[Update: STRONG no longer offers ringless voicemail marketing due to the tactic’s evolving legality]

If you’ve ever found yourself with a voicemail but no missed call, it’s not because you have a faulty cell phone. You were likely targeted by a new marketing technique known as ringless voicemail.

A Message Without a Call

Ringless voicemail works by delivering pre-recorded messages to customers or prospects without either party ever picking up the phone. Instead of going through the normal process of dialing, ringing, and then entering a voicemail system, the message is loaded directly onto the customer’s voicemail server.

This technique has advantages for both dealers and consumers. For the dealership, it means time isn’t spent dialing numbers and waiting for an answer. For customers, ringless voicemails are a less-invasive way of receiving a phone message.

Tips for Getting Started

If you’re thinking about starting a ringless voicemail campaign, here are a few tips on best practices.

• Do record the message yourself. We provide a special line for you to call and record your message. It’s important that the message come from someone at the dealership so that it sounds like a believable voicemail.
• Don’t read directly from the script. We will provide you with a script to follow, but it’s best to practice it and adlib a little so that your message sounds more natural.
• Always include a call-back number. Make sure that your message always includes a phone number and address. The phone number that is included in the message is the number that will show on the caller ID, so make sure it’s a number that can handle hundreds of calls in a day.
• Pair it with mail or email. We recommend pairing your ringless voicemail with a direct mail drop or email blast to give these direct contact products extra momentum.
• Run the phone list through the National Do Not Call Registry. Respecting the Do Not Call numbers will ensure the marketing integrity of the dealership.

Is Ringless Voicemail Legal?

There is currently no legislation prohibiting the use of ringless voicemail marketing. In fact, it isn’t even required to remove customers who are on the National Do Not Call Registry. However, calling customers from the DNC list can leave a bad taste in people’s mouths. That’s why we recommend always respecting customers who wish not to be contacted.

Legal status is always evolving, so this is something that we keep a watch on for our clients and continuously monitor to make sure we’re up-to-date on laws and regulations.

Related reading: Using YouTube’s Free Marketing to Sell More Cars

Testing it Out

To learn more about ringless voicemail and how we incorporate it into client strategy, give us a call and find out if this new tactic is right for your dealership.

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