How Direct Mail Campaigns Increase Vehicle Service Appointments for Dealerships

Dealerships who want to generate revenue know that they need to do more than sell vehicles. It is imperative to keep customers returning for service appointments, which is a wonderful way to stay top of mind for customers in a busy automotive market. Digital advertising has become one of the most common marketing solutions for some dealerships, but many are returning to direct mail marketing campaigns. Thanks to several direct mail best practices, dealerships can bring more customers into their service bays and increase vehicle service appointments.

Best Practice: Targeting

Highly targeted campaigns should consider key information about customers and their vehicles. A successful service drive should not send out generic vehicle maintenance reminders. Instead, they must think about individual customers' vehicles, including:

• Make and model

• Approximate mileage

• Service history

Suppose, for example, there is a customer in a vehicle nearing 60,000 miles. It is time for a reminder about recommended maintenance for their vehicle, from brake inspections to fluid changes. For a customer approaching 100,000 miles, it is time for deeper checks, including a look at things like spark plugs, timing belts, and fuel lines. By sending out messaging personalized to customers' unique vehicles and needs, service centers position themselves as trusted partners committed to helping them maintain their vehicles.

Best Practice: Catching Customer Attention

Marketers only have seconds to capture customers' attention when they are going through the mail. This means that direct mail advertisements need to jump out and catch a customer’s interest. That may include using things like oversized postcards, bright graphics, and compelling service offers. While an eye-catching look is important, so is the offer provided. Service coupons remind customers that it might be time for essential maintenance and offer incentive to get that appointment scheduled.

When trying to capture customer attention, it is important to test what speaks to a target audience. Dealerships selling high-end new vehicles may have offers that look different than a dealership that focuses primarily on economy vehicles. However, popular offers include:

• Discounted oil changes

• Brake service specials

• Tire rotation packages

• Seasonal maintenance inspection deals

• Multi-service discounts

Not only do these service offers encourage customers to schedule those appointments in the moment, but they can also hang around long after they come out of the mailbox. Many customers will attach those postcards to a refrigerator or drop them on a desk for a future reminder. This increases the odds that they will schedule their appointments with the service center that sent out the mailer.

Best Practice: Direct Mail and Digital Marketing Integration

Across industries, it can take multiple touchpoints with a customer to convince them to trust a brand and make a purchase. Getting a vehicle serviced is no exception. Instead of keeping direct mail and digital marketing campaigns separate from one another, effective dealerships look for ways to tie them together. That might mean, for example:

• QR codes that link to online scheduling

• Personalized URLs

• SMS opt-ins for appointment reminders or further deals

• Social media promotions tied to your direct mail campaigns

Integrating marketing strategies across direct mail and digital channels makes the brand more memorable, keeps it top of mind, and helps encourage a vital connection to the brand. This will increase service appointments.

Best Practice: Track and Optimize

Successful marketing often relies on tracking and optimization. Dealerships must pay attention to key metrics related to their campaigns, including appointments made, offer redemptions, and other key customer responses. Then, they can use that information to optimize future campaigns and increase ROI.

Direct Mail Continues to Deliver Results

Digital marketing is a popular tool that offers potential benefits for automotive brands, but that does not mean it is time to write off direct mail marketing. By utilizing these best practices and collaborating with an experienced company that understands their unique needs, including personalized messaging, strategic targeting, and integration across platforms, dealerships and service centers can drive vehicle service appointments more effectively.

Direct mail marketing for dealership service drives is incredibly effective. We would love to speak with you to learn more about how we may be able to assist in creating direct mail marketing campaigns that produce superior results. Contact us and we will respond as soon as possible.