In the world of automotive increasing customer retention means everything, and a crucial tool to ensure the customers you worked so hard to acquire continue to come back to your dealership is through a loyalty program.
According to Automotive News Canada, advocates of loyalty programs say “they promote higher retention, greater service sales and happier customers.”
You want to not only build your loyalty brand, but also create long-term relationships with your customers.
Visit our Ackroo Automotive page to learn more about getting started on a loyalty program
So how can you make sure you’re kicking off your program on the right foot? Read below the three ways you can build a solid loyalty program for your dealership.
Be Ready with the Right Tools
When you’re ready to introduce your program to your customers, it is important to have all your ducks in a row.
Make sure to have material ready that will fully explain your program, and how your customers will benefit from it.
A brochure is the perfect piece of material that will a) outline your program and b) include a registration from for customers to fill out (this information is necessary for future customer communications!).
You can also take advantage of doing a brand refresh while creating your loyalty program.
Don’t Sprint Out of the Gates
When it comes to integrating your loyalty program into your dealership, don’t overwhelm your customers off the bat.
First, target customers who have just purchased a vehicle, and offer a service tie-in if they sign up for your loyalty program.
Service is your best friend when it comes to customer retention as it ensures customers will continue to come to your dealership.
Offer customers free maintenance, a free oil change for a year, or free tire storage. The possibilities are endless!
Keep Customers Engaged
You have your materials stocked and ready to go and you’ve started to inform customers about your new loyalty program – now you need to make sure you are keeping them engaged with the program.
On top of offering a service tie-in, it is important to set a loyalty threshold.
When your customers earn on service, they will be more likely to return to you for future service since they have dollars banked within the program that they can use.
That loyalty threshold can also be applied to their sales account, so when your customers are ready to buy a new vehicle, they have dollars that can be used towards that purchase!
Last but certainly not least, make sure to have a plan for communication.
With the valuable data you collect from your loyalty program, you will be able to utilize it by connecting with your customers on balance updates and to inform them of special offers.
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