To get ahead in the high-competition auto industry, forward-thinking dealerships need to shift gears in their marketing approach.
While traditional marketing methods still have their place, there’s a high-performance tool many dealerships have yet to fully implement: text message marketing for dealerships. The immediacy and high open rates of SMS offer dealerships a direct line to potential buyers and existing customers—invaluable for nurturing buyer relationships.
These SMS marketing strategies can steer your dealership on the road to success.
Car Dealership Text Messaging as a Powerful Marketing Tool
Text messaging can be a refreshingly customer-friendly approach in an industry sometimes characterized by high-pressure sales tactics. SMS is a uniquely effective strategy in the auto sales industry for these reasons:
- Immediacy: Typically read within minutes of receipt
- Brevity: Respect recipients’ time while keeping your dealership top-of-mind
- Personalization: Tailors communication based on the prospect’s specific interests
- Nonintrusiveness: Easy to read and respond to at the recipient’s convenience
- High engagement: Boasts significantly higher open rates compared to emails
Texts from your dealership can deliver time-sensitive, targeted offers and key information about specific models or events without being too presumptuous or pushy.
It’s a proven recipe for success: dynamic texts that keep your dealership in consideration while respecting the customer’s space and decision-making process.
Check out our beginner’s guide to SMS marketing to learn more.
Engaging Potential Buyers via SMS
Lead nurturing is vital for the auto industry, and SMS provides the perfect platform for it.
When a potential buyer expresses interest, whether through your website or an in-person visit to the showroom, a personalized text can make a major difference in converting that initial spark into a sale.
Effective SMS engagement could include:
- A thank-you message for their interest
- Links to specific vehicle information
- Invites to upcoming sales events
- Follow-up surveys
Where many automotive marketing strategies can feel overwhelming or intrusive to prospects, well-executed SMS has a way of taking the pressure off. This approach can set your dealership apart from the competition.
Remember, the goal is to build trust and rapport. Each text should add value to the customer’s journey.
Driving Sales with Personalized SMS Offers
Buyers want to feel valued, and not just as a means to a sales commission. They have unique wants and needs, and acknowledging this can be highly advantageous for your dealership. Using your customer database to segment your audience, you can create and send tailored offers that speak to buyers on a personal level.
With text message marketing for car dealerships, you can offer targeted promotions and incentives like:
- End-of-model-year clearance deals to buyers of the same brand
- Information about financing options for first-time buyers
- Exclusive service packages to loyal customers
These offers should always be relevant, not only to increase the likelihood of conversion but also to help your customers feel like more than just a number. Segmented text messages speak directly to customers’ interests, showing that your dealership values their individual preferences.
Personalized SMS Marketing in Action
Personalization in SMS marketing drives real results for dealerships that need an innovative way to leverage first-party data.
By segmenting their audience and sending targeted messages, Bill Dickason Chevrolet implemented a campaign that drove an impressive $231,000 in gross profit. The best part? They sent just one or two hyper-relevant texts per month (15 texts total over a year), converting over 17,000 customers into SMS subscribers with a 90%+ retention rate.
Personalization with Subtext’s SMS management tools can help your dealership reach customers, too—especially when customers can take ownership of their loyalty.
Streamlining Your Processes Through SMS
In the auto industry, efficiency isn’t just about miles per gallon—operational efficiency is the backbone of dealership performance.
For your car dealership, text messaging offers a powerful, convenient way to streamline your operations. This is particularly valuable in appointment management:
- Automated appointment scheduling: Send instant confirmation after booking to reassure customers and solidify the date, time, and appointment type.
- Timed reminders: Offer SMS reminders for appointments and upcoming service needs (like oil changes) to reduce no-shows and last-minute cancellations.
- Easy rescheduling: To help everyone manage their schedules and prevent appointment loss, include quick options to reply or click a simple URL to reschedule if needed.
These texts are an arm of customer service that extends your dealership’s reach and responsiveness. You’re sending helpful messages and reminders, but you’re also building a more efficient and customer-centric operation.
Want to take it a step further? Use your SMS marketing platform to track metrics like appointment show rates, which can help you refine your strategies and provide an extra efficiency boost over time.
Using SMS to Improve Customer Retention
Loyal customers often become brand ambassadors. A single retained relationship can be a powerful source of long-term revenue, sometimes influencing purchase decisions for their friends and family. Post-sale communication is a major player in building a loyal customer base, and SMS offers an ideal channel for ongoing touchpoints.
These strategies show customers you value their business long after the initial sale:
- Automated service reminders: These messages remind customers they’re potentially due for a service based on their mileage or time since their last visit and increase the potential for a steady stream of appointments for the dealership.
- Satisfaction surveys: After a purchase or service visit, a brief survey shows you value their opinion and gathers valuable feedback you can use to improve your service on an individual level and within the dealership as a whole.
- Important updates: Letting customers know about manufacturer news or vital recall information demonstrates your commitment to their safety and experience on the road.
The immediacy of SMS makes it more likely customers will see and act upon these messages promptly.
The easier you make it for customers to engage, whether that’s replying directly to the message with a single text or including important URLs in the text, the more you establish trust and convenience as hallmarks of your dealership.
This helps ensure your customers’ journey continues for years, and potentially generations, to come.
Strengthening Customer Connections with SMS
One of the most valuable features of text message marketing for car dealerships is its ability to facilitate two-way communication.
Customers appreciate the sense that interactions and transactions aren’t just one-sided. It’s a direct, personal way to stay in touch with buyers that’s highly accessible on their end, too.
You can use SMS to encourage customers to text your dealership for:
- Quick questions about vehicle features
- Vehicle availability and pricing
- Service status updates
- Test drive scheduling
This can transform how your dealership interacts with customers at every stage of their journey. A convenient SMS communication channel means both parties have what they need to establish a relationship based on responsiveness and ease.
As you refine your approach, you’re more likely to see improvements in lead conversion, customer satisfaction, and, ultimately, your bottom line.
Read more about how SMS can drive major revenue for your company.
Leveraging Text Message Marketing for Car Dealership Success
SMS marketing is a high-octane toolkit for modern car dealerships looking to boost sales, improve operations, and forge lasting customer relationships.
Subtext’s SMS platform features advanced tools to bolster performance in any campaign, such as:
- Automated scheduling
- Personalized messaging
- Audience segmentation
- Two-way communication
- Detailed analytics
With strategic implementation, SMS can become your dealership’s engine for growth. Ready to see how Subtext can transform your automotive marketing strategies? Book a demo today!