Steal These 8 Car Dealership Email Strategies (#2 is Gold)

Email marketing represents a significant opportunity for auto dealerships to build stronger customer relationships on a personal level, drive sales and service revenue, and create a competitive advantage in the automotive industry.

Implement these tips to create a successful email marketing strategy.

#1) Add a Sign-Up Form to Your Website (Build Your List)

Growing a quality email list starts with strategic lead capture. Most dealerships make the mistake of hiding their sign-up forms in the footer or using generic “Subscribe to our newsletter” messaging that doesn’t communicate value.

Instead, implement these proven methods to build your dealership’s subscriber base:

• Website forms optimized for conversion – Place prominently on high-traffic pages like your inventory search results and vehicle detail pages
• Test drive and service appointment forms with opt-in options – Add a simple checkbox to capture email permissions during these high-intent interactions
• Trade-in value calculators requiring email submission – Offer genuine value in exchange for contact information
• Vehicle brochure or price quote request forms – Create downloadable resources that solve immediate customer problems in exchange for emails
• Special event registrations and contest entries – Host exclusive events or giveaways that appeal to your target audience

Pro tip: Don’t just collect email addresses. Gather additional customer data like vehicle interests, current vehicle, and anticipated purchase timeline to enable better segmentation later. And steer clear of list brokers.

Our custom form builder allows dealerships to create branded, responsive signup forms that seamlessly integrate with their website design. These forms can be customized to collect relevant data beyond just email addresses, helping you build a more valuable subscriber database from day one.

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2. Design Mobile-Responsive Emails

A whopping 81% prefer to open emails on their smartphones. Yet many dealership emails still deliver a poor mobile experience, with tiny text, broken layouts, and difficult-to-tap buttons.

Here’s how to ensure your emails look great on any device:

• Keep your layout simple – Single-column designs work best on mobile
• Make buttons large and tappable – Aim for at least 44×44 pixels for all clickable elements
• Optimize images for fast loading – Compress photos without sacrificing quality
• Test on multiple devices – Preview how your automotive email campaigns appear on different phones and tablets

Campaign Monitor’s responsive email templates and drag-and-drop builder make it easy to create mobile-friendly emails without any coding knowledge. The platform’s preview functionality lets you see exactly how your emails will look across different devices.

3. Remove Inactive Subscribers and Maintain Compliance

List hygiene isn’t the most exciting topic, but it’s crucial for deliverability and engagement. Sending to inactive subscribers damages your sender reputation and wastes your marketing budget.

Follow these best practices to maintain a healthy email list:

• Implement a sunset policy – Remove subscribers who haven’t opened or clicked in 6-9 months to reduce marketing costs and prevent spam complaints.
• Run re-engagement campaigns – Before removing inactive subscribers, try to win them back with a compelling offer
• Regularly clean your list – Remove bounced emails and check for obvious typos
• Honor unsubscribe requests immediately – Never make it difficult to opt out
• Maintain proper documentation – Keep records of how and when subscribers opted in

Compliance checklist:

• Include your physical address in every email
• Provide a clear unsubscribe option
• Honor opt-out requests within 10 business days (immediately is better)
• Use clear “From” names that identify your dealership
• Never use misleading subject lines

By maintaining a clean list, you’ll see higher open rates, better deliverability, and more accurate performance metrics—all while avoiding potential legal issues.

4. Segment Your Audience for Higher Conversions

Blasting the same message to your entire list is the fastest way to drive unsubscribes. Instead, tailor your messaging based on where customers are in their relationship with your dealership:

Beyond the basics: Consider creating micro-segments based on:

• Interest (New or used car)
• Vehicle preferences (SUV vs. sedan vs. truck)
• Budget range
• Family status (single, couples, families)
• Driving habits (commuter, weekend driver, road tripper)
• Service history patterns

P.S. Our advanced segmentation tools let you build audience segments using any subscriber data, delivering more relevant, personalized content that dramatically improves campaign performance. And with our intuitive analytics dashboard, you can track engagement metrics for each segment to continuously refine your targeting strategy for better results.

5. Never Ignore Personalization

Basic personalization is table stakes. Today’s car buyers expect deeper personalization that demonstrates you understand their specific needs and interests.

Here’s how to take your personalization to the next level:

• Vehicle-specific content – Show models they’ve shown interest in.
• Location-based offers – Tailor service specials based on the customer’s proximity to your dealership
• Purchase anniversary messages – Send timely communications as they approach typical trade-in milestones
• Service history personalization – Reference their vehicle’s actual maintenance history in reminder emails
• Behavioral triggers – Send follow-up content based on specific pages they’ve recently visited on your site

6. Always Provide Value (Content Is King)

Your subscribers’ inboxes are crowded. To stand out, every email must deliver genuine value—not just promotional messages.

Mix these content types into your email strategy:

• Educational content – Maintenance tips, feature explanations, financing guides
• Entertaining content – Behind-the-scenes looks, staff spotlights, customer stories
• Exclusive offers – Special pricing, VIP events, early access to new models
• Community involvement – Local events, charity initiatives, sponsorships

Content ratio guideline: Aim for a 3:1 ratio of valuable content to promotional messages. This builds trust and keeps subscribers engaged even when they’re not actively shopping. Keep in mind: engaging content is what will set you apart from competitors.

Example value-first email topics:

• “5 Warning Signs Your Brakes Need Attention”
• “Understanding the Different Drive Modes in Your New SUV”
• “How to Calculate the True Cost of Vehicle Ownership”
• “Local Road Trip Ideas for This Weekend”

Stuck on what to write? Our AI Writer tool can help brainstorm ideas, repurpose content, and optimize CTAs and messages. Plus, our dynamic content blocks let you show different content to different customers in the same campaign—no need to create multiple versions!

7. Create Effective Subject Lines

Your subject line determines whether your carefully crafted email gets opened or ignored. For car dealerships, certain approaches consistently outperform others:

What works:

• Curiosity gaps – “The feature most [Model] owners never discover”
• Personalization – “John, your [Model] is due for service”
• Specific offers – “0% financing on remaining 2025 models this weekend”
• Timely relevance – “Winter is coming: Is your vehicle ready?”
• Questions – “Ready for an upgrade to the new [Model]?”

What doesn’t work:

• ALL CAPS – “DON’T MISS THIS SALE!”
• Excessive punctuation – “Amazing Deals!!!!!!”
• False urgency – “Last chance!” (when it’s not)
• Vague messaging – “Newsletter #42”
• Clickbait – “You won’t believe this deal…”

Subject line testing strategy: Create a spreadsheet to track your subject line tests. For each campaign, note:

1. The subject line used
2. Open rate
3. Click-through rate
4. Key variables (length, personalization, offer type)

Over time, you’ll identify patterns specific to your audience that you can replicate in future campaigns.

8. Always A/B Test

A/B testing isn’t optional—it’s essential for continuous improvement. Yet many dealerships send the same types of emails year after year without ever optimizing their approach.

Here’s what you should be testing:

• Subject lines – Length, personalization, emoji usage
• Send times – Day of the week, time of day
• Call-to-action buttons – Color, text, placement
• Email design – Image-heavy vs. text-focused
• Content length – Short and direct vs. detailed and comprehensive
• Personalization elements – Which personalization tactics drive the most engagement

Testing framework:

1. Identify one variable to test
2. Create two versions (A and B), changing only that variable
3. Send the email to a small sample of your list (10-20%)
4. Analyze results after 24-48 hours
5. Send the winning version to the remainder of your list
6. Document learnings for future campaigns

P.S. Our A/B testing features allow you to test subject lines, content blocks, or CTAs to optimize results based on real user behavior. Plus, you can check for spam risks before you hit send!

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9. Regularly Monitor Your Metrics

You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Analytics are a valuable source of insight. Beyond basic opens and clicks, these are the metrics auto dealerships should track to increase sales:

• Conversion rate – What percentage of email recipients take your desired action?
• Revenue per email – How much revenue can you attribute to each campaign?
• List growth rate – Is your subscriber base growing or shrinking?
• Engagement over time – Are subscribers becoming more or less engaged?
• Unsubscribe rate – Are certain topics or frequencies causing people to leave?

Btw, our analytics dashboard gives you real-time stats and full engagement metrics in one place – open rates, click-throughs, bounce rates, conversions – everything you need to see what’s performing well and what needs tweaking.

10. Automate Your Email Campaigns

Email automation allows you to deliver the right message at the right time without manual intervention. For car dealerships, these automated sequences drive significant results:

• Welcome series – Introduce new subscribers to your dealership and services
• Post-test drive follow-up – Nurture potential car buyers after they’ve experienced a vehicle
• Service reminders – Send timely maintenance notifications based on mileage or time
• Birthday/anniversary emails – Celebrate customer milestones with special offers
• Re-engagement campaigns – Win back past customers who haven’t interacted recently

Automation example: A welcome series for new subscribers might include:

1. Welcome and introduction (immediate)
2. Showcase of current inventory based on customer preferences (day 2)
3. Service department introduction and first appointment offer (day 4)
4. Customer testimonials and trust-building content (day 7)
5. Special offer for first-time customers (day 10)

Campaign Monitor’s visual journey builder makes creating automated email sequences a breeze! Just drag and drop to build workflows that trigger emails based on customer actions, so they get the right message at exactly the right moment—without you lifting a finger.

Read Next:

• Email Design: The Best Practices Guide (+ Bonus Checklist)
• How to Grow Your Business with Email Marketing Automation
• What are good open rates, CTRs, & CTORs for email campaigns?

Now that we’ve covered the strategies, let’s look at specific campaign types every dealership should implement to effectively target potential buyers.

#1) Welcome Series for New Subscribers

First impressions matter. A well-crafted welcome series introduces new subscribers to your dealership and sets expectations for future communications:

Key elements to include:

• Clear introduction to your dealership’s brand and values
• Explanation of what types of emails they’ll receive
• Invitation to set communication preferences
• Introduction to key staff members they might interact with
• Next steps for engagement (browse inventory, schedule test drive, etc.)

#2) Vehicle Promotion and Inventory Updates

Source: ReallyGoodEmails (https://files.reallygoodemails.com/emails/the-best-v12-under-the-sun.png)

Keep prospects engaged with your current inventory through regular updates:

Best practices:

• Include high-quality images from multiple angles
• Highlight key features and specifications
• Make pricing and availability clear
• Include direct links to vehicle detail pages
• Create a sense of urgency for limited inventory

With Campaign Monitor’s Pexels Image Gallery integration, you can instantly access thousands of high-quality images right in the editor—no uploading or licensing hassles.

#3) Service Reminders and Maintenance Tips

Proactive service communications keep existing customers coming back:

Service email enhancement tips:

• Include the customer’s specific vehicle information
• Explain why the service is important (safety, performance, value)
• Make scheduling easy with online booking links
• Offer alternative transportation options during service
• Follow up after service with satisfaction surveys

#4) Post-Purchase Follow-Up Sequence

Source: ReallyGoodEmails (https://files.reallygoodemails.com/emails/thank-you-for-pre-ordering-the-all-new-ex5.png)

Nurture relationships after the sale to drive referrals and future purchases:

Relationship-building elements:

• Personal note from the sales consultant
• Introduction to the service advisor
• Vehicle usage tips and feature explanations
• Referral program details

Read Next:

How to Retain More Customers with Post-Purchase Follow-ups

The Best Promotional Email Marketing Example Worth Checking Out

11 Incredible Welcome Email Examples (and Why They Work)