Auto Dealership Handwritten Direct Mail Marketing

In a marketing world dominated by digital channels, auto dealerships often discount one of the more successful ways to reach customers — direct mail. This time-tested channel is still relevant, enjoying open rates that far exceed email. And if you produce handwritten direct mail, your results can be even more impressive. Whether you’re prospecting for new customers or looking to retain your existing market, handwritten direct mail marketing is a critical tool in your marketing arsenal.

What is Automotive Handwritten Direct Mail Marketing?

Unlike email, which arrives in a digital inbox, direct mail consists of physical mailers delivered to recipients’ homes and offices. The tactic can be used on a national level, but it’s often more effective for local businesses, which means that auto dealerships have a lot to gain.

Handwritten tactics elevate direct mail to the next level. They leverage the perceived value of handwritten mail to increase open and response rates dramatically. If you represent an auto dealership, you should be including handwritten direct mail marketing in your outreach campaigns.

WHAT MAKES THESE TACTICS SO EFFECTIVE?

Direct mail marketing works because its perceived value is higher. Consumers understand that physical mailers are more expensive to produce than emails, which translates to more relevant messages. The assumption rightly goes that marketers wouldn’t bother spending the extra time and money on direct mail marketing without a good reason. And because people engage physically with direct mail pieces, they get opened more often.

Emails marketing pieces are rarely viewed and quickly forgotten. They benefit from being inexpensive to produce but suffer from low open rates — on average maxing out at 18%. By comparison, direct mail marketing pieces enjoy an average open rate of 42.2%, according to studies by the Data & Marketing Association. For auto dealerships, that means reaching more of your local market with every campaign.

But it gets better. When you introduce handwritten elements, open rates more than double. It may sound astounding, but research shows that handwritten direct mail marketing can deliver a 99% open rate! That means nearly every single person you target will open and read the material you send them. For auto dealerships trying to increase their sales volume and create long-term customers, handwritten direct mail is a critical addition to their marketing strategies.

A greeting card with an illustrated red car and the word "Congratulations"

HOW AUTO DEALERSHIPS CAN USE HANDWRITTEN DIRECT MAIL MARKETING

In today’s hyper-competitive market, dealerships need an edge to fend off attacks from other dealers, online car sales, and other competitors. They need to establish trust with the prospects and create emotional appeals that attract new customers to their showroom.

Handwritten direct mail is effective because it feels personal. It’s not a mass-produced, cookie-cutter mailer that gets stuffed into every mailbox on the block. It’s personalized with customer details and feels as if it was written specifically for them. People open handwritten marketing mailers because they feel valuable.

Dealerships have a few options for sending handwritten direct mail pieces:

They can use an in-house mailing list created with current customer addresses and prospects found through their website and other lead-generating tactics.
They can purchase a mailing list targeted to people with specific characteristics that live in the dealership’s service area.
They can create their own mailers and post them or outsource the creation and delivery of the mailers to a third-party company.

When it comes to handwritten direct mail marketing, it’s best to use a third-party company with whatever mailing lists work best for your business. The reason is simple. Handwriting hundreds or thousands of marketing mailers is laborious in the extreme. Very few, if any, auto dealerships have the staff or the time required to handwrite and send that many mail pieces.

That’s where Simply Noted comes in. We’ve automated the creation and mailing of handwritten direct mail marketing. We have fleets of handwriting machines that can quickly fulfill orders in the thousands. They use real ballpoint pens and advanced handwriting fonts to create mass-produced handwritten mailers that feel entirely authentic. Our machines hand address your envelopes and drop them in the mail as well, freeing you to concentrate on your message.

Man buying a car and shaking hands with the saleswoman.

HOW YOU CAN SELL MORE CARS WITH HANDWRITTEN DIRECT MAIL

Handwritten automotive marketing can be effective in several ways, and they’re a perfect complement to your existing marketing efforts.

showroom invitations

Who doesn’t like getting a handwritten invitation in the mail? Dealerships can leverage this emotional connection by creating handwritten invitations to check out their showroom. This tactic pairs well with a discount offer — you invite them to see your cars while providing them an incentive to visit.

Scheduled Maintenance Reminders

Dealerships make significantly more money through their service and repair departments than through car sales. For this reason, focusing on relationship marketing efforts designed to inspire trust and build a connection with your customers are great for your bottom line.

Emails are cold and impersonal. Standard direct mail tactics are better but still lack customization. Only handwritten direct mail marketing fuses the warmth and credibility of a handwritten letter with the immediacy and reach of direct mail. Sending out handwritten maintenance reminders or purchase anniversary cards keeps you connected with existing customers while bringing them into your service center.

After-Purchase Thank You Cards

When a customer buys a car, they’re spending a significant amount of money and placing a good deal of trust in you. Reward that gesture with a heartfelt, handwritten thank you card at the conclusion of the transaction. Inside, assure your customers that they’ll receive the highest standard of customer service and thank them for entrusting you with their new car purchase. This is a great way to start the relationship on a strong foundation.

Personalized Mailers

With Simply Noted, you can add customizable fields into your handwritten marketing messages. For example, each card we print can pull the recipient’s name from your address list to create a personalized greeting. The possibilities for customization are endless, and the more custom your handwritten direct mail marketing feels, the more effective it will be.

With Simply Noted’s help, handwritten direct mail marketing provides a high ROI while establishing trust and building credibility. If you’re only leveraging digital channels, you should consider adding direct mail, and if you’re already using direct mail, now is the time to start experimenting with handwritten mailers. Simply Noted can help your business reap the benefits.