What Tax Time Means for Car Dealerships

Tax time is almost here! According to the IRS, over 154 million people received tax returns in 2018. That means roughly ⅓ of Americans will receive an average of $2,899 this tax season. Starting as soon as mid-February more customers will be in the market to buy a vehicle. With millions of consumers actively searching for a great deal on a car this tax season, how can you ensure they choose your dealership?

First, you have to begin with understanding the type of customer that is interested in buying a car during tax time. The tax-time buyer has different needs than the average car buyer. Typically, tax-time buyers wait months on their refund to be able to purchase a vehicle and use their refund as a sizable down payment. Because they have been waiting to be able to purchase a car, this often means they are looking to upgrade and purchase a car quickly. They also have a different buying situation. Rather than searching for a vehicle with the lowest price, they are looking for a dealership that will be able to help them finance a car and give them a variety of payment and buying options.

Being that this is a unique time of year and a unique buyer that dealers are faced with, it is only appropriate that dealers approach this situation in a unique way. Many dealers are going to treat this time of year like any other and continue to utilize digital marketing strategies. Don't make the same mistake. Choose a marketing tactic that will ensure your dealership stands out from the competition. Choose a direct mail campaign.

Direct mail has been proven to have a higher response rate than digital marketing, including email and social media marketing. According to Swimmer Integrate Marketing by Design, "The response rate to direct mail pieces is 3.7 percent, as opposed to 2 percent mobile, 1 percent email, 1 percent social media, and 0.2 percent internet display." Not only does it get a higher response rate, but it gets more impressions as well. "80 to 90 percent of direct mail gets opened, while only 20-30 percent of email gets opened on a good day."

Dealerships have come to utilize the benefits of direct mail less and less over the years, meaning there is less competition in the mailbox than there is online. Not only that, but direct mail is much more likely to leave a lasting impression and have much higher conversion rates than digital marketing tools. Swimmer found "70 percent of Americans say physical mail is “more personal” than email." Direct mail campaigns also lead customers to spend more money at your dealership. "The USPS found customers who receive ad mail spend 28 percent more than those who don’t."

So make sure the millions of additional customers tax-time brings, choose your dealership. Connect with them in a way that other dealers aren't. Choose a direct mail campaign with Pinnacle Sales and Mail and increase your bottom line.

To make your direct mail campaign even more impactful, pair it with a staffed event. Our staffed events include a team of skilled professionals that have been working in the staffed event industry for over 15 years. Our teams don't just include supplementary sales staff to help with the increasing volume of new customers in your dealership, they also include managers who understand the inner workings of the super-sales and ensure your event is organized and flawless.

Our events have been proven to triple new car sales, sell 50% of used car inventory, and some of our clients have even seen over $300,000 in gross profits with just one of our events.

Email me at alyssa@pinnaclesalesandmail.com or give me a call at 888-524-4563 for a quote on a direct mail campaign, staffed event, or both! Check out the rest of our website for more information about what we do, testimonials from dozens of happy clients, and even meet our Pinnacle team.