Like everything else, marketing strategies were put to the test last year. As Americans transitioned to work from home, digital interactions largely replaced in-person meetings, conferences, and sales. Visits to dealerships were replaced with virtual tours and video sessions.
If 2020 was the year of Zoom calls and webinars, 2021 stands to be a year defined by alternatives, and in many situations, escapes from the monotony of monitors. Social distancing made digital interfacing more necessary than ever, and a year later, sales experts have had time to expand their new outreach efforts with innovative and often reactionary non-digital methods. Now is the perfect opportunity to bolster your outreach with a strategic direct mail plan.
Offline Engagement Will Expand
Whenever you reach out to a prospect online, your message is now competing with an unprecedented crowd of emails, e-vites, newsletters, and other digital material. As your potential customers continue to spend more time on their computers for both work and leisure, real-life experiences take on a heightened appeal. Experts predict that offline engagement like direct mail should increase by 60% from last year, highlighting the demand for interactions that don’t involve a Wi-Fi connection.
Substance Will Stand Out
Although direct mail campaigns of the past frequently featured a standard message printed and sent to a widespread of recipients, sheer volume alone shouldn’t be the emphasis going forward. A generic message is easy to overlook, so it will require some creativity and customization to stand out. Strong Automotive Merchandising’s mailers feature custom purchase offers tailored to a recipient’s exact vehicle. Oversized postcards and envelopes help your message stand out in a deluge of letter-sized mail. The substance is what counts, of course, and it’s important to create customized messaging that will resonate with your prospects.
Dealers Will Need a Holistic Approach
While the need for screen-time breaks emphasizes the value of offline outreach, many car shoppers will continue to do much of their research and browsing from the comfort of home. That means that when you get their attention through your direct mail campaign, you’ll need to provide a clear path to see the sale through. Direct them to your dealer website for the next steps.
If you want to reach potential customers with on- and offline strategies that can adapt as the audience and times continue to change, contact us at Strong Automotive Merchandising. You can also subscribe to Next Day Traffic to stay ahead of this rapidly evolving industry.
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John Paul Strong
John Paul Strong combines his two decades of automotive marketing experience with a team of more than 150 professionals as owner and CEO of Strong Automotive.
