Auto Dealers To Drive New Mobile Marketing Efforts

Some interesting ideas on how the auto industry is starting to use mobile to enhance other forms of communication

It's interesting how so many new mobile marketing platforms are either market specific, or making market-specific pitches.

Real Estate's been working mobile for a while - and increasingly, so are auto dealers.

Cincinnati-based mobile platform provider OneCommand, for instance, has launched a new mobile marketing platform custom-tailored to auto dealers.

According to OneCommand, the new solution enables real-time, two-way communication between a dealership and consumers in several ways:

• Service Reminders: A dealership can automatically send text messages to their customers to remind them of their upcoming service appointment. If the time is no longer convenient, the customer can request via a simple text message to reschedule, triggering the system to automatically return a message asking when the next most convenient time may be. The customer texts back a time, the dealership is notified and as a result the appointment is rescheduled.

• On-the-Lot Marketing: Customers visiting a dealer’s lot after hours can text for more information regarding a vehicle or the dealership itself and have the system automatically respond with a text description, color “brochure” of the vehicle or even video. The system also offers the customer the ability to request this same information be sent to them in email, thereby capturing and reporting to the dealership both the customers’ phone number and email address for follow up.

• Newspaper ads: Dealers can enrich their newspaper ad campaigns by including wording in their ads telling the reader to text for more information and the same process is then followed as above.

• Customer Satisfaction Surveys: After vehicle purchase or service a text message can be sent asking if the customer is satisfied and to please text “Yes” or “No”. If the customer responds “No” the system responds and asks the customer if they would like to speak to a manager. If the customer responds with a “Yes”, the system automatically connects a phone call between the customer and the dealership to quickly head off any customer service issues.

Read more about it, here.