Direct Marketing vs Personal Selling

When considering marketing methods for your next automotive marketing campaign, you’ve likely come across the terms Direct Marketing and Personal Selling. Both methods are marketing techniques with promising results, but you might wonder what the differences are.

Aspen Automotive is here to break it down. Below, we’ve gone over both terms and how they work. Let’s get started!

What Is Direct Marketing?

Mail that stands outDirect marketing is a marketing technique that presents information about your dealership’s offerings directly to the public. This is commonly done using mail and other mediums that don’t involve face-to-face interaction.

Direct marketing aims to have your target consumer interact with your business. This can include interactive methods, like QR Codes, to bring potential leads to your website to learn more.

For example, if you’re having a summer vehicle promotion at your dealership, you send a postcard to a mailing list. The person who receives the postcard then visits your dealership to find a new vehicle during your summer promotion.

What Is Personal Selling?

Personal selling involves a salesman persuading a customer to buy a product. When using personal selling methods, your salesman builds a relationship with a consumer. This can be done face-to-face, online, or even on the phone.

Personal selling generally involves a demonstration of the specific product to the customer. The customer can answer questions as the demonstration is happening.

Common examples of personal selling can include door-to-door salespeople and even the staff at your car dealership. Your team works with customers and helps them learn more about the vehicle they might purchase. A demonstration would be a test drive!

Benefits of Combining Direct Marketing and Personal Selling

Vehicle trade in pageDirect marketing and personal selling don’t have to work apart. Dealerships can use both to create a well-rounded marketing approach. It can all start with your next direct mail campaign.

Direct mail is still a successful marketing tactic despite the growth of the internet. In fact, 73% of Americans say they prefer being contacted by brands via the mail because they can read it when they want.1

Direct mail also often stays in the home and can be personalized, something Aspen Automotive can help with. If you want to lead consumers to your website, consider adding a personalized URL (PURL) that can offer a webpage specified to your customer’s needs. These pages can include:

  • Information of financing
  • Vehicle Trade-in Page
  • Newest SUVs that your customer might be interested in

This encourages a potential lead to interact with your dealership online and visit in person. That’s when the personal selling approach kicks in.

Personal selling lets you put a face to your dealership. Salespeople work directly with customers and give them an impression they’ll leave with. It’s all about building a positive relationship.

That impression stays with your customer even after they leave. When they receive your next direct mail piece, they’ll remember the positive experience, making them more likely to return in the future.

Learn More About How Aspen Automotive Can Help With Your Next Marketing Campaign

If you think Direct Marketing might be the right fit for your next automotive marketing campaign, the team at Aspen Automotive can help. We can aid you in designing, mailing lists, and creating your direct marketing campaign, so you get a great ROI.

Contact us to learn more today.

 

1 https://www.smallbizgenius.net/by-the-numbers/direct-mail-statistics/#gref