let’s see how you can create a successful direct mail campaign during COVID-19.
How to Run a Successful Direct Mail Campaign During COVID-19: The Basics
Running a successful marketing campaign is possible, even if you’re not able to perform in-person services. Let’s take a closer look!
1). Update Your Mailing Addresses
Collecting and updating mailing addresses for clients is the first step to sending out direct mail. Without updated mailing addresses, you may be sending a personalized piece of mail to an individual who no longer resides there.
2). Find New Prospects with Data Solutions
Adding to your existing list of contacts is another great way you can create a successful direct mail campaign during COVID-19. Since it’s likely new individuals aren’t visiting your dealership on a daily basis, turning to data solutions is a great option.
These can help you find prospective new clients based on location, credit score, how much time is remaining on their lease, and much more.
3). Set Your Direct Mail Goal
Before you can run your direct mail campaign, you need to decide why you’re running it and what you hope to accomplish. Do you want to highlight your online car-buying and financing options? Do you want to encourage at-home test drives or socially distanced maintenance?
Deciding why you’re running a campaign is the final step before you can get into the design process.
Trends in Direct Mail Marketing During COVID-19
Now that you know the basics needed to run a successful campaign during COVID-19, let’s take a closer look at some of the trends our marketing experts have noticed as a result of the pandemic.
1). Marketing Virtual Events Is at an All-Time High
Since the start of the pandemic, nearly all in-person events have been postponed or cancelled. For dealerships, this means little to no shoppers visiting your showroom to upgrade their commute. In addition, with fewer places to drive, people may put off routine maintenance, leading to less stops at your service center too.
To off-set this decrease in in-person visitors, businesses started sending out postcards with information on virtual events.
For dealerships, virtual events could include pre-recorded walkarounds of the vehicles in your inventory. Offering at-home test drives is another popular option. This lets prospective customers take the vehicle they’re eyeing for a spin around their neighborhood without ever having to leave their home. Your dealership drops off the vehicle at the customer’s home and picks it up later.
If you have the ability, similar maintenance features are a great service to offer. For basic needs—such as wiper blade replacements, filter changes, and more—you can send a team of service experts to the customer’s home, letting them keep their car in tip-top shape without needing to visit your dealership.
2). Talk About Safety Measurements
Before the pandemic, few dealerships promoted how they keep their facility and vehicles clean on a day-to-day basis. Since the start of the pandemic, assuring customers your dealership is safe and sanitized is essential.
Sending out postcards with a list of safety measures is a direct mail feature that’s on the rise since COVID-19.
Dealerships, in particular, are highlighting how visiting their dealership is a safe event. From following CDC guidelines with face coverings and social distancing to sanitizing each vehicle before and after a test drive, as well as sanitizing the vehicle after routine maintenance, this type of information is what recipients want to know as a result of COVID-19.
3). Offering New Services
COVID-19 affected how people shop. Online shopping and delivery are favored methods, since individuals know they’re staying safe and don’t have to leave their homes. Providing individuals with an online shopping experience is a great way to show how adaptable and in tune with the customer’s pain points you are.
As a dealership, offering an online car-buying service is an easy way to give customers the safe experience they want while still meeting your sales quota.
These online experiences let the customer browse your inventory from home and even create a custom financing plan without needing to visit your dealership. Some dealers will even offer complimentary vehicle delivery, further simplifying the customer’s shopping experience.
Sending out a mailer that highlights your new online shopping services and the advantages it offers is a reliable successful marketing tactic during COVID-19.
Set Up Your Successful Direct Mail Campaign in Chicago, IL Today
Are you ready to set up your direct mail campaign during COVID-19? Want to see impressive ROIs? Let the experts at Aspen Automotive help you prepare, design, and monitor your direct mail campaign. Ready to get started? Simply give us a call or send us an email to get started today!
