Do you listen to your customers or are you merely waiting for an “in” – an opportunity to pull them away from whatever it is they’re really trying to tell you and start hammering into their brains what you think they want to know.

It’s a fair question. You know the feeling of being in a conversation with someone and knowing they’re not really listening to you at all – they’re just waiting for their turn to speak…and they’re going to just blather on about themselves with no regard for what it was you were trying to convey to them. It’s all about them after all.

So, is your marketing – be it automotive direct mail or social media or traditional media – a conversation or is that spotlight always on you?

Of course, it’s marketing after all – so you can’t just toss the spotlight back onto your customer and expect them to run the proverbial show. However, what you can do is engage them in a more meaningful conversation. How? Well, pay attention to the customer that’s already engaged, for starters. If your Facebook page or Twitter feed has targets who are asking specific questions about specific pieces of your fleet, make sure your response isn’t a generic cut and paste: “why not come in and chat with one of or great salespeople and take a test drive!”; your response should be tailored to their needs.

Another way to present your dealership as one that’s interested in the needs of its customers is to go beyond just trying to sell sell sell – and engage them in a conversation with you as the expert. You can start a simple blog or twitter feed dedicated to maintenance tips and tune-ups and how to identify problems with their cars before they get out of hand. Your finance manager could offer weekly or monthly tips dedicated to helping them improve their credit so that they can qualify for even better financing deals when the time comes to get their next car. And, to really ramp this up, consider offering up a live Q&A session, perhaps a Google Hangout, where the resident dealership expert interacts directly with customers at a predetermined time.

The best part? These conversations and offerings up help and expertise can all easily be played up in your overall marketing efforts. Mention the weekly service-related Q&A sessions in your next service reminder automotive direct mail campaign – or invite them to a special credit repair class with your finance manager coinciding with your next big sales blitz. It doesn’t take much to show your customers you’re going the extra mile – so long as you are making the effort!

Are you still obsessed with ramping up your auto dealership’s Facebook following? Maybe you should dial it back a bit. That’s because, with all of the recent changes to the social media megasite, most businesses like yours – no matter how many fans/likes you have racked up – are being seen by less than 10% of your followers…that is, unless you pay to promote your posts. And, even those paid promotions show lackluster results.

That’s not to say Facebook isn’t incredibly important. It really, truly is. You should promote your social media presence on Facebook and Twitter and YouTube and even the less popular Google+ on all of your automotive direct mailers. Plus, because so many consumers actually use Facebook now as a way to find local businesses – they literally search for businesses by name on Facebook to get a sense of their personality and reputations – not having a well honed and consistently monitored Facebook page will do you a disservice. And, as we’ve discussed in the past, Facebook and other social media sites are a great place to not only disseminate information TO your consumers, but to receive information FROM them – you can ask questions, hold contests, request feedback and reviews and respond to comments and concerns in a public way, which makes Facebook a great public relations forum if you’re managing it properly.

Still, if your marketing team is overly concerned with Facebook and not spending more time diversifying your outreach efforts across all social media, you’re missing the boat. There are so many digital channels to choose from – all truly effective in their own rights – and they include everything from Facebook and Twitter to email, LinkedIn, digital ads, mobile apps, QR codes and beyond.

So remember, for as valuable as Facebook engagement is, according to research by the firm PageLever, most pages with less than one million followers receive less than three percent fan engagement on a daily basis. Staying visible and keeping your Facebook page current and relevant are important, and your direct mail pieces should always point out your myriad social media offerings, but merely focusing on Fan Counts or followers is a fool’s errand. It’s the diversity and quality of your outreach efforts that counts.

According to a 2012 poll by eBay Motors, 35% of American taxpayers polled said they will spend at least part of their tax return to either repair their current car or buy a different one. eBay Motors and other online car-sales and car-data related sites also report a regular bump in searches during March and April – right around tax prep and tax return time. Car dealerships can attack this trend at two ends with pointed automotive direct mail pieces – one aimed at the parts and repairs spenders and one toward the new/used spenders.

Approximately 54% of Americans expect to get a tax refund (versus the 24% who say they’ll owe money) – but only 7% actually plan to splurge on something fun like a vacation (or a sports car). So, if you do sell cars that are considered more of a splurge, that 7% swath of the overall population is a pretty big target and one that’s easy to find if you do your market research effectively.

However, most auto dealerships sell what are considered necessity vehicles – for carting the family around or commuting. The great news is that 84% of taxpayers getting a refund, according to a Bank-rate poll, intend to use it to pay down their debt, save or invest for use on everyday necessities. So, if you can angle your automotive direct mailer at their “need” for a new car – something more reliable, more fuel efficient, more cost-effective with a better resale appeal or even a better deal overall with a lower interest rate or lower payment – you have a solid chance of piquing their interest.

And, for those taxpayers not in the market for a new car – don’t count them out. Send them to your service department. Recession-weary taxpayers – even those getting a huge refund from Uncle Sam – might be reluctant to get a new car and more apt to sink money into preserving their current vehicle for a few more years to come. You can capitalize on this mindset by sending out quick coupons for regular or seasonal maintenance – again, speaking to that 84% who are more interested in spending their returns responsibly. Your automotive direct mail can even speak to that inclination – and encourage them to get more out of their investment by letting you care for their vehicle.

Bottom line, between the months of March and May, the majority of American consumers will have a little more extra cash in their wallets – and you’d be foolish to ignore the earnings potential for your business!