Normally, talking about texting and cars in the same space would warrant the voting of a bill in the House of Representatives. Today, however, we’re talking in a whole different context: text messaging to sell cars.
While I could sit here and churn out facts on why text message (aka SMS) marketing is so simple and adaptable to work for literally any type of business…
- On average, text messages are read within four minutes compared to 48 hours with e-mail.
- 4.1 billion texts are sent per day in the US. by approximately 1.8 billion users.
- Response rates are 2 to 10 times higher than online display ads.
…it’s definitely nicer to see a text marketing success story in real life. Enter Fox Chevrolet in Timonium, MD.
Fox Chevrolet teamed up in a campaign with radio station 98 Rock to try and drive people to Fox’s lot during this years horrible economic downturn (especially for the auto industry). Fox did this well before the government sponsored “cash for clunkers” program kicked in, and tried to use mobile marketing to bolster sales.
Ten and fifteen-second promos were aired on 98 Rock telling listeners to text in to enter to win a $98 car.
The success was staggering. 500 listeners texted “FOX” to the station’s short code, and 300 people attended a special day-long event. After all was said and done, Fox sold 36 cars that day, 17 new, 17 used, and two winners drove off in two $98 cars.
Jeff Hasen is the man behind the plan and says, “Customers who opt-in are customers who are looking to buy. You would be hard-pressed to find a campaign that performed as well during the recession.”
This is a testament to mobile marketing. Even in the face of a cold hard recession, SMS marketing scores huge results and it makes sense why. People are increasingly CRAZY about texting, even so much that they find it wise to text while driving. And people don’t go anywhere without their phone, it’s always on them, just waiting for businesses to prompt them unforgettable coupons like “Text MCDS to 55543 for a free double cheeseburger”. Or something like that. Who doesn’t want a $98 dollar car or a free double cheeseburger?
