Have you ever thought about what type of messaging best resonates with your customer base? Have you ever stopped to wonder if the constant sales and service incentives are actually turning off your most loyal customers? Have you ever tried a soft marketing approach with customers so they don’t feel like they need to buy now? Educational marketing is a great way for your dealership to get in front of your customers and build trust, deepen relationships, and drive additional traffic, without the need to hard sell.
In today’s fast-paced, mobile world, your customers are bombarded by marketing - it’s in their inboxes, on their TVs, on their social media channels, and hundreds of other places. Most marketing your customers see day-to-day does nothing more than try to sell, sell, sell. In order to stand out in this sea of marketing messages that inundates your customers, try delivering a different type of message.
A great way to leverage educational marketing to grow loyalty among your customers is by offering vehicle maintenance tips. Chances are your customers are not mechanics, so they may not know the first thing about maintaining their vehicle to ensure its long life. When educating customers about their vehicle, you’ll want to ensure the content is:
- Relevant – If the information doesn’t apply to the customer or their vehicle, it won’t be as impactful and you could damage their trust versus building it. For example, if you’re promoting vehicle education about fuel efficiency, you probably won’t want to send it to customers who own a hybrid or electric vehicle.
- Up-to-Date with Current Methodologies – Philosophies about vehicle maintenance can change over time. You will want to make sure the education you provide to customers is either from a credible source or the manufacturer. Delivering outdated information can have a negative impact on your marketing and ultimately affect customer loyalty and your dealership’s reputation.
- Actionable – If you are going to offer customers tips about their vehicles, you’ll want to make sure it includes information about how they can fix, check, or get help with whatever the marketing piece is about. Without a next step, your customers will feel at a loss for what to do with the information you provide. Make sure you let them know your Service Department is standing by to answer questions or help out where needed.
Vehicle education is a great way to get in front of your customers and fall into additional customer loyalty. Plus, it helps your dealership’s marketing stand out in the crowd of advertisers.