Why is Service Marketing Important for Today’s Dealerships?
It’s no secret that the automotive industry is experiencing unprecedented challenges. Multifactor influencers seemed to culminate all at once – changing the automotive business landscape. The inventory shortage means fewer vehicles are being delivered, customers are disengaging with dealerships, and long-term customer loyalty may be at risk for many dealers.
When challenges arise, a business that does not adjust can fall behind quickly without the right attitude and focus. A business can shift its mindset, strategies, and practices and tap into other options that are flowing with current market trends, and with just a few essential tools and reframing, the market can start to work in their favor.
Don’t Overcomplicate It
Did you know it costs dealerships 7X more to gain new customers than to keep your existing ones? Many successful dealers tell us that your previously sold customers should have priority over obtaining new ones. Of course, you will always need to conquest prospects to maintain a robust customer base, but a good salesperson never underestimates the power of word-of-mouth marketing.
A dealership-wide focus on retaining existing customers, increasing dealership loyalty, and presenting sales opportunities in the most likely position to convert is easily said and done. We are speaking of the dealership’s sweet spot, the Service Drive.
Everyone needs service, whether for major fixes or light repair routine maintenance. Your service drive should have your highest customer engagement and highest conversion rate. But there are many different options, so how do you get customers into your service lane?
Service Marketing for Personalized Customer Engagement
Customers aren’t just going to waltz into your service drive because you asked them to or even because they bought their vehicle from you. They need a reason and motivation to choose you. Staying top of mind and delivering appropriate and timely incentives based on their current service-related life-cycle position is a positive step in that direction.
AutoAlert Service Marketing helps you execute the timing and relevancy of your marketing messages and make sense of your customers’ specific service needs. Feeling like their dealership is looking out for them is not only engaging but drives loyalty, which goes far in today’s convoluted market. Your customers have all they need to make an informed decision, but they want to be heard and taken care of. A personalized touch will keep them choosing you repeatedly for all their automotive needs.
Meet Them on Their Journey
AutoAlert’s data-backed Dealership Service Marketing solution provides the easiest way to increase service revenue and customer retention by focusing on three core segments:
- Current service customers
- Sold customers that have never serviced
- Disengaged service customers
Tools like AutoAlert allow your dealerships to engage your customers with omnichannel marketing, grow your audience with tagged-and-tracked data, maximize customer engagement and increase conversion with targeted and tailored messages that are always relevant to where the customer is in their vehicle purchasing, ownership, and servicing cycle. Along with the industry’s #1 data-mining platform, you will receive all these service marketing options:
- Mail and Email Campaigns
- OEM Branded Designs
- Schedule Service Calls to Action
- Dashboard Tagging
- Customizable Service Coupons
- Digital Appointment Reminders
- Deal Sheet and Profile Activity
- Comprehensive Reporting
AutoAlert Service Marketing delivers real-time, relevant offers based on your customer’s current circumstances influencing their next decision while building rapport with your dealership and helping you achieve above industry average results.
Bob Wheat, General Manager at Village Ford, is already celebrating major success with AutoAlert Service Marketing generating 596 new repair orders in just ten weeks!
“AutoAlert Service Marketing has helped us almost double our used car sales.” – said Bob Wheat.
Dealership Service Marketing Can Help You
There is no better time to make a move and get in flow with what your customers are seeking. You will see immediate results in all areas, including:
- Elevated customer engagement
- Captured new service business and retained existing customers
- Kept service staff and improved efficiency
- Increased service appointments
- Higher customer pay dollar amount
Switch your focus, provide your team with the right tools to increase retention and loyalty, and make your service lane and bays as full and profitable as possible. Learn more about how to level up your automotive service marketing.
