Do You Need a Mobile Marketing Strategy?

Mobile marketing comes in many forms and each can be beneficial to your car dealership. Text message marketing (also known as Short Message Service marketing or SMS marketing), mobile websites, and smartphone apps are the three dominate forms that mobile marketing comes in. Considering 85 percent of Americans own a cell phone, while only 80 percent have a land line, it seems that mobile marketing is worth looking into.

Better than Email or Postal Address

Text message marketing is cheaper than direct mail. And unlike an email blast, it’s sent directly to your customers’ cell phones. It is easier than optimizing your dealerships mobile site for 300 different cell phones and less expensive than developing a dealership specific application. Text message marketing does not require a smart phone (e.g. iPhone or Droid) either. Best of all, approximately 94 percent of SMS Messages are received and read.

If you have ever seen American Idol, then you’re familiar with how text message marketing works. Text message marketing takes an opt-in approach, similar to email marketing, and there’s a lot of potential uses for car dealers. Texting updates to customers about current promotions, events, and service specials could drive customers to the lot. The key to success is 100 percent opt in!

5.5 Billion Text Messages Are Sent Every 24 Hours in the U.S.

Dealerships can encourage customers to join their mobile lists by promoting exclusive specials and offers through their text message marketing campaign. Joining a mobile list is simple. All it requires is that a customer text your dealership a five or six digit short code. Return orders and lot posters can illustrate the steps customers need to take to opt in to your dealerships mobile list.

Getting Started is Simple

There are a couple ways to plan mobile marketing into your dealership’s advertising strategy. The best mobile marketing campaign would not be solely based on sales incentives. Some dealers across the nation use text messages to update their customers on special events while also promoting a sales message from time to time. Your dealership can do the same by promoting special events and saving the big sales messages for when it’s needed most. However the best return for text message marketing has proven for service and allowing car shopper to communicate with your internet sales department via text message when they are shopping for a vehicle.

Start developing your mobile marketing campaign starting with text messages and be ahead of your competition in fact a recent study we performed showed 88 percent of adults 45 years old and younger would rather communicate via text message then by phone or email.

WRITTEN BY PAUL POTRATZ