You may think that the only place a chat invitation belongs is on your dealership’s website. However, there are many dealerships across the country who have expanded the marketing of their chat service in the most unlikely places, and have received real benefits from doing so!
What unlikely places am I talking about?
You can promote live chat anywhere you can put a link. And a perfect place to do that is Facebook. You can post a hardlink to your chat window within your Facebook posts and open up the conversation to shoppers and customers browsing your Facebook page. Placing chat on Facebook not only improves lead generation and gives customers the ability to discuss customer service issues if they've come to your page for resolution or to write a review, but it also helps drive more traffic to your website.
Email Signatures
Your dealership probably sends out quite a few marketing emails per month! Did you know you can include a link to chat in your email signatures? It’s a great way to personalize the ending of an email, and leave your shopper with more than one way to connect with your Sales Team.
I recommend either hyperlinking some text or placing a static invite within your contact information.
Here’s an example from my email signature:
Rebecca Kon
O: 407.960.3509
Chat with me!
ActivEngage, Inc.
2701 Maitland Center Pkwy, Suite 300
Orlando, FL 32751
www.activengage.com
Tweets
Yes, believe it or not, you can place a chat link on Twitter! If you have a regular following, chances are they occasionally have questions. Promoting that your followers can chat with you to discuss inquiries and issues gives them another form of contact they may not have tried before, and it can score you positive points in customer service and reputation.
In fact, Volkswagen USA regularly includes chat links in their tweets, especially in reply to customer service issues:
Note: Just make sure to use a shortened URL!
e-Newsletters
The New York Times recently posted an article that affirmed e-newsletters are not dead. So if your dealership puts together an e-newsletter for your customers, you should definitely include a chat link for them to easily ask questions about any information in the newsletter, such as upcoming events or an oil change special.
Since there’s a lot of information on a newsletter, you should either include the chat invite image or create a Call-to-Action button that stands out.
Radio and TV Commercials
With so many shoppers “dual-screening” these days, it’s important to mention your ability to promote live chat on multiple media sources other than the Internet. Placing links online is an excellent method. However, you should also tell your shoppers that your website offers chat during your radio and TV commercials.
Todd Caputo of Used Car King often promotes live chat in his TV ads, and 40% of his website leads come from live chat! Coincidence? I think not!
Why should you promote live chat on multiple channels?
- Drive uncharted traffic to your dealership’s website
- Quickly address customer service issues before a customer posts a complaint online
- Build awareness that you offer a chat service and thus gather more leads from chat
Making shoppers aware that you have a chat feature will make them more likely to use it. Also, letting your customers know you have a chat feature on more than one communication channel shows that your dealership is a customer-friendly place and open to dialogue that gets their needs addressed as quickly as possible. Your customer service ratings will be through the roof!
