Modern car buyers, constantly connected, leverage various online channels in their shopping journey. To stay ahead, progressive car dealerships must engage customers across all touchpoints with an omnichannel communication strategy.
People love to text, surf social media, watch YouTube videos, or scroll Instagram and X. Car dealerships should connect with customers on the same platforms, which is why they need the four main dealership communication channels that we'll discuss.
Supply chain bottlenecks, the pandemic, and harsh economic times mean dealerships must work harder than ever for each sale. An automotive trend report by Star Global listed changing customer journeys as one of the biggest challenges for automotive dealers.
That's why creating a cohesive, seamless customer experience across multiple platforms is important. You only need to focus on four main dealership communication channels:
These four dealership communication channels can support the entire buyer journey, regardless of the customer's preferences.
Implementing an effective communications strategy is more of an organizational challenge than a technological one. So, for more insight, let's examine each of these four dealership communication channels.
Text messaging lets you connect with your customers almost immediately. In fact, SMS has the highest engagement rate for text-based communications at 89%, compared with 24% for email.
Also, with the right technology, you can send out highly personalised text messages for marketing or customer support. Since text messages are slightly different from other business communication channels, keep the following tips in mind:
To get started with SMS, you'll need to have a contacts database for both leads and existing customers. Next, search the market for a text messaging platform that works for you. Some even offer custom services for auto dealerships.
Once you have the tools ready, we suggest that you try different approaches to find what format works for your customers and generates the most interest. You should always include a call to action, and you can even include website links.
Website live chat communications follow the same rules as SMS regarding grammar, tone, and brevity. However, while customers can tolerate a slight delay in SMS texts, they expect instantaneous responses on live chats.
Web chats are particularly important to your lead generation strategy, not just your overall dealership communication efforts. While existing customers may reach you through email or phone calls, the majority of web chat inquiries are likely from curious website visitors.
Getting your live chat strategy right can help you sell more cars. These tips will help:
Live chats should resolve issues quickly. If things take longer than expected, switch to a different channel, such as email.
Providing customer support through your social media channels makes it easy and convenient for customers to ask questions and resolve issues. Social media support removes communication friction and hesitancy, especially if you remain approachable and friendly.
More than that, social channels are the face of your brand. Public channels like Facebook and Instagram are open to public judgment, so your posts, likes, and comments should reflect your brand's personality and values.
For instance, if a customer posts something negative, do not reply with a negative or combative response. Instead, reply courteously and switch to private chats to resolve the issue.
To make the best use of customer communications on social channels, dealerships should:
Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are the perfect place to shape your brand. You get to tell stories, share posts, and show people the human side of your brand. We highly recommend bringing in an experienced social media manager for social media communications to help you build and maintain a solid reputation.
One way to use video is to include one-to-one videos in your emails. Not many brands are doing that yet, which gives you a golden opportunity to set your dealership apart. Video is particularly suited to car dealership customer communications for several reasons, including:
Videos and live-streaming give you a unique chance to create a virtual but personal connection with customers. People trust you when they see you, so they will likely come to your dealership.
However, you must keep all video communications at an extremely high standard. You have to think about appearance, as well as video and audio quality. It's also a good idea to write scripts for your videos until you're more confident in front of the camera.
People buy what they know, like, and trust. These four communication channels allow dealerships to have deeper connections with customers, but they also take a lot of time and effort.
If you are bogged down with manual dealership management duties, you won't have the time or energy to reply to chats or record videos. SalesLogs dealership intelligence software lets you create efficient processes so you can focus on the bigger picture.
Try SalesLogs today to find out what we can do for you.
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