What do you suppose people do when they first receive and experience your automotive direct mail?
They decide.
They make their own meaning.
Your automotive marketing exposes people to your brand – initially by seeing it.
Or hearing. Or feeling. Maybe even tasting or smelling.
Too Many Choices
In the past, before there were too many damn choices, car buyers would think about what it was they sensed and decided if your offer was something that interested them.
Unfortunately today car buyers and everyone else are too busy to sift through all the choices. So instead, car buyers take a more intuitive course of action. Instead of sensing and then thinking about you and your direct mail piece and your unbelievable offers, they sense and then feel something.
Their sensory experience causes them to feel a certain way and believe certain things about your car dealership, based on their past experiences (or lack thereof) and memories.
“You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin’ “
They think about those feelings and make some sort of decision if they will act on your offer or on another offer. Their feelings create a sketchy mental picture of your brand and your offering and their thoughts hastily complete that picture to support their beliefs, their assumptions, their biases, and even their self-perceptions. Then they rationalize their feelings.
Car Buyers are Judging You
In short, car buyers are judging you. Feeling is a kind of value judgment. People think about something and then develop a feeling of “like” or “dislike.” Feelings evaluate.
The Why Behind the Buy
The key to a car dealership’s success today is the why behind the buy.
Increase customers’ pleasant feelings, like discovery, fun, reward, prizes, a sense of belonging– all part of a good direct mail campaign – and this will condition desire. Eliminate unpleasant feelings like risk, pain, effort required, and boredom, which conditions a dislike. Then invest time scrutinizing every sensory cue encountered by car buyers so that the mental picture they are creating in their mind when they are introduced to your brand and offering (their sense-based belief) is an accurate one.
Today’s Peacock, Tomorrow’s Feather Duster
Car buyers’ preferences are changing rapidly, which turns today’s peacock into tomorrow’s feather duster. That’s why your automotive direct mail piece is meaningless if you are not crafting experiences, pleasant feelings, and memories by discovering the why behind the buy– the feelings of your customer.
And then, make sure that you stimulate those feelings.
Isn’t it time we talk?
Let us help you have the best month ever!
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