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The concept of “owner marketing” has been around for a while, but with the advent of the Internet; email marketing; and CRM tools, it’s taken on a life of its own - with amazing potential. By definition, owner marketing means marketing - or “re-marketing” - to your existing customers. Today, owner marketing is more affordable and measurable than ever, with services, such as Redwood City, Ca-based OnStation, that specialize in helping dealers do it efficiently and effectively. This month we’ll cover some goals you should strive for in using email in your owner marketing efforts. Next month, we’ll look at some of the challenges of owner marketing - and how to overcome them.

Why is email such a great medium for owner marketing?

- To begin, it’s cost-effective and measurable.

- And, just as important, unlike telemarketing, email marketing is not invasive, as long as you have a permission-based list, where your recipients have opted-in to receive your communications.

- In addition, you already know a lot about your customers – from their email addresses to their preferences and buying history.

- Finally, email campaigns can be customized for different groups of customers and still be inexpensive, and automated. .

All this means you can put your customer knowledge to work in a variety of ways, ensuring maximum ROI in each case. It may be too early to sell a customer another car, but there’s still money to be made, not to mention loyalty to be nurtured. Here are some specific things to aim.

1. Reduced Idle Time in Your Service Center

It would be wonderful to have your service center revenue cover the bulk of your expenses, but industry trends make it likely that your absorption rate is headed in the wrong direction. Email marketing is an excellent way to exert more control over service center traffic, including both warranty and customer-pay orders. The capabilities of email marketing services and products vary, but the best support automated emails that can be customized for different types of customers and different occasions, including scheduled service and seasonal service promotions.

2. Increased Use of Online Appointment-Setting

Does your website have an online appointment-scheduling function? Do customers use it as much as you’d like? Introducing customers to it in your service center emails will change that - and this change by itself should increase traffic and reduce no-show rates. It can cut the amount of time service center reps spend on the phone, too.

3. Getting Immediate, Actionable Feedback from Service Center Customers

Customers are far more likely to complete an online survey, and the email makes it possible to ask them to do so immediately following their visit. Could there a better way of showing your appreciation than acknowledging a problem and telling a customer that it’s been fixed, thanks to his or her feedback?

4. Moving Excess Parts and Accessories Inventory

Does your website have an online parts and accessories store? Chances are, you have some items you’d really like to move - those lime-green floor mats, for example. Using email marketing to promote a clearance sale is a great way to get rid of slow-selling merchandise, and it will also introduce customers to a part of your business that may not be getting all the traffic it should.

5. Better Attendance at Special Events

If your dealership ever throws parties - to celebrate the arrival of a much-anticipated new model, for example - then you’re familiar with the fear that the turnout will be poor. An email invitation is sure to improve attendance and help you keep track of those who plan to come. If you use your customer knowledge to target those most likely to buy (based on current vehicle, age of current vehicle, or other demographic factors), your party may prove to be both fun and profitable.

6. More Customer Contact and Improved Customer Retention Rates

The headline advertised five goals, but here’s a sixth that’s actually a product of all the others. Ultimately, customer retention is what it’s all about. Yes, you can use email marketing to get customers to fill your service center, to look to you for parts and accessories, and to attend your events. These are important considerations, but they aren’t ends in themselves. Well-timed customer contact also helps you keep customers in the stable, where you can continue selling them cars.

In the long run, it’s easier and less expensive to retain customers than to find new ones. Not that you won’t also be looking for new customers - but the better you are at retaining customers, the greater the value of every new customer you bring into the fold.