The digital age has significantly altered the way that consumers make their auto repair purchasing decisions. While traditional methods of marketing (newspaper, radio, TV) are still effective at reaching customers, you need to supplement these efforts with a vibrant online auto repair marketing strategy.
Consider these 5 tips for giving your auto repair marketing strategy a tune-up.
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Create Great Content
Customers aren’t looking for a hard sales pitch. Create engaging content that is relevant to your customer’s needs. Create videos or blog posts for your website that are informative and that engage new and potential customers.
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Use Social Media to Your Advantage
Social media is a powerful tool to reach new customers and retain existing customers. Facebook pages, Twitter, and Google+ offer you an opportunity to have continued interaction with customers. Share content from your blog, or on those slow days when your staff needs more work, offer a special deal on a high-profit product or service. When customers leave a review or comment, be sure to respond. This is especially important when customers leave less than flattering reviews. This is your opportunity to fix a problem for those customers that you wouldn’t have otherwise known about. Be sure to thank those who leave positive reviews.
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Manage Your Brand
Open an incognito window or a new browser and do a web search for your business name and city. Take some time to sort through the search results to get an idea of how your business appears to others online. Sites like Yelp, Yahoo Local, Google Local and more often have generic profiles with limited or incorrect information about your business. It is worth your time to claim these profiles and control your brand message. As with social media, take time to interact with customers, thanking them for their patronage or solving a problem. In a 2012 survey, 85% of respondents reported that they had searched for local businesses online. These sites have a powerful influence on customer decision-making and it will benefit your business to use these resources.
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Delight Your Customers
When a customer needs a major auto repair, it is often a traumatic experience for them. From the first contact with a potential customer, be informative, set reasonable expectations, and then exceed those expectations. There are many ways to delight your customers, and when you do, your customers will keep coming back. They are also more likely to share that experience both on social media and through word of mouth.
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Take an Integrated Approach to Marketing
Integrated marketing is the art of creating a seamless experience for your customers. This includes making sure your messaging is consistent across all areas of your business. If a potential customer gets mixed messaging, they are likely to choose your competitor. Make sure your different marketing efforts complement each other and work as a unified force to bring in customers.
RepairPal is proud to set a new bar for high quality in the automotive repair industry. With more than 4 million visitors to our website looking for a trusted repair shop, we can help you find new customers. Contact us to learn more about getting RepairPal certified and growing your auto repair business.
