The best sales come when someone arrives already interested in the vehicles you have available and ready to talk to you. Your problem is in letting these individuals know where you are, and what you are able to do for them. Automotive direct mail is different from other forms of advertising, in that it has the capability of being specific. By using an automotive direct mail plan, it is possible to expend resources to only a group of people you have reason to believe will be interested in what you are able to offer them through targeted auto mailing lists.
A common problem with the wide net versus automotive direct mail is that it uses numerous resources simply to find those few who are truly interested. A radio campaign, for example, will cost initially a lot to run, and among those arriving will be many only coming for the novelty of shopping, along with a few hoping to offer their own product to your business. Also arriving are those who cannot currently afford a vehicle. Only a few coming in the door due to the radio advertisement will be potential customers. The use of time by sales staff is directed to all, so the process of finding true potential customers through this method expends the employee’s time and the business’s money.
The problem with the wide net radio ad is it is directed to a wide community. Many who respond will not meet the criteria a dealership needs, and it will miss a large segment of those who do meet the requirements of the customer base, because they, like a growing number of the American population, simply do not listen to the radio. An automotive direct mail campaign using a targeted consumer mailing list, however, can target a specific and select group of individuals who are in the market for a new or used car, and who are in the position to make a purchase.
Flyers are often thrown away unread – and with good reason. The person who is handed a uniform and generalized advertisement doesn’t have time to read this along with all the other information randomly directed at them during a busy day. Personalizing an automotive direct mail campaign acknowledges you are aware of this person’s interests and needs, and personally desire their business. A targeted mailing has some personal touches that give the individual receiving it a reason to consider this information.
It is possible to perform research throughout a specific community or a larger pool of possibilities from a greater geographic area. You might select the town where the dealership is located, for instance, or perform a wider development through a county or a state. In developing automotive direct mail campaigns, help exists in the form of companies that specialize in researching, such as Dundee Data, who have the resources in place to develop campaigns from specified criteria for real potential customers.