From Personal to Purchase: Why Email is Your Most Efficient Automotive Sales Assistant

In a world where 82% of businesses use email marketing, if you aren’t in your customers’ inboxes with a targeted approach, you’re behind the curve. AdWeek reports that personalised marketing can increase revenue by up to 15% and increase marketing spend efficiency by up to 30%. Here’s why that makes email marketing more important in the automotive industry now more than ever before.

Engagement on social platforms is great but, like AutoTrader CEO George Mienie says, car sales are the ultimate measure of success. “Maintaining growth in an established industry requires diverse inputs, across a broad range of consumer engagement platforms,” he adds. And the correct platform is vital: consumers largely don’t buy cars from social media. Email marketing is four times more effective than Facebook, with an average ROI of around 4,000%.

The beauty of (POPIA-compliant) communication is that the consumer has entered their email address, opting in to their preferred channel of communication to read what you have to share. Stats show that 73% of consumers prefer receiving communication via email and with it being rated as a top 3 distribution channel for B2C and B2B, it is an obvious choice. With so much content to share – Mienie says a critical part of growing relationships that lead to sales is by “making sure your potential car-buying customer fully understands your business, offering, purpose and vision.”

Given that 54% of car buyers would pay more for a better buying experience, that experience should start pre-sale and continue post-sale. Use Everlytic to invite loyal members to events, wish moms well on Mother’s Day, and send automated birthday emails. These keep your company top of mind for when it comes time for an after-sales service or upgrade. You may even prompt the upgrade: “The thought of buying a new car may not have entered their minds yet, but offering an upgrade at no additional cost is pretty attractive to many customers,” says Data One Software.

Everlytic’s automation tools mean that you can be with customers throughout their journey. Statistics show that cart abandonment emails (you know the one: “Hi Thembi, your cart is still waiting for you”) have open rates higher than 45%, click-through rates of 50%, and a conversion rate of 50%. Convert this into a showroom win. A gentle nudge – sent automatically a few days after a test drive – in their inbox will reel back the consumer while making them feel valued. It’s a hands-off, time-saving way to convert test-drive walkaways into sales.

With behaviour-based trigger communications, a general “special offers” mailer can be automatically followed with a brochure relating to only the offer clicked on by the recipient. They can then subscribe to a separate mailing list for information related to the brand, price point, or vehicle type in which they showed interest. This saves the consumer time, too – the information they want is in their inbox, curated to their taste.

As many as 80% of consumers are more likely to purchase from a brand that provides a personalised experience – that’s why 77% of marketers say they use email to send personalised content to their subscribers. But true personalisation should go further than using a first name in the subject line or even knowing the type of vehicle customers want to hear about. Segment bases to ensure one customer receives communication about trucks while another hears only about energy-efficient cars. The benefits of personalisation are countless. Send offers that suit your consumers’ budgets and know whether they’re looking for something new or pre-owned, considering an upgrade or purchasing a first or additional vehicle. This valuable information can plug right into Everlytic.

Create an active database by quickly building subscription forms, with customisable fields allowing for a much more tailored experience.

Build an email using our drag-and-drop builder and send targeted content to a specified customer segment – giving you the best possible opportunity to maximise ROI.

What’s more, our intelligent automation functionality allows you to easily create responsive journeys for customers based on their interests, demographics, and engagement. Once they are set up, sit back and enjoy the returns while everything runs in the background.

Unprecedented success doesn’t have to come with more risk or effort. Make 2021 a benchmark year of record sales and more loyal customers, with a trusted platform suitable for the automotive industry and its needs.