Many dealerships and vehicle financing companies will use credit scored data, year make model, and trigger leads as a supplemental automotive mailing list for direct mail. This is an excellent strategy to attract interested vehicle buyers. The biggest issue of course for most dealerships is the ability to finance and credit data is excellent at filtering for this type of buyer that is not going to get prime credit interest rates from any bank. Targeting a medium to low credit score and someone that has recently shopped for a vehicle is just one of many effective automotive mailing lists.

Finding the motivation of a car buyer by targeting year, make, and model is also a great idea, but this is better used for specialty dealers or car parts/warranty providers. These complimentary industries (specialty parts, warranty, and car insurance) are perfect targets for year, make, and model automotive mailing lists. The key is to match the right list with the right offer. For example, a Porsche parts dealer will want to target Porsche owners of a certain year or model, perhaps in the area they operate in or even nationwide if they offer nationwide shipping via a website.

Before you jump out and buy several automotive mailing lists, consider the following. Testing small sized files with several different mail packages is an easy way to see how effective the mailing list is in relation to different creative pieces. Testing a few files against a few unique mail pieces gives you a map of possibilities; list 1 with mail piece 1, list 1 with mail piece 2, list 2 with mail piece 1, etc… With 3 different mailing lists and 3 different creative pieces, one can market to 9 different possibilities and from there see where the best results are to expand marketing efforts. It’s all about testing!!!

The bottom line is that results are all that matter. If you or your customer cannot get the ROI needed, then all is lost. Marketing is not a gamble if you set up your automotive mailing lists properly, testing and refining your strategy until you are a complete success. The best way to judge the quality of an automotive mailing list is to test it for yourself. Remember anyone selling you a file is trying to make it sound great so make sure you trust your instincts, test small, stay positive, and set benchmarks before testing further.

Automotive Mailing Lists

Are you discouraged in your search for quality automotive mailing lists? Too many providers offer re-hashed and re-sold lists that are not up-to-date or accurate. For most dealers and parts retailers, accurate information is crucial for any direct mail or telemarketing effort. We have seen a warranty company purchase bulk lists that were mostly inaccurate, only to find it costs them more to have a bad list than the extra cost of an accurate and solid list. Finding this balance is critical for any direct marketing effort and is imperative for a successful campaign.

Some of the better automotive mailing lists include 'up-to-date' (weekly updated) year, make, and model data. To find out how accurate a vendor is, you should be asking questions like "when was the file last updated?" and "how many new records come into the system on a typical update?" You should see a consistency in the answers and the ability to test small and grow is critical instead of throwing all of your eggs into one basket so to speak. In addition to the year, make, and model data, credit data offers two great products.

For subprime buyers, credit scored data along with current loan information (such as how many months are remaining, size of the loan, and monthly payments) are useful for direct marketing. We have dealers that will target those that have marginal credit and have less than 3 months remaining on their current car. This audience is great because though they look forward to not having a car payment, many are already ready to get a new car. Your ability to target this audience repeatedly will pay off as they start to consider buying their next vehicle.

Another variation of the credit score automotive mailing list is the credit triggered list, which comes out daily. These daily triggers are the most potent form of automotive mailing lists that currently exists. One of the biggest issues that dealers have is that these trigger leads exist. Their controversy can be your edge if you embrace the idea that people like to shop. Some of the best deals are closed after a customer has looked around first, and that is why triggers have been a staple of the credit bureau database for so long. There is no better way to find interested and qualified buyers period. The biggest drawback is that they have already gone to a funding source for a quote but that does not mean you can't come in with a better offer (better car and better financing package).

The challenge in general with automotive mailing lists is to find the one that is reasonably priced but that is highly targeted. Generating a massive qualified response and selling cars is what the name of the game is, so make sure you have a vendor that gets it as well as a mailing list that is both targeted and accurate. Otherwise you are just throwing money down the tube!