5+ Winter Marketing Tips to Boost Dealership Sales
Winter can be challenging for businesses, especially for those looking to maintain sales momentum as the year winds down. However, with the right strategies and marketing tips, your dealership in the winter can turn this season into a time of opportunity and growth.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through using the broadcasts feature in TargetCRM—a full lifecycle CRM and messaging platform that integrates with IDEAL. We’ll also share specific templates that have generated tens of thousands of dollars in revenue for dealerships already. These strategies will help your dealership reduce costs, drive sales, and strengthen customer relationships during winter.
Click to Jump Ahead:
- Using the Broadcasts Feature in TargetCRM for Winter Marketing Success
- How to Create Impactful Winter Marketing Broadcast Campaigns
- Winter Marketing Campaign Templates for Dealerships
- Best Practices to Maximize the Impact of Your Dealership’s Winter Marketing
1. Using the Broadcasts Feature in TargetCRM for Winter Marketing Success
The broadcasts feature in TargetCRM is a powerful marketing tool that enables dealerships to send mass communications via text or email to specific customer segments. By leveraging customer data already integrated within TargetCRM (such as purchase history, preferences, or service records), dealerships can create highly targeted campaigns.
By broadcasting a single message across text or email, dealerships can efficiently communicate with thousands of potential customers simultaneously in their winter marketing campaigns. By delivering timely, relevant messages to the right audience, dealerships can stay top-of-mind and drive engagement even in the winter season.
Why Broadcast Messaging is a Must-Have for Your Dealership’s Winter Marketing
Broadcast messaging offers unparalleled advantages for outdoor power equipment (OPE) dealerships. Here’s why you should integrate this feature into your winter marketing toolkit:
- Reach Large Audiences Instantly: Whether announcing a sale or sharing service updates, broadcasts ensure your message lands directly in the hands of your audience, instantly creating awareness.
- Build Brand Recognition: Consistent communication helps solidify your dealership’s presence in customers’ minds, fostering loyalty and trust.
- Boost Cost Efficiency: Compared to traditional marketing channels, broadcast messaging offers a lower cost per impression, maximizing your ROI.
- Supercharge Sales: With targeted campaigns, you can deliver timely offers that drive immediate customer action.
Read Next: 5+ Marketing Tips to Boost Your Dealership Sales All Year [SEO, Emails, and More!]
2. How to Create Impactful Winter Marketing Broadcast Campaigns
To make the most of TargetCRM’s broadcast feature this winter, it’s essential to design campaigns that resonate with your audience. With the right strategy, you can connect with your audience in meaningful ways that drive engagement and results.
By focusing on crafting relevant and actionable content, targeting the right customers, and selecting the best communication channels, your dealership can maximize the potential of every message. Let’s dive into the essential steps to make your winter campaigns stand out.
1. Content Matters
Crafting the right message is critical. Keep it:
- Relevant: Address your audience’s specific needs or interests.
- Valuable: Include offers, tips, or updates they care about.
- Actionable: Always include a clear call-to-action (CTA) like “Reply YES to book your appointment!” or “Click to learn more.”
- Personalized: Use merge tags to address recipients by name or reference their past purchases.
- Spam-Free: Avoid excessive exclamation marks, caps, and overused phrases that trigger spam filters.
2. Choose the Right Audience
TargetCRM’s robust CRM tools make it easy to segment your audience. Narrow your recipients based on:
- Purchase history
- Service records
- Geographic location
- Product preferences
3. Select the Best Channels
The choice of text or email depends on:
- Budget: Text messaging typically costs more per send but boasts excellent open rates.
- Urgency: Use text for time-sensitive promotions and email for detailed updates.
- Customer Demographics: Younger customers may prefer texts, while older clients might prefer emails.
By combining thoughtful content, precise audience targeting, and strategic channel selection, your dealership’s winter marketing broadcast campaigns can make a lasting impact. These efforts keep your dealership top-of-mind during the slower months and build trust and loyalty with your customers.
3. Winter Marketing Campaign Templates for Dealerships
Staying connected with your customers throughout the winter is essential for success. Text messages and emails are effective marketing tools to boost equipment sales and service appointments and help with parts inventory turnover.
Here are three proven broadcast templates you can use today to keep your dealership busy during the slower winter season.
1. Year-End Model Blowout
As the year comes to a close, dealerships can take advantage of the holiday season by promoting end-of-year sales. Use the following template to generate excitement and urgency among your customers, help you eliminate past year’s inventory, and boost sales before the season ends.
- Campaign Goal: Sell $25,000 in equipment by December’s end.
- Message: “Get 10% OFF all 2024 models during our Year-End Blowout! Act fast—offer ends soon! Reply ‘YES’ to schedule your visit or use coupon code ‘2024SALE’ to redeem online or in-store.”
- Audience: Customers who purchased equipment 24-48 months ago.
- Channel: Text and/or email for maximum reach.
- Success Metrics: Sales tracked using coupon codes and click-through rates.
2. Winter Service Special
Winter is the perfect time to remind customers to service their equipment. This template helps drive service appointments during the slower months, incentivizing customers to act quickly before winter weather hits.
- Campaign Goal: Sell $18,000 in service orders in November.
- Message: “@CustomerName beat the freeze with 15% OFF all Equipment Service until December with code ‘Snow Warrior!’”
- Audience: Customer who purchased equipment 6-24 months ago.
- Channel: Text and/or email for maximum reach.
- Success Metrics: Sales tracked using coupon codes and click-through rates.
3. Weather Event Response
When unexpected weather hits, timely communication is key. This template ensures that your customers are aware of extended hours and available inventory, helping you stay top-of-mind during a weather emergency.
- Campaign Goal: Increase awareness immediately
- Message: “Hey @CustomerName, we’ve expanded our hours from 8pm to 6am for tonight’s snowstorm! We’re fully stocked up on all major items and our staff are here to help!”
- Audience: Customers with “Snow Removal” tag.
- Channel: Text message.
- Success Metrics: Open rate.
These ready-to-use examples showcase just a few ways to utilize TargetCRM’s broadcast email and text feature during your winter marketing campaigns. Whether you’re driving year-end sales, boosting service appointments, responding to weather events, or something completely different, these templates offer practical starting points to engage customers and grow your business this winter.
Read Next: Tips on Leveraging Software for Seasonal Inventory Management
4. Best Practices to Maximize the Impact of Your Dealership’s Winter Marketing
Following a few key best practices is crucial to ensure your broadcast campaigns are effective. Use these tips to optimize engagement, increase open rates, and improve overall campaign success.
Use coupon codes for tracking sales campaigns:
Incorporating unique coupon codes into your sales campaigns is a simple yet powerful way to track their effectiveness. By assigning specific codes to each promotion, you can measure the direct impact on sales and identify which offers resonate most with your audience.
Use TargetCRM’s URL shortener to track clicks:
TargetCRM’s built-in URL shortener makes it easy to track click-through rates and measure engagement. By analyzing which links your customers click, you gain valuable insights into their interests and behaviors. This information enables you to adjust your messaging and focus on content that drives results, monitor click-through rates and engagement to fine-tune your strategy.
Have a plan and respect over-send controls:
Set limits on how often you communicate to prevent overwhelming your customers. Overloading customers with too many messages can lead to unsubscribes and reduced engagement.
Avoid peak sending times (Mondays and Fridays):
Mondays and Fridays often see lower engagement, so scheduling messages midweek or during times your audience is more likely to check their devices can significantly improve open rates. Experiment with different times to find what works best for your dealership.
Use merge tags to make your messages personal:
Using merge tags to address recipients by name or reference their past purchases adds a personal touch that fosters stronger connections. Customers are more likely to engage with messages that feel tailored to their needs.
Use tools to improve your design (Canva):
Design tools like Canva empower you to create professional-looking graphics and layouts that elevate the look of your campaigns. A visually appealing message not only grabs attention but also enhances your dealership’s credibility.
Improve your content with free AI tools:
Leverage AI to create more effective and polished content that resonates with your audience. From generating catchy subject lines to refining your message’s tone and structure, these tools save time and ensure your campaigns are as impactful as possible.
Check your spelling!:
Even minor mistakes can harm your dealership’s credibility. Always take the time to proofread your messages before hitting send. A small investment in careful review can make a big difference in how your campaigns are perceived.
By following these tips, you can maximize the effectiveness of your marketing efforts this winter, ensuring they reach and resonate with your audience.
Turn Cold Leads into Warm Opportunities This Winter
Using TargetCRM, you can seamlessly create and send impactful broadcast campaigns. Whether it’s an equipment promotion, a service reminder, or a heartfelt holiday greeting, your dealership can connect with customers in meaningful ways.
Take your first step toward streamlined dealership communication. Request a Demo today and see the difference for yourself!
Let’s make this winter a season of growth and success for your dealership. Happy Selling!
