1. Optimize Your Website
Your website is more often than not the first impression people have of your shop. When someone needs your services, they’ll use a search engine to locate the closest auto repair shops to them. If the content on your website isn’t optimized for search engines, you might be buried beneath a list of your local competitors. If that’s the case, you’re losing a huge portion of your potential revenue.
When someone gets referred to you by a friend, they will most likely take a look at your website before they bring their vehicle to you. If your website is outdated and doesn’t make your business look credible or trustworthy, there goes another potential customer. Studies show that the majority of online searches for local businesses occur on mobile devices, so it’s also crucial that your website is mobile-responsive or that’s another stack of money you can kiss goodbye.
Modern, professional web design is not just a worthy investment for your auto repair shop… it’s a must-have to survive in today’s market. No matter how great your services are, a startling majority of your potential customers are judging you based on your website, so make sure it reflects the quality of your work before you start any other marketing efforts.
2. Get More Customer Reviews
After your website, customer reviews are the next most influential factor on your prospect’s decision. Having a lot of positive customer reviews not only helps your search engine ranking, it helps your business look trustworthy. You should encourage satisfied customers to leave a Google review in exchange for a discount off their next repair or for a free gift. If you already have a customer loyalty program, you could work reviews into it.
For instance; Let’s say you offer customers a card that gets hole-punched everytime they get an oil change, and for every 10, they get a free one. Offer an extra hole-punch if they submit a review. You should always respond to your online reviews to thank positive reviewers and address the concerns of negative reviewers. This shows not only the reviewers, but potential customers who read reviews that you care about customer satisfaction.
3. Start Blogging
You may not see yourself as the blogging type, but you may want to think about giving it a try since it’s one of the best ways to improve your search engine ranking, drive new traffic to your website, and show potential customers that you’re an auto repair expert. Think about it; almost everyone owns a car, but very few know what’s going on under the hood. Even the things you see as the most basic auto knowledge are beyond the comprehension of most people. You have information that people want and need to know, and that means you have a good reason to blog.
Think about topics that your current and potential customers care about, especially topics that they might be searching Google for. Give advice on how to keep up with car maintenance and make your vehicle last longer. Write articles that give people a good reason to use your services.
4. Build Your Email List
Email marketing is a great way to get your customers back in for maintenance on a more regular basis. Ask your customers if you can have their email to send discount offers, promotions, and reminders. If you followed through with the last step, you can also use your blog to collect emails by allowing readers to subscribe for blog updates. Don’t overdo it, but be consistent with email marketing. Even if they rarely open your emails, the more your customers see your name, the higher chance you have of getting their business when the time comes.
5. Try Facebook Advertising
Social media isn’t just fun and games, it’s a powerful marketing tool that businesses use to connect with their audience, build brand loyalty, and advertise offers! What’s so great about Facebook’s advertising tool is that it allows you to do hyper-specific targeting so that your ad is only seen by the people you want to see it. You can target by geographical location, age, gender, income, even hobbies and interests!
Don’t make the mistake of running generic and non-specific advertisements. An ad that reads, “Joe’s Full Service Auto Repair Shop: Get Your Car In Tip-Top Shape Today” won’t get very many clicks. That’s because it doesn’t speak to any individual need. A better advertisement would be, “Time for an oil change? Click this link to get 10% off your next oil change at Joe’s Full Service Auto Repair Shop.” Social media advertising is a great way to get people in the door for your more basic, inexpensive services. Then, once they see how great your service is, they’ll become lifetime customers and come to you for the more serious repairs.
6. Put Offers In The Mail
Don’t forget about direct mail; it may seem outdated, but if done correctly, direct mail campaigns can yield a great return on investment for auto repair shops. The best thing you can do is make your offer stand out on your postcard, so the recipient immediately knows that it’s not just junk mail, it’s something of value. It’s also smart to include several coupons for different services in your mailer, in hopes that they’ll put it on the fridge or tuck it in a drawer until they need those services. Until then, they’ll see your name every time they go for a snack or a pencil, and that brand recognition is what it takes to keep them from going to your competitors.
Get Started Today
If your auto repair shop’s marketing is behind the curve, this 6-step plan may be a lot to tackle all at once. Consider partnering with Plum Direct Marketing! We provide comprehensive marketing services from branding & web design, to direct mail, to online advertising. We focus on goal-oriented strategies that get results for auto repair shops. Check us out at www.plumdirectmarketing.com or call 1-800-992-9663 for more information.
