We’ve simplified your auto marketing plan by breaking out the only 2 marketing strategies you need to reach and retain your best customers.
Given that 95% of American households own a car, auto repair shops are a staple business in every neighborhood. And while it seems that there is always a repair shop around the corner, many consumers acknowledge that convenience is not always the most important factor when choosing their mechanic. Many are willing to drive a few miles further to get their car worked on at the right shop.
Given that consumers are looking for the best option, not the most convenient option for auto repairs, consumers are going to have to experience your service before they can become a loyal customer. Auto repair consumers will typically fit into one of these three categories:
- Your customers are already loyal to you. Email marketing is a great way to keep them engaged and enhance their loyalty.
- Your competitor’s customers are already loyal to someone else. They are going to be an expensive audience to win over and are most easily won through digital and traditional word of mouth marketing.
- Nobody’s customers are just that – customers with no loyalty and an unfulfilled need. At Welcomemat we understand the value of capitalizing on this group of customers to win their business first and retain them as loyal long-term customers.
Focus your marketing on reaching ‘nobody’s customers’ and simplify your auto repair marketing strategy. In the Auto Repair industry there are two key moments when owners should be capitalizing on “nobody’s customers” – Drivers faced with an emergency need and new movers in the community. Getting these two groups of consumers in the door to experience your service is going to be the most cost-effective marketing method you’ll find.
An Emergency Repair Need
Drivers that find themselves needing an auto repair quickly have limited time to consider options. It’s quite simple, they either have a repair shop that they plan to use, or they don’t. If they don’t, they will make a decision quickly. Be the first auto shop that comes to mind by utilizing awareness marketing strategies. When picking an awareness marketing tactic consider the way you want to position your brand. Some ideas include:
– Sponsoring a youth baseball team to showcase your community support
– Creating a blog that offers auto advice and tips to establish your industry expertise
– Building a referral program using third party validation to support your services
– Purchasing a billboard in the heart of town to showcase your name
New Movers in the Community
When someone moves to a new neighborhood they are in need of 72 new business relationships, auto repair being one of the most important. Given the volume of decisions that they need to make, reaching new movers first makes them 80X more likely to respond to your marketing than a current resident in your community. Therefore, the trick to winning this audience, is reaching them first. Invest in a new mover marketing program that can pinpoint and target new movers with your business and branding first. Once you get them to visit your business you are in control of the service and experience that they receive- making retention and loyalty more likely. As a bonus, the awareness marketing tactics that you are utilizing will also support the new mover audience, offering them further justification that they made the right decision.
By narrowing your auto repair marketing down to these two strategies you’ll make the most of your marketing time and dollars – opening up plenty of time for you to run your business.
Learn more about Welcomemat Services and the custom local marketing plans we build for businesses just like yours every day.
