Effective Automotive Email Marketing Requires a CRM

Time and time again email proves to be an unsung hero in marketing. It’s flexible, cost-effective and boasts consistently high ROI. When done correctly, the return can be as high as $36 for every dollar invested. However, success depends on leveraging the right tech tools.

In the retail automotive industry, the most crucial tool is one dealers know well and that’s the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. The CRM is the single most important solution a dealership has for effective customer engagement because it incorporates information unique to each individual. When it comes to email marketing that drives results, automotive CRM software is at the center of it all, housing all customer data and informing how, when and why to communicate with customers.

Target Emails to Boost Results

The first step to leveraging all that data in your CRM for effective email marketing is to create targeted lists. Use the information in your CRM to segment customers into marketing lists that pertain to unique characteristics, like where they are in the buying process, if they’re coming up on lease end, etc.

Today’s customers want to feel valued and known on a personal level, so matching email messaging to customers’ needs lifts open rates and engagement. Segmented emails drive 30% more opens and 50% more click-thrus than unsegmented ones. The difference is those response rates are worth taking the time to personalize your lists and email messages.

Customize and Create in Minutes

A degree in graphic design used to be required to create and build professional, eye-catching emails. Not anymore. Utilize a template builder solution like the one in the CDK Modern Retail CRM to design and customize messages for specific audiences. It’ll allow for more personalized engagement, and you can do it all within a few minutes. Templates can also be saved within the CRM for easy redeployment and editing.

Maintain Vital Follow-Up

The Rule of 7 in email marketing refers to the concept that people need to see the same message at least seven times before they act. This highlights the importance of email follow-up to achieve the best results. A highly capable CRM can make a valuable impact by automating follow-up processes to maintain the consistent customer contact required to motivate customers to act.

Track Marketing Metrics

To gauge the success of email marketing efforts, track the metrics that matter for your dealership. What matters will depend on your goals, but common metrics to track include click-thru rate, conversion rate, bounce rate and ROI. The CRM should provide dashboards and reports for at-a-glance insight into what campaigns are working so you can do more of what’s making you money and less of what isn’t.

Keep the CRM Clean

It’s worth noting that any CRM is only as good as the data it houses. Inaccurate or outdated information can lead to marketing inefficiencies, revenue loss and irrelevant or repetitive emails that reflect poorly on the dealership. Data accuracy is vital to create targeted campaign audiences and personalized follow-up.

Train and manage your staff to always update customer records and include notes, such as where the customer is in the buying journey, that can lead to future sales. Also, lean on the CRM provider to help identify and eliminate duplicate, invalid and incomplete data.

Email is an unsung hero in marketing, but it won’t work for automotive dealerships without a highly capable CRM. The right CRM will help you organize customer data and build end-to-end email campaigns to drive long-lasting connections and generate more profit.

Learn more about CDK CRM