Digital Dealer - August 2018 - 46

M A R K E T ING & ADVERT ISING: Dir e ct R esponse

By Anthony J. TaCito
Founder & CEO
TaCito DIRECT

Direct Response:
Now More Than
Ever
Much has been written
about the purported
demise of traditional
direct-response marketing in
the retail automotive space.
The current advertising
spend and focus is heavily
on digital because studies
report that as much as 80%
of all new and used car
shopping begins on the
web. And, rightly so,
dealers must be on the web,
using social media and all
the other latest digital
techniques, sites, and
lead-gen sources that might
capture a buyer's interest or
bring a buyer through your
dealership's doors.
That being said, an argument remains in support of
direct-response marketing
that most retail automobile
executives under the age of
40 must still hear, and the
argument is this; As long
as there is a guy driving
around in a little white truck
with blue and red stripes,
and a U.S. Postal Service
logo printed slapped on its
side, there remains an advertising medium that needs
to be utilized and taken advantage of, by auto dealers,
nationwide, regardless of
market, metro or rural.
The fact is that everyone goes to their mailbox
46

AUGUST 2018

to check their delivered,
printed, private, mail, almost
every day, first thing when
they get home. Who doesn't
look for checks in the mail,
notices from government
agencies, letters and bills
from utility companies, bank
statements, insurance companies' premium notices,
and a wide assortment of
other important and valuable
communication and adver-

is establishing CONTROL
with the customer. Direct
response establishes that
control.

USE PROVEN,
AUTOMOTIVE DIRECTRESPONSE TECHNIQUES
LIKE MAILING A
"PRIVATE INVITATION"
TO CUSTOMERS. A private

invitation sale will generate
prospects who are "in the
market" and "ready to buy."

THE FACT IS THAT
EVERYONE GOES TO
THEIR MAILBOX TO
CHECK THEIR DELIVERED,
PRINTED, PRIVATE, MAIL,
ALMOST EVERY DAY,
FIRST THING WHEN THEY
GET HOME."
tising information?

HERE'S WHY
DIRECT-RESPONSE
ADVERTISING STILL, &
ALWAYS WILL WORK

Because the advertiser (sender, you), decides
exactly WHAT you want to
say, to WHOM you want to
say it to, WHEN you want to
say it, WHERE you want to
say it, and HOW you want
to say it.
Period. You are in control.
The first step of any sale

D I G I TA L D E A L E R . C O M

The customer will come to
the dealership when you
tell him to come; not when
he wants to come, thereby
maintaining the control. The
customer who comes into
your dealership (responder)
is the customer that you
chose to invite because he/
she is the customer that you
believe you have the best
chance of selling to.
As soon as this prospect
walks through your dealership door, with your letter

or offer in hand, you have
control. That's why customers who respond to direct
marketing are usually the
best source for improved
closing ratio and average
gross profit/sale.

TARGET YOUR OWNER
BASE. The customers that

you have in your dealer
database have been to your
dealership, are the most
loyal, and will allow you
to make the highest gross
profit, in new car, used
car, F&I, and service gross
per transaction. These
customers trust you, and by
returning to your dealership,
they are demonstrating to
you that they are satisfied
with their buying experience
at your dealership. Your
owner base holds within
it gold for the ages. Say
you normally sell 150
vehicles a month, and
have a database of 15,000
customers, YOU effectively
have over an eight-year
supply of customers in your
database. And, within that
database, there is someone
new, every month, entering
the market. By regularly
mailing or emailing your
customer database on a
recurring schedule, you are
sure to benefit by meeting
the customer head-on
with your targeted and
personalized message
when he/she enters the
market ready to buy.
POST YOUR DIRECT
MAIL WITH FIRST-CLASS
U.S. POSTAGE.

The U.S. Postal service
promises to deliver your
First-Class Mail within 48-72
hours from the date you
mail. With time-sensitive
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Digital Dealer - August 2018
