Guide to auto repair marketing

Building a profitable local auto repair business means working to ensure there’s a steady stream of new customers coming in so there’s plenty of work to do. Repeat customers are always a possibility should another issue arise with their vehicle, or they have multiple vehicles to maintain. But, they often won’t be enough to sustain your business so it’s crucial to focus your marketing plan on online lead generation and word-of-mouth marketing.

Good customer service aims to make every aspect of purchase simpler for the customer. Great customer service goes above and beyond the customer expectation, ensures all needs are met and breeds customer loyalty – an important aspect of every successful business.

Auto repair shop online presence

If you want to reach more customers, you must have an online presence. Simply claiming your business listing in various directories isn’t enough to stand out from the competition. To build a solid online reputation, you must go beyond a basic website to include a blog and social media profiles – and then go the extra mile with local SEO to optimize your site so that it has a better chance of ranking in searches for auto repair shops in your service area.

Website 

You should have a professional-looking website that details information about the services your auto shop provides, along with your experience and credentials. Potential customers want to know they can trust you and your work, so it’s never a bad idea to include testimonials or reviews from previous clients and current customers. Your website also needs to have your contact information, social media links, and a blog.

Don’t stop there. Your website must also be mobile-friendly because the majority of people use their phones to search. Keeping the user experience as simple as possible regardless of what device a potential customer uses will go a long way toward getting them to convert whether you want them to call you for more information, send you an email, or join your email marketing list.

Company blog

A company blog is a place where you can publish content that’s relevant to your audience on a regular basis. Each blog post presents a new opportunity to rank for keywords in the search engines, making it easier for potential customers to find you. Part of search engine optimization lies in updating your site regularly, and blogging is an easy way to do that. 

Not sure what to write about? Take a look at other auto industry blogs for some inspiration. Ideas include:

• How to Winterize Your Vehicle
• Synthetic vs. Traditional Oil
• How Often to Rotate Your Tires
• News related to vehicle recalls

Good customer service aims to make every aspect of purchase simpler for the customer. Great customer service goes above and beyond the customer expectation, ensures all needs are met and breeds customer loyalty – an important aspect of every successful business.

Auto repair social media

Social signals play a part in how Google ranks your website show your auto repair shop company needs to include social media as part of your digital marketing strategy. Begin with a Facebook page where you share content related to vehicles and their maintenance. You can share your company blog post, along with photos and videos of your work. share links to your blog posts to promote your business on Facebook and other relevant social media channels.

When people take the time to like or comment on anything you share on social media, engage with them so they know you’re paying attention. Even if you simply like the comment they leave, it’s important to take a bit of time to say thank you. Watching how people interact with your company on social media is another way to gain customer feedback. 

Local SEO

If you’re still trying to find a name for your business, consider using the primary keyword in your business name. The auto repair shop that snags a name with the primary locale will have a competitive advantage over other options.

If you already have an established business name, work with what you have to build a strong reputation. Start by adding your business to Google Maps.

Optimize the listing by claiming your business on Google My Business. For the best results, make sure the information on your website includes your address and phone number along with a clear description of your business and the business categories you fit in.

The higher your small business website listing is, the more traffic you’ll get. Google My Business gives you the option to include reviews, ratings, photos, operating hours and more. The more thorough and complete your listing is, the better chance you have of ranking higher in the local map pack for your desired keywords.

Auto repair customer service tips

Research shows the customer experience is going to overtake price as the main differentiator by the end of 2020.  That means to have a strong competitive advantage, you must focus your efforts on providing good quality customer service on top of having quality products and services.

Good customer service aims to make every aspect of purchase simpler for the customer. Great customer service goes above and beyond the customer expectation, ensures all needs are met and breeds customer loyalty – an important aspect of every successful business.

Web Chat

Adding a web chat feature makes it easy for potential customers to contact you. You can also build a mobile app to help people keep track of their oil change and maintenance schedule, and receive alerts of specials or recalls that affect their vehicle. Include links to download the app on your website.

Reviews

Reviews are a vital part of local SEO marketing for any business regardless of Industry. Reviews serve as social proof and build trust with your company. Data shows nearly 95% of consumers read online reviews before making a purchase, and 54% of shoppers visit a website after reading positive reviews. To strengthen your online review profile, you must make it easy for your customers to review your business.

In the auto repair industry, word of mouth is vital to keeping the business up and running. Ethically encourage people to leave reviews for your company on Google and Facebook as they can help boost your SEO ranking. Begin by reaching out to previous customers and ask them to leave you a review. When customers come to pick up their car, ask in person.

 You can also print the card with the URLs of the review sites you want people to use to make it easier for them. If they have to work too hard to do it, many won’t. You can also send a text message or an email after you finish the job, asking customers to leave a written review in addition to Google and Facebook, you can consider other websites such as Yelp and Angie’s List.

Have quick response time

What is your site is generating leads, response time is crucial to landing the customer. People are likely to call the first option they see, but they won’t always go with the first one they call. Customers, especially in emergency situations, are most likely to go with the first company that responds. Research shows the odds of contacting a lead if called in 5 minutes compared to 30 minutes drop 100 times. The study also shows that those who contact leads within an hour are 7x more likely to qualify the lead than companies who waited more than an hour, and 60x more likely than if they waited for 24-hours or more.

Referrals and partnerships

As an auto repair expert, you can grow your business and support others in your local community by building strategic partnerships. Talk to your local auto parts store. Go meet with them and explain what you do. Ask if they’d be willing to send customers your way and leave some business cards or brochures with them. To help solidify the relationship, offer to order some of your parts and supplies from the company if you’re not already doing it. Also, talk with local towing companies and insurance companies to see what you can do to become a preferred provider.

Connect with other local businesses and offer discounts for repair services on their fleet vehicles.

Consider joining industry trade organizations such as the Automotive Service Association, the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers, or the Coalition for Collision Repair Excellence.

Promotion

You can use pay per click advertising (PPC) to generate traffic and leads for your business. Two of the most popular platforms for this are Facebook Ads and Google Ads.

Facebook ads

Facebook Ads are a form of social media marketing. You can set a daily budget and target your audience based on a variety of demographics such as location, income, interests, and behaviors. The ads will show in the news feed or the sidebar of the Facebook account belonging to anyone who meets the criteria of your target audience. You can also use Facebook ads to grow your pages fan base or target people who have visited your website.

Google ads

Google Ads operates much the same way as Facebook ads. your ad will display and relevant Google searches. When executed correctly, Google ads are estimated to yield a 2 to 2.3x return on investment.

Giveaways

Giveaways are especially helpful when you are first starting to build your online presence. Running a giveaway for a free oil change and encouraging people to like or share the social media post announcing the giveaway will help spread your reach. You can also use incentives like free oil changes to encourage repeat business while rewarding your loyal customers.

Auto repair marketing is similar to standard online marketing. Your focus is on creating a high-quality online presence to bring in new customers regardless of what industry you work in. Whether you specialize in foreign vehicles or offer basic maintenance and repair services, such as oil changes and tire rotations, your marketing efforts must demonstrate how your company is the best choice in your local area.