Snail Mail - is it worth it anymore?

[Joe Pistell]

We’re all getting slammed with ad messages. Junk Mail, SPAM, Banner ads, Commercials on TV and Radio, now that I think of it, the 'Net is worse than all of the above combined.

IMO, Snail mail has its place in marketing. I think its best suited to keeping the door open with prior customers. You have a relationship with past customers, so your unopened mail is far more likely to be opened & read.

Joe

 

[Joe Pistell]

IMO, Snail mail has its place in marketing. I think its best suited to keeping the door open with prior customers. You have a relationship with past customers, so your unopened mail if far more likely to be opened & read.

Marketing is all about finding an opportunity to share a meaningful moment. Snail mail waits patiently for the reader to arrive, with a message that shares space with no other advertiser and is delivered in a time and place that is comfortable to your customer.

What are you gonna send them?
If you are a multi-franchise player, I can’t think of a better medium than a periodic snail mail newsletter with mix of unique automobile content and inventory/promotion. No one on the planet is better setup to leverage this idea than our Alex Snyder and his all new mega content monster http://www.checkeredflag.com. The content they churn out is just sick… so sick, his local paper should buy his content from him!

Anyways, back to the rest of us humans…
If you are a small store, you sell you! A highly personalized mailer should get read.

Snail mail needs to hit some hot buttons. Content to include could be: Bird Dogs, Testimonials, Community Event(s), New Arrivals, What’s Hot, What’s on Sale, managers clearance, payment car, special finance and on and on and on… Use of coupons, tracking codes or exclusive discounts helps when it comes to ROI review time.

Just a few passing thoughts...
Joe

 

[Alex Snyder (blog)]

I'm talking to the paper now Joe - lol.

 

[Reis]

Two words, Spam Blocker. The reason to not completely eliminate snail mail is exactly those two words. We've all had numerous times when we've attempted to contact a lead that has only given us an e mail only to never hear back from them at all. You follow up for months on end, trying new techniques to get that person's attention, only to have them finally come to the dealership complaining that no one has ever attempted to reach them back. Or maybe it's just me..... Most lead's make you at least put an address or phone number. The people that want the less obtrusive shopping experience are much more likely to put an address online than a phone number. So for that reason I would say snail mail is not extinct yet.....although it may be going that way sooner rather than later as the "new breed" grows into the "old breed's" footsteps.

 

[Pete]

The modernization of mail from being the wild west or spam a lot has begun.

That has been my argument for some time now about "open" e-mail contact.

I have chosen to keep the contact mail address off websites period.

What I am doing is setting up incoming mail that only accepts forms submitted from the website or e-flyer.

Also when sending an e-campaign using a disposable address so it doesn't linger and collect junk.

Every month a campaign is run the return contact e-mail is different. The fact is that noboby goes back probably after a month to view the e-flyer and contact you at a later date.

That's my thoughts and the best to all...Pete

 

[Jeff Kershner]

I have do doubt that snail mail can still be a very effective medium of advertising and lead generation for dealers. I've witnessed and helped a dealer completely cut all traditional marketing (TV, radio and print) while having a record year of sales with only a new marketing (internet) and direct targeted snail mail mix.

But wait, I gets lots of mail at home and I throw most of it away. So if our dealer is using mail as part of our marketing mix, could we be throwing away a lot of money?

It would be great if all of our potential customers were online when we wanted them to be, but they're not. One could argue that this is where email comes into play but no matter how you toss the dice, getting your message into someones email inbox isn't always 100%.

I like to get mail. I always have and always will and I'm sure most would agree with me no matter what gen you are. 95% of Americans check their snail mailbox on a daily basis.

The real problem isn't the effectiveness of snail mail but rather the message. Spray and pray usually only yields a 2-3% return rate (though could still make sense for some markets). A clear concise targeted message to the right person (by data mining your DMS) at the right time is the bread and butter.

A recent study I read pointed out that 75% of both Gen X and Gen Y feels as if their snail mail offers immediate value and that snail mail is actually well received by all geographic groups from Gen X to baby boomer's.

I forget where I read it but what I read showed that mail responders are 10 to 20% more likely to convert to a qualified lead then the online counterpart. Of course combining the 2 has been very effective for me in the past.

Again, the most effective direct mail contains a compelling message to a qualified targeted audience. There is no better audience then your own!

 

[Pete]

"the most effective direct mail contains a compelling message to a qualified targeted audience"...Posted by: Jeff Kershner

Perfectly put Jeff and the top 3 things to a successful e-mail:
1. compelling message
2. compelling message
3. compelling message

It's like the old saying "garbage in garbage out" so my add is
make a choice of what to say in that message;

A. Be entertaining-i.e. video clips or high quality pics of the new models NOT computer generated assimilations.

B. Be informative-period...Simple good looking and formatted text of what's new and exciting about your PRODUCT. I could care less about the dealership. We are not friends and have not been over to each others home for dinner, so I don't need and EGO invite to come to the store to see the new and improved showroom or service department.

Customers want to keep it professional that is the balance and has been my experience in the 20 years on the automotive retail side.

*5 seconds is my guess on how long you have that they will read the message "IF" the prospect even opens the mail because the subject line was interesting enough to do so. Hi it's me AGAIN from ABC motors keeps the knowbody home lights off on my e-mail.

I hate when I get sent everything possible that someone cant put in a message just short of e-mailing the entire site.

Also, I'll get some crap for this...Oh well. Get the pic's of the kids, girlfriend and fishing trips off the desk unless you are an owner or manager.

Your better off limping on the lot seeking sympathy that you need to soften up the customer to buy because the $$$ will help pay for the operation.

Thanks and that's all my ramble for awhile...
Have a great summer!!!

Pete

 

[John Greenleaf]

I make my living on selling direct mail (snail mail) to dealers. Some mail isn't even worth the cost of the postage, that is a fact. But some pieces work better than everything else combined.

Here's an example. I ran a mailer for a client last month (Honda store) that featured the high fuel-efficiency of certain Honda products. We featured the vehicles, lease payments, APR's, but the leader was the MPG! With high gas prices on the mind, we took advantage of that and spoke to their wallets.

We did 10k for $7800, sold 42 units which broke down to $185.70 per car (a number that brought smiles ear-to-ear)!

I'd say that this mailer worked, amd most would agree. The difference is in the thought, creativity, and execution of said concepts that make these kinds of mailers work while others fail.

Just my humble opinion!

Thanks for the post Alex.

Here's the kicker. We didn't send it to a credit list or a saturation list, we sent the Honda mailer to all the '85 to '95 gas guzzlers (F150's, Dodge Ram's, C1500's) within the dealers PMA.

These owners were most likely to be the segment that were affected most by high gas prices, and most likely to respond to the MPG leader! We also mentioned new and pre-owned trucks and SUV's in stock in case the compacts were out of the question.

 

[Chris (blog)]

Sending THANK YOU cards immediately after someone has left the dealership has some rewarding results. You may ask yourself if it's worth the 5 minutes, and first class postage - but consider the impact:

#1 None of your competitors is doing it.
#2 You stand out from the crowd.
#3 It show true appreciation towards the customer.
#4 Your chances of a be-back skyrocket.

I always learned that you don't have to be better than everyone else, just different.

Cheers!