Propel Your Automotive Business Forward with Powerful Text Solutions

In the fast-moving, digital world — where speed is always of the essence — the need to deliver valuable information reliably and efficiently has never been more vital, and that's as true for automotive dealers, repair shops, and others in the transportation space as it is Silicon Valley startups.

• 92% of car buyers research cars online
• 13.55 hours: average time 2019’s shoppers spent researching & shopping for a new vehicle
• 61% of time spent shopping & researching was done online
• 75% of auto shoppers say online video influenced their habits and purchases, according to a Google study

According to a 2019 study released by Cox Automotive, “With car buyers making more decisions online and ahead of time, by the time many of them arrive at the dealership, they are ready to buy. As a result, dealers should hone their online marketing and sales strategy to help buyers get to ‘yes’ online.”

In addition, Cox Automotive found that “dealers must consider new ways to more effectively compete online, including advertising that is more personalized to the shopper as well as offering more steps to the sale online through digital retailing.”

The marketplace is shifting to the digital space, with shoppers spending well over half the time they allot to car buying well before every stepping foot into a dealership. And some won’t enter the dealership at all. The traditional playbook of print and television advertising no longer fully works. Modernize your automotive marketing game to get it in the right gear with multichannel tactics that include SMS and social media.

Content is King Of the Road & Your Automotive Marketing Plan

Bill Gates first coined the phrase “Content is King” back in 1996 when he predicted that content is where he would “expect much of the real money will be made on the Internet, just as it was in broadcasting” and that the long-term winners would be “those who used the medium to deliver information and entertainment.”

Make your brand stand out from others with impressive inbound marketing solutions and by offering value-driven, easily digestible content to attract customers to your dealership. Implement inbound marketing tools like social media, blogs, and SMS text communications. The better the content you consistently produce, the more likely you are to attract an audience and entice subscribers to opt in and move through the sales funnel.

But don’t stop there: it’s important to remember content marketing isn’t just about immediate sales and gratification. It also caters to your long-term goals to nurture customer relationships — which ultimately translates to repeated business and brand loyalty.

Ensure your content is read with email campaigns, social outreach, and sending out SMS text messages to relay timely messages like sales, inventory additions, recalls, and more — all with trackable links so that you can continue to measure success.

Ignite Brand Recognition

Make your dealerships SMS marketing apart by offering powerful content strategies that differentiate yourself from your competitors. This should include an array of written content for your website, social media, and informative videos posted across all channels. SMS subscribers can also opt-in to receive MMS texts with video and audio capability.

Rev Up ROI

With increasing competition, dealers often begin dropping prices to stay on top of the marketplace.

But there’s another way. Instead of getting competitive over price, stay competitive by boosting ROI on established marketing initiatives.

Nurture relationships with existing customers, some of whom may be approaching lease-end dates or may be interesting in trading in their vehicles early for a new model. Cold calls can be irritating to busy customers. And with 5X the opening power of emails, SMS texts are easily the most efficient method of communication.

Did the lead not end up in an immediate sale? Whether a sale is being negotiated online or on the lot, send a follow-up text to stay in contact and finish the deal.

Adapt to Ever-Changing Times

More and more automotive shoppers are looking to extend their habit of shopping online — to buying online. This is a trend that showed itself before Covid (with companies like Tesla and Carvana leading the charge). Now that it’s here, don’t expect it to disappear.

Rhett Ricart, chairman of the National Auto Dealers Association (NADA), recently told Car and Driver that he expects “80 to 90 percent” of dealers to have full eCommerce capability by the end of the year.

Meet the current need and change with the times. Send SMS alerts to keep your subscribers aware of updates and changes. With 98% engagement rates, you can ensure important text messages are read upon receipt.

Go The Extra Mile, Show Off With Shining Reviews

The time where car buyers walked into a dealership with little information is long gone and now just a blip in the rearview mirror. Whether you’re a dealership or manufacturer, you know that excellent reviews are essential for sales.

Trigger automatic SMS reminders for drivers to leave outstanding reviews in every category from service to sales to brand. Add a special incentive for customers to complete the review — perhaps a service discount.

Speed Up Seasonal Sales Slumps

Fluctuations happen.

What’s the solution? Well, apart from figuring out how to prolong your historically good months, you can make inroads to your rebound plan with appealing promotions, dealer incentives, and personalized targeted campaigns based on shopper preferences.

You can also offer MMS coupons to reward customer loyalty and incentivize proper maintenance.