Auto shop owners continue to see the competition getting tougher while increasing costs continue to squeeze profits. During this tough and competitive climate, the shop owners have two ways to grow revenues and profits – (1) Add new customers, and (2) Improve customer retention by increasing repeat business.
Marketing can play a large role in growing the retail automotive business. In fact, digital marketing is becoming a very important part of the overall marketing strategy. Traditional marketing channels such as print and mass media awareness are becoming expensive and less effective while digital marketing provides the ability to track your efforts closely and measure effectiveness.
Improve Your Auto Shop’s Reputation Online
It shouldn’t shock you to learn that consumers use the Internet for everything nowadays. A large amount of research is done well before a customer ever calls or enters an auto shop.
According to the e-tailing group, 92% of consumers read Internet reviews. 2012 JD Power survey found that auto dealers are getting better and gaining market share on the Internet.
In fact, customer satisfaction for maintenance is 38 points higher at dealers than non-dealers.
As an auto shop owner, you know that it’s not because the dealer is providing so much better service than your shop, it is just that they are managing their online reputation better.
Create A Website to Collect Auto Repair Leads
In the world of Google & Yahoo, old-school marketing techniques like Yellow Page listings just don’t work well anymore.
It’s mainly because users nowadays find reputable local businesses by doing a quick Internet search. With the fast paced growth of smartphones and voice recognition services such as Siri (by Apple) & Cortana (by Microsoft) in the past few years, these searches are now being done at the speed of light on mobile phones.
If your auto shop doesn’t have a desktop and mobile phone-friendly website then your business is already at a disadvantage. We recommend that you make this a high priority for your auto business!
Launch Google Ads for Auto Repair Shops
Pay-per-click is web marketing on search to attract new customers to your auto shop. It can be a profitable initiative but requires a strong understanding of the platforms, keywords, and the buyer’s behavior.
This initiative can allow owners to get brand-new customers for as little as $20 per customer. However, reaching such a low acquisition of cost requires some patience, testing, and expertise. Learn about our services: https://conceptualminds.com/ppc-management/
Invest in Email Marketing Automation
Email is one of the most popular methods of communication. According to ExactTarget, 91% of consumers check their email daily. It also happens to be one of the best marketing options available to businesses with average return on investment of a whopping 4,300%.
However, today’s consumers are also overwhelmed by electronic messages, and they tend to have little patience for irrelevant communication. This is why sending out a monthly newsletter is neither enough nor recommended. Auto shop owners have to be strategic, targeted, and timely with their communication, and this approach can lead to some fantastic results.
Measure Everything
It is very important to understand where your marketing dollars are being spent and how much revenue and profit you are generating from each of those activities. Effectiveness is very hard to determine if you don’t have this basic but very important information.
Conceptual Minds brings a rare mix of hands-on marketing expertise focused specifically on the retail automotive industry.
We have been helping forward-thinking automotive service organizations across the United States gain a competitive advantage by leveraging multi-channel marketing opportunities. We have had the chance to generate tremendous results for automotive retail organizations in the US with strategy and day-to-day execution of various marketing initiatives, and we would love to help do the same for your organization.
