Three Tips to Improve Email Marketing KPIs

It’s no secret that customers hate email spam. For example, my dad recently bought a gently used Hyundai Sonata. One week after he bought it, he received an email about trading it in. I probably don’t have to tell you that he opted out of further email communications.

Mass emailing contacts with broad messages is an easy way to lose a customer. But when done right, email marketing delivers the highest ROI of all marketing channels, with $42 back for every dollar spent. It remains one of the most powerful tools in your digital marketing strategy. Having the right strategy is key. When you have a plan of action that defines your audiences, messaging, and how you’ll measure success, you can reach customers at a more personal level and achieve greater ROI.

However, the average person receives 121 business emails each day — and that number is growing. With more brands vying for your customers' attention, your emails need to stand out to be opened and read. Here are three tips that will help you get noticed.

Target Your Customers

One mistake dealers often make is not the using powerful audience segmentation tools built into their CRM. When you segment your customers into buckets, you can create highly targeted lists. Targeted marketing lowers your marketing costs, ensures the right customers are getting the right message and increases engagement.

For example, open rate percentages for untargeted emails are in the teens. Open rates for targeted emails range from 25 to 30% , which can make a huge impact on your bottom line. There’s no need to send generic bulk emails when your CRM can segment customers and send specific, personalized messages.

Make It Relevant and Engaging

When you send emails, they should be short, relevant and personal. The subject line is a great place to add a personal touch. A sample subject line can say, “Linda, I have a service special created just for your Kia Sportage.”

People will read that message out of sheer curiosity. Make the body of the email just as compelling with a 30 to 60-second video talking about the Service special in front of a Kia Sportage. In the video, highlight why this particular service is needed right now.

Always include a link to your Service scheduler so customers can easily make an appointment. You should also include the option to move to text message. You can say something like, “Is XXX-XXX-XXXX the best number to reach you? Would you prefer to continue our conversation by text or on a call?”

Video is gaining in popularity and it’s easy to see why. Videos are engaging, personal and easy to create. All you need is a mobile phone and some imagination. Sales introductions, vehicle walk-arounds and how-to videos are all interesting and informative video topics. Again, tailor the content to your audience. For example, you wouldn’t want to send a customer a video about how to connect Bluetooth if their vehicle doesn’t have that functionality.

Stuck? Use our car sales email templates for inspiration.

Measure KPIs

Track all campaigns in your CRM so you know what didn’t work, and what should be repeated. One best practice to follow is to track Sales and Service campaigns for 45 to 60 days. Review email open rates and click-throughs within three days to see who’s engaging with you and when. You may find that you get higher open rates at a certain time of day. If a campaign is still falling short of expectations, try A/B testing different subject lines or offers to see if you can get a stronger response.

Conclusion

Email is one of the most powerful tools in your digital marketing strategy. And when you use your CRM to help send emails that are targeted, relevant and measurable, you’ll see a difference in your ROI.