5 Car Sales Text Message Templates that Work with Video for Today’s Market

Videos and texts are a perfect pair. Videos keep customers engaged and help build rapport. Texts deliver information fast and are hard to ignore. We’re conditioned to listen for that “ping,” so it’s no wonder 90 percent of texts are read within three seconds.

Get Customer Permission First

Don’t forget to obtain consent before texting customers. Under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), you can’t send messages to consumers unless they opt in. If you ignore this law, you’ll likely turn off customers and potentially face penalties.

Do your employees say they can’t get customer consent? Are they asking for it? When employees are serving customers, they should tell them that they’re going to send a text and ask the customer to respond right away.

When you’re answering questions for a customer on the phone, ask if you can text them when you find more information or have some better pricing. Ask for permission, and follow-up with something of value so it’s a fair trade. Customers will go for it.

Once you have permission, don’t annoy customers with lengthy or irrelevant texts. Keep it simple with a few sentences and videos that are 30 seconds or less. Get too wordy and you may as well pick up the phone. Send long videos and your customers won’t watch them.

What Texts Should You Send?

Many salespeople today are doing it right with valuable content that almost becomes like a digital newsletter and positions them as a customers’ go-to car person. Here are five examples:

1The introduction

Hi Sara. This is Phil from ABC Automotive. Are you available for a short call to discuss our new vehicle specials? We’re offering super low interest rates on 2021 models. Check out this video for a quick preview. Please let me know if you’re interested by replying to this message. I look forward to hearing from you.

2Tips and tricks

Hi Mark. This is Phil from ABC Automotive. Hope you’re loving your new car. Here’s a quick video about how to pair your phone to your car with Bluetooth. If you have questions, feel free to text me back. Have a great day!

3Abandoned digital retailing experience

Hi Hannah. This is Phil from ABC Automotive. I noticed you were checking out the new Dodge Ram on our website but didn’t get a chance to complete the digital retailing steps. Was there anything you didn’t like? Were the steps confusing? We’d love your feedback to make the experience better for you and all our customers. Thanks for your help!

4Sales follow-up

Hi Dan. This is Phil with ABC Automotive. We have word inventory is starting to come back and you previously expressed interest in a 2021 GM Sierra. As you can imagine, demand is high. Do you want us to put one on hold for you? Please text back or give me a call to discuss.

5Reminders and confirmations

Hi Lisa. This is Phil from ABC Automotive. I wanted to remind you about your appointment to test drive the 2021 Toyota Camry on Friday 8/5 at 5:00 p.m. Here’s a map in case you need directions to our dealership. I look forward to seeing you!

All of these messages are short and sweet, pertinent to where a customer is in the buying process and deliver value with a relevant video. The videos don’t need to be customized for each customer, so you can quickly build a library and reuse videos to save time.

Make it work with your CRM

A final tip is to ensure your CRM integrates with texting and video tools. This lets you track and manage all conversations for quality control and a better customer experience.

Some things just go together – like texting and videos. A short, relevant text matched with a video that offers value will engage customers, help build rapport and lead to more sales.