Mobile Marketing for the Automotive Industry
Car dealerships face increasing challenges in today’s competitive market. From reaching their sales quota to building strong relationships with potential buyers, every aspect requires strategic planning and execution. One such strategy that’s been making waves in the industry is the use of text message marketing. 7 Media Group Mobile, as a leading provider of text message marketing software, offers an excellent solution tailored for car dealerships. This article will walk you through the essentials of text message marketing for car dealerships with 7 Media Group, offering examples of car sales text messages and templates to get you started.
Why Use Text Message Marketing?
The effectiveness of text message marketing isn’t just about high open and response rates. It’s about the ability to connect with customers on a personal level. Here are some reasons why car dealerships should consider text message marketing:
Building Strong Relationships
Text messages offer a personal touch that’s hard to beat. They allow dealerships to build strong relationships with potential buyers, fostering trust and loyalty.
Facilitating Quick Communication
With text messages, dealerships can communicate with their customers quickly and effectively. Whether it’s sending promotional offers or scheduling test drives, text messages get the job done fast.
Boosting Sales
Text message marketing helps dealerships boost their sales by nurturing leads and guiding them through the buying process. It allows for personal interaction, which can significantly influence a customer’s buying decision.
Saving Time and Money
Compared to traditional marketing methods like direct mail or radio ads, text message marketing is cost-effective. It allows dealerships to reach a large number of customers at a fraction of the cost.
Benefits of Text Message Marketing for Car Dealerships
Text message marketing offers numerous benefits for car dealerships. Let’s look at some of them:
Lead Generation
Text messages can help dealerships convert showroom visits into potential leads. By offering incentives like coupons or exclusive information, dealerships can encourage visitors to opt-in and become leads. Additionally, directing customers to mobile-friendly webpages for capturing contact information can further enhance lead generation efforts and streamline the process.
Sales Increase
Text messages can help car dealers guide their potential buyers through the decision-making process. By providing timely and relevant information, dealerships can nudge their customers in the right direction, resulting in increased sales.
Customer Relationship Management
Text message marketing doesn’t stop at sales. Post-sale, it can be used to strengthen relationships with customers by providing maintenance reminders, safety tips, and other relevant information.
Cost Reduction
Text message marketing can significantly reduce marketing and customer acquisition costs. Given its high effectiveness, it’s a worthwhile investment for any dealership.
Elevate Your Communications with Precision SMS
Drive engagement, resonate with your audience, and build confidence in every message.
How Much Does Text Message Marketing Cost?
Text message marketing costs vary based on the provider, the type of messages you send, and where you’re sending them. Most brands find it’s one of the most cost-effective channels because you control volume, timing, and spend.
With 7 Media Group, pricing stays simple. You pay for what you use, and you can scale up or down as your needs change. That makes it easy to start small, prove performance, then expand without committing to bloated software fees.
Choosing the Right Platform for Text Message Marketing
There are plenty of options for SMS marketing. 7 Media Group rises to the top because it’s affordable, simple to use, and built for speed.
With 7 Media Group, you pay only for what you use. No software installs. No IT headaches. You log in through a web browser and you’re ready to launch.
Inside the platform, you can:
Manage access for multiple users
Schedule SMS campaigns in advance
Track performance with a clean dashboard and real-time reporting.
Schedule a brief demo today! >>>
Integrating QR Codes with Text Message Marketing
Scan the QR code for a video test ride.
QR codes pair really well with SMS. They give customers a fast path from “I’m interested” to “show me more” without extra steps.
With 7 Media Group, dealerships can generate unique QR codes for specific campaigns, events, or inventory pushes. When someone scans a code, they can be sent straight to a mobile landing page, a vehicle detail page, or an SMS opt-in flow.
That creates a cleaner customer experience and a smarter pipeline. You turn walk-by interest into trackable engagement you can follow up on
Put QR codes where attention already is: Vehicle window stickers - Brochures and direct mail - In-store signage - Outdoor and billboard creative
Run it as one system. QR code drives the action. SMS carries the conversation forward. That combo helps dealerships capture more qualified leads and stay connected through the full buying cycle, from first scan to next service visit.
In 2010 GM launched the first smartphone app for the auto industry.
Crafting Effective Text Message Marketing Campaigns
To create a successful text message marketing campaign for your dealership, follow these steps:
Select a Platform: Choose a reliable platform like 7 Media Group that suits your business needs.
Audience Segmentation: Import a list of segmented leads/prospects/customers. Make sure each campaign caters to a specific audience segment.
Personalization: Use merge tags to personalize your messages.
Clear and Concise Messaging: Say what you need concisely. Remember, you have a 160-character limit.
Compelling Call-to-Action: Prompt your recipients to take immediate action with a compelling call-to-action.
Opt-out Option: Always provide an easy opt-out option for your recipients.
Why dealerships use SMS marketing
Texts get seen. Fast. Most messages are read within minutes, which makes SMS your best channel for anything time-sensitive.
Use it for
Service appointments and reminders
New inventory alerts
Limited-time offers
Sales events and VIP invites
Follow-ups, reviews, and retention
Email gets ignored. Text gets a response.
How to collect mobile numbers
Build opt-ins at the points that already matter:
Website forms
Trade-in and appraisal flows
Service check-in
F&I and delivery paperwork
Keyword promos (example: “Text DEALS to 55555”)
Non-negotiable: clear consent. That keeps you compliant and builds a list of people who actually want your messages.
What works best
Keep it: Timely - Relevant - Useful
If it helps the customer save time, save money, or make a decision, it wins.
Compliance, in plain English
SMS is legal when you do it right:
Get explicit opt-in before marketing texts
Include opt-out in every message (Reply STOP)
Respect quiet hours and frequency expectations
Ignore the rules and you invite ugly fines and uglier conversations.
Personalization that actually moves the needle
Tie SMS to your CRM or DMS and segment like a pro:
Vehicle owned
Service history
Lease maturity
Interest type (SUV, truck, EV)
Past engagement
Right message, right person, right time. That’s the game.
What it costs
Per-message costs are typically pennies. The math works quickly when one reminder prevents a no-show or one offer brings a buyer back to the lot.
Ready-to-use dealership text templates
Opt-in confirmation:
“Thanks for subscribing, [Name]. What are you shopping for right now. New, used, or certified. Reply with one.”
Lead follow-up:
“Hi [Name], this is [Rep] at [Dealership]. Want a quick video walkaround of the [Model] you asked about. Reply YES.”
Offer:
“[Name], this week only. [Offer]. Reply DEALS and I’ll send the details. Reply STOP to opt out.”
Appointment reminder:
“[Name], you’re set for [Day] at [Time]. Reply YES to confirm or call [Phone]. Reply STOP to opt out.”
Service reminder:
“Hi [Name]. You’re due for service on your [Vehicle]. Reply SCHEDULE and we’ll lock in a time. Reply STOP to opt out.”