The Road To Winter Engagement

The approach of winter gives car dealerships a perfect chance to engage with potential customers, according to direct marketing expert Tony Kemp.

Tony, the brains behind Hello Market, the leading online direct mail tool, said: “A mailshot with advice on winter motoring and a special offer for vehicle winter checks is an effective way of connecting with customers.

“Dealerships can target those they know have cars which might be over a certain age, those who clock high mileage, tend to get through tyres or might be more nervous about driving in more challenging conditions.

“This sort of communication can contain really useful advice and makes the customer feel loved as well as more likely to use that garage. All a great mailshot needs is a good hook and the effective use of the data available to make it a success.”

Tony had more hints and advice for dealerships looking to improve their communications:

• Personalise everything possible. Hello Market allows communications to be individualised to a previously unknown level – make the most of this and the available data to speak directly to each potential customer.

• Think about the images. Match the sort of picture to the profile of the customer. For example, a family car to someone likely to have small children, or a 4x4 to a rural address.

• Make it easy for your branches to create their own mailshots. Head office has control over templates and data so all branch managers need to do is add the details of the events.

• Use data insights to identify opportunities for communications to enhance customer loyalty. These range from the obvious – the anniversary of a customer’s previous new car purchase – to the more thoughtful: a birthday card, perhaps.

Tony added: “Think strategically around your customer. You know a lot about these people – use that knowledge to target offers and campaigns which are more likely to bring business your way.

“Knowing people’s driving habits such as their annual mileage and the sorts of vehicles they own can unlock all sorts of potential mailshots which could lead to more business. It is now entirely possible for small dealerships as well as big firms to customise direct mail right down to the individual letter without the need for big print runs.”

DMP’s Hello Market platform allows businesses of all sizes to create tailored, personalised, dynamic printed direct mail campaigns. Pictures and offers are all driven by the data and one data file can be used to create one campaign with unlimited possibilities. Hello Market software is free to use online and users only pay for what they print and mail. There are no set up costs and no minimum run charges, so it’s ideal for every organisation to use for some or all of its communications requirements. Find out more at www.hellomarket.co.uk