While the economic slump is doing all it can to slow auto sales as much as it can, a few wise tech-savvy auto dealers are turning to SMS-based marketing tactics to liven things up a bit.
Gumiyo, the maker of a specialized auto-dealer SMS marketing platform, has been put in place at select auto dealers across the country, and are now generating hundreds of responses per month in some cases. In August, twenty of the most active “mobilized” dealers received a combined total of over 1,000 text messages from mobile consumers seeking additional store and vehicle information.
By being able to let consumers browse vehicles for sale after-hours and on the weekends, as well as capturing contact information from those interested consumers, dealers have been able to capitalize on a brand new marketing channel they otherwise wouldn’t have known about.
Universal City Nissan, located in Los Angeles, California, has also seen growing results from their mobile marketing efforts and is a great case study for Gumiyo. Over the past few months, the auto retailer has been averaging more that 100 text messages a month from on-the-go consumers. “Our mobile campaigns are becoming an important part of our marketing mix. The more we promote our mobile program, the more consumer responses we get,” said Mike Sage, Universal City Nissan partner, vice president and e-biz director. “It gives us a unique opportunity to connect with consumers we might otherwise have missed.”
The current slump we’re in is the perfect opportunity for SMS to shine, and Gumiyo and similar platforms that are specialized to one niche in particular, are the perfect solution.
