To attract new customers and retain existing ones, it’s important to have effective digital marketing strategies in place. Fortunately, creating an auto repair marketing plan online is not that difficult, especially if you know your audience and the techniques that target them. Using targeted digital marketing methods helps boost your visibility online, making it easier for prospects to find you when they need you.
Still, traditional marketing channels, like print and TV/radio ads, remain effective, especially if you’re targeting an older demographic. However, you should know that traditional marketing methods can be expensive, challenging to track, and take longer to yield results versus digital methods. But if you want to take full advantage of both mediums, you can always consider combining both. Here’s how.
Effective Digital Marketing Strategies for Auto Shops
Consider the following marketing techniques to help drive more traffic to your car repair business:
1. Create a unique brand for your website.
A company website is considered as the digital storefront of the business. As such, it should have that distinct appeal so it can attract potential customers. To be an effective digital marketing vehicle, your website should have a responsive design, use HTTPS for enhanced security, and have content that accurately explains your services and includes reliable contact information.
2. Incorporate SEO in your marketing plan.
Every online business uses this popular and effective online marketing concept. For SEO to work for you, you have to choose relevant keywords and place them strategically throughout your website content, add them to other websites your business has a presence on, and create separate pages for each service you offer. If this seems like a lot of work, you can partner with professional SEO experts, especially when it comes to optimizing your website and content.
3. Have active social media accounts.
Social media is an immensely popular auto repair marketing vehicle. If you want to reach a wider audience, you must create profiles on major social media sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube. In these platforms, share business updates, upload videos, and photos that promote your auto shop’s company culture.
4. Engage in email marketing.
Ask customers if they would like to join your email list to stay up-to-date on deals and new offerings that your business is promoting. Although this might come off as extra work for you, there are many free email marketing services that can make the job easier.
5. Find time to register on local review sites.
Ensure that your business has active profiles on Google Local Search and Yelp, as half of adults, including car owners, under 50 regularly visit online reviews before making a purchase decision. If your auto shop can gain several positive reviews on these sites, you can expect more people to check your business out if only to confirm that what they read is true.
6. Introduce a referral program.
Marketing for auto repair shops need not always be done on the digital platform. Word of mouth is still a powerful marketing tool, and will not cost you a penny. By having a referral program, you can encourage your satisfied customers to spread the word about your business. In exchange for their efforts, give them a discount on their next repair service. To make the referral work easy for your customers, provide them with referral cards or links to your website which they can share with their friends and family.
7. Consider using Pay-Per-Click advertising.
Also known as PPC advertising, this is an effective auto repair digital marketing tool that you should use if your business is just starting out. In simple terms, Pay-Per-Click is where you pay only when someone clicks on your ad.
To run a PPC campaign, you need to create an ad and target specific demographics or keyword searches. When a user clicks on your ad and is directed to your website or landing page, you pay for that click. PPC ads can be run on search engines such as Google, social media sites like Facebook, and through various networks that display ads on different websites.
The Old and New Combo
The following traditional marketing methods can greatly complement your digital ones.
1. Get involved with your local community.
Sponsor a local sports team, or participate in community events like car shows or parades. This can help you establish a positive image in the minds of residents, who may even become new customers as they become more familiar with your brand.
2. Partner with other local businesses.
Marketing for auto repair shops should also include building partnerships with other local businesses. This can be a great way of attracting new customers.
For this marketing technique to work, consider reaching out to businesses in your area that complement your services. For example, if you specialize in auto repairs, you could partner with a local car wash company. You could offer their customers a discount on your services, and in return, they could offer your customers a discount on theirs.
3. Don’t ignore print and physical marketing options.
These are old but tested marketing instruments. They remain highly effective in promoting any business, particularly if your target audience is more receptive to traditional marketing methods.
Ideas for print and physical marketing include sending postcard mailers with discount offers, distributing flyers in businesses near yours, leaving business cards on doors or cars in your area, or creating branded items to give away at local events.
To track the progress of these marketing strategies, you can create a unique code that gets displayed on your materials. This should help you monitor how many people are using the code and compare the return on investment to your other marketing efforts.
Key Takeaway
Auto repair marketing tactics come in a variety of types and forms. While many of these are digital in nature, you should never disregard the value of traditional advertising methods like posters and TV/radio commercials. These are still effective, and can be expected to deliver the needed results.
Regardless of your preferred marketing technique, it’s clear that the more effective approach is combining the available strategies. This is complex work, which is why you need to find a reputable digital marketing company to help you out, and ensure a successful campaign for your auto repair business.
Get the best digital marketing offer from Advanced Digital Automotive Group.
For many car owners, an auto repair is not always a welcome option because it means expenses. This is perhaps one reason many shops have difficulty attracting customers. Advanced Digital Automotive Group offers an exciting solution to this.
As a top-notch digital marketing company, we have a professional auto repair digital marketing team that can effectively promote your business in ways that motorists will see your services as a necessity and not as unwanted costs. Call us today and we’ll tell you the details.
