Many digital marketing trends come and go, but email newsletters have remained consistent in helping professionals retain clients and grow their businesses. They’re a powerful tool for engaging with customers and generating leads in the automotive industry.

If you feel like your newsletters need a facelift, or have plateaued in their effectiveness, we’re here to give you six great tips for spicing them up.

1) Have a Professional Email Template

A professional template conveys information with clarity and purpose. Your content’s visual design and structure should work together to engage customers and deliver your message effectively.

Limit the template to two fonts to cut out distractions, and be mindful that too many images can create visual noise for readers. Instead, use media sparingly to compliment the written content and add flow.

Seventy-five percent of Gmail users access their emails through mobile devices. With that in mind, optimize your template to be mobile-friendly so that customers can readily access your newsletter.

2) Write in a Tone That’s True to You

Your newsletter is a direct message to your email list, so let it reflect you and your business. Professionalism doesn’t mean sticking to a dry, disengaged tone, and if your tone is naturally conversational and informal, embrace that approach in your email. And yes, while there’s a balance to strike, a dry manner can easily come across as inauthentic as an overly forward approach.

The tone of your newsletter should correlate to how you would interact with customers in person and the type of service you want them to experience when they visit your dealership. Just as a template can be visually engaging without losing clarity, your tone can be authentic without compromising its authority.

3) Get Creative

People have communicated with color throughout human history, and while most of us don’t study color theory formally, we understand it intuitively. Digital marketers use color theory to add subtext and strengthen their messages. Red shades can communicate urgency, while blues suggest calmness and stability.

In addition to adding pops of color, incorporating audio and visuals is a great way to spice up your newsletter without compromising curation. High-quality images, videos, and sound clips are engaging when they serve the customer and not just aesthetics. Platforms like Canva and Photoshop are great for creating visually stunning newsletter templates.

4) Spotlight Employees and Customers

When customers visit dealerships, your staff are the people who greet them and help them to navigate their needs. Customer service can make or break a sale, and your newsletter approach shouldn’t deter that mentality.

Use your newsletter as an opportunity to extend hospitality to customers. A great way to do so is by spotlighting employees, which will give customers an insight into the people they’ll rely on when it’s time to make a purchase.

You can also generate automotive leads by including testimonials and reviews. Social proof is a powerful motivator, and potential customers want to know that your dealership has delivered for others. When you celebrate the people who work for you or spotlight customers who’ve received value from your business, you can start building trust with your audience and growing clientele.

5) Put Yourself in Your Customer’s Shoes

If you’re unsure about the best way to put together an email newsletter, put yourself in the reader’s shoes. Car dealership marketing strategies, and sales in general, should take a customer-first approach that prioritizes their needs.

Monthly newsletters won’t appear often enough to annoy customers, but be mindful of the gap between them. Each newsletter should stand alone without asking readers to remember the previous one. Ask yourself questions like:

• What information would I be excited to come across?
• Would I be compelled to take action by this subject line in my inbox?
• Does the content reflect my email list’s main demographics?

Keep in mind that your dealership and email demographics may vary. Your email list should comprise the section of your general audience that wants to communicate digitally.

6) Include a Call-to-Action

No marketing email is complete without a call to action (CTA). Everything leading up to that final prompt is about engaging, building trust, and presenting the information your customers want most. By the time they arrive at the CTA, they should feel equipped to make a decision.

Let your readers know about promotions you’re running and use limited-time offers to create urgency. Even if you don’t have any ongoing specials, offer value through a free resource like TradePending’s trade-in valuation tool, the one-stop-shop that increases leads, trades, and car sales and converts website traffic by 300-400%.

Final Thoughts

Email newsletters are a great way to keep customers informed and engaged. When your newsletter lands in an inbox, it should provide insightful information while maintaining an authentic front to the relationships you’re building with them. Spice up your newsletters and give your audience something memorable each month.