Between changing consumer habits, economic uncertainty, and more competition than ever, dealerships need more than just a promotional calendar—they need a marketing plan with purpose. While sending broad campaigns to your entire database may have worked in the past, today’s shoppers expect more. More relevance. More personalization. And more connection with where they are in their buying or ownership journey.

The good news? With the right structure in place, your dealership marketing plan can be simpler and more effective. Here’s how to build one that works.

Set Your Dealership Up for Long-Term Success with a Strategic Marketing Plan

Start with Key Events and Initiatives

When creating a marketing plan, start with what you already know: your events, business goals, and inventory levels. Think beyond holidays and consider OEM incentives, shopper buying patterns, or even tax refund season.

For example, if you know your region sees a spike in lease returns every spring, plan ahead with trade-in messaging or loyalty incentives that target off-lease customers. Or if tire sales tend to dip in late summer, a campaign offering a seasonal special can help close the gap.

Align Your Campaigns with Audience and Goals

Once you’ve mapped out key events and initiatives, it’s time to get work on targeting. Instead of sending every message to every customer, tailor your campaigns to specific audiences most likely to engage—and most likely to convert.

For a service campaign, that might mean targeting owners who haven’t visited in the past 12 months. For a sales event, it could be customers nearing the end of their finance term or those with high equity. Matching your message to the right customer isn’t just good strategy, it prevents over-communication and builds trust in your brand.

Maximize Reach with an Omni-Channel Strategy

Your customers interact with content across multiple platforms every day. That’s why an omni-channel approach is essential. A mix of email, direct mail, SMS, social ads, voice, and ringless voicemail helps increase visibility and reinforces your message across formats.

But it’s not just about being everywhere, it’s about sending the right message at the right time. Personalized touches like service reminders based on mileage, or equity offers tailored to the customer’s current vehicle, turn a multi-channel strategy into a high-impact experience.

Add Offers That Make Sense

Every campaign should have a clear and compelling offer, and those offers should support both your customer’s needs and your store’s goals. If you’re planning a summer sales event, make sure your offers are for sales only. If your fixed ops team wants to book more appointments during the week, schedule a service campaign with aggressive coupons that encourage customers to visit for extra savings on Monday-Friday afternoons. The more relevant the offer, the more likely the customer is to act.

Keep Your Store Active with Automated Campaigns

Even the most well-planned monthly marketing calendar can miss opportunities if you’re only focused on what’s next. That’s where automation comes in. Lifecycle campaigns (like service reminders, trade-in alerts, or re-engagement messages) run in the background to capture consistent revenue all year long. If you have the right technology, setting up automated campaigns is easy. And the impact? A steadier stream of sales and service activity that doesn’t require constant manual input.

Measure What Works and Optimize Along the Way

The most successful marketing plans are built to adapt. Reviewing campaign performance, including opens, clicks, conversions, and revenue, regularly helps you identify what’s working and what needs adjusting. And testing subject lines, creative formats, or call-to-action language can yield even better results over time. Your data isn’t just a performance report, it’s a playbook for your next move.

Get More from Your Marketing

A dealership marketing plan shouldn’t feel like guesswork. At Affinitiv, we help stores build custom strategies that align with their goals, customers, and local market dynamics. Whether you’re launching new campaigns, automating the customer journey, or simply looking to streamline your monthly outreach, we’re here to help. Contact us to get started today.