According to recent research, email marketing technology is used by 82% of B2B and B2C companies, and more than half of emails are opened on mobile devices. Long a mainstay of the digital marketing toolbox, email continues to evolve and grow in influence.

When asked to rank their preferred way to receive updates from retail brands, consumers consistently ranked email highest in the “preferred a lot” category compared to direct mail, mobile apps, social media, push notifications, and mobile wallet, according to Campaign Monitor’s 2017 Consumer Email Habits: What Do Your Customers Really Want?

Customers respond favorably to those brands that get the basics right - especially email. Personalizing email subject lines can help boost email opens and click-through-rates. Personalized content provides a more seamless user experience and increases customer engagement and conversion.

Like any other digital platform, emails should be timed right and offer relevant content to your audience. In fact, personalized email messages improve click-through-rates by an average of 14% and conversions by 10%.

Consumers today expect online retailers to offer curated customer experiences and they’re willing to provide personal data to get it. This is where your CRM software comes in handy because it already contains a wealth of data that can be put to work for your dealership: customers whose leases are about to expire, vehicles due for an oil change, and high-mileage vehicles ripe for trade-in on a new model. When combined with automation, CRM will help you deliver timely, relevant, and personalized emails on a large scale.

To start, be sure to follow these basic best practices:

● Be open with customers about the data you are collecting and clear about how you intend to use it

● Clearly identify your business name in all emails

● Create a customer information privacy policy and make sure your customers have easy access to it

● Never use data that a customer has given to you unintentionally

● Never send messages without customer consent

It’s important to remember, though, that there is a fine line between using customer data for personalization and taking advantage of customer information. Find the right balance, keep an eye on anti-spam laws, and make the most of your email marketing campaigns.

Ready to get started? Search Optics can help get your business on track. Contact us for a FREE Digital Solutions Inspection.