DEALER SUCCESS STORY: How One Dealership Group Generated 288 Customer Leads Amid COVID-19

30.03.20 11:46 AM By Layton Judd

Continued Communication Image

Capture low-funnel intenders with continued communication 

Think automotive customers aren't engaged with your dealership during these uncertain times? Think they have more on their plate with COVID-19 than to hear directly from your dealership?


Think again.


At the end of the day, we are all consumers. So think about what kind of communication you, as a consumer, appreciate hearing from other retail brands to help you during times of inconvenience or hardship:

    • Are they open for business? What departments are open? What are their hours?
    • How are they handing internal operations and what extra precautions are they taking to keep you safe?
    • Are there alternative and seamless ways to shop or meet with them online?
    • Are they offering any concierge or delivery services?
    • Do they have any special coupons or incentives?
    • Are they making any financial considerations or alternative payment arrangements?
    • How are they helping or connecting to the community on a larger scale?
    • What lifestyle tips can they offer outside of their own business?


We know...we know.  It seems like every company under the sun has been putting out a corporate statement of some kind or another concerning the coronavirus, and it may leave you questioning whether or not you really need to add to the noise.  While there are no hard, fast rules on how to communicate to your customers in the midst of a national disruption, there are some DOs and DON'Ts around engaging your audience and how it will affect your business. 


First and foremost, DON'T ignore it. Your customers DO want to hear from you. Our data consistently shows us that consumers are more engaged than ever with our dealership partners that have continued their marketing efforts in our business intelligence and communications platform. Here is one such example:



 

A prominent 4-store import and highline dealership group called us late last Saturday from a heavily-impacted state in the northeast. With more directives coming over the weekend, their state was among those that issued stay-at-home orders and business closures. This dealer needed quick turnaround to get the word out to their customers that they were keeping their Service Bays open as essential business, and to inform their community of the steps they were taking to ensure safety and business continuity. They decided to take advantage of our COVID-19 RESPONSE PACKAGE as a short- and potential long-term solution as their communications platform from which to build. 


This dealer knew that the fastest and most effective, affordable, and trackable way to streamline their communication across the group was by emailing directly to their own database. Our team went to work making sure their specific brand and message was captured, took extra measured to cleanse the CRM list received, and delivered in less than 12 hours with above-industry-average results. We applaud this group and the relationship of their partners in working together to make an immediate profitable impact to their service department. 


To learn more about our always-on, dynamic approach to targeting your customers along every turn in their path to purchase, we'd like to help. Feel free to set up a strategy call with us today.