To Text or Not to Text – Is Your Dealership Taking Advantage of Text Communication?

Everyone texts these days, well at least, almost everyone. According to the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, more than 1.9 trillion text messages are sent in the United States every year! With texting leading the forefront of the communications industry – how are you communicating with your customers and potential clients? If your dealership is not texting your customers – they may not be receiving your messages at all.  Statistically, an average of 98 percent of all texts are opened (or read) compared to only about 20 to 30 percent of emails. The way you communicate with your customers affects your bottom line. If they are not effectively getting your messages – you are not communicating at all.  Texting can help your business to create a lasting and personal connection with your customers that makes them happier while also increasing your efficiency and sales. Keep in mind that marketing texts have to be in compliance with the regulations of the Federal Communications Commission and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) which basically prohibits text messages sent to a mobile phone from an auto-dialer. You can however, use texting to contact customers personally – which means that calls and texts that are manually dialed are exempt from this rule, allowing your employees to send personal communication texts to your customers. Following are some reasons why your dealership should consider implementing text communication when it comes to contacting customers:

People Read Their Texts!

Many dealerships want to keep costs low, which is why they would use things like managed print services to make printing letters cheaper. But why spend the money on printing letters if they don’t get read? Letters fell victim to emails, and now even emails are suffering. As we discussed earlier – over 98 percent of texts are read (a much higher rate than emails). In   addition about 90 percent of texts are read within three seconds! If you want your customers to see your message – send a text!

Texting Makes a Personal Connection

Typically your customers probably text their friends and family. When you message them on the same channel, you can conjure a comfortable and familiar response. There may be a few customers who don’t want to receive text messages from you, and that’s perfectly fine. The bottom line is that you attempt to reach out to customers on the channels they prefer.

It Makes Things Simple for Your Customer 

If your customers are used to communicating through text messages – then why not join them?  Given the time that most people are already spending on mobile devices, mobile communication will make their life easy!  If you are on a mobile device, it’s much easier to respond to a text than it is to use web-chat or write emails. If your dealership has decided to add texting as a channel of communication, remember to only send relevant, targeted messages. Keep in mind that marketing doesn’t always have to mean selling, it’s about relationship building. It’s okay to send out coupons and offers, but be sure to also send campaigns that give information and ask for nothing. Texts can be a way to say thank you, or send an appointment reminder, poll or information about a community event you may be sponsoring. Texting can be a positive asset in building a personal, convenient and successful connection between your dealership and your customers.