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A Guide to Auto Repair Shops to Increase Word of Mouth
Direct mail and coupons are expensive and don’t work. Here are some marketing ideas for auto repair shops to increase word of mouth referrals.
The best marketing ideas for auto repair shops are the ones that increase your referral business through word of mouth. You can spend money on TV ads, SEO and PPC campaigns, and even direct mail, but you’re investing a small fortune on marketing channels that don’t grow your word-of-mouth business. Auto repair and specialty shops need to invest in low-cost marketing ideas that target past and present customers. Keep your business in their minds, and you’ll increase your new customer referrals.
Traditional marketing is focused on converting people who don’t know you into customers. Promoting your business to new audiences who haven’t heard about you can yield results, but it is a very expensive approach. This is why you need to have marketing that reaches out to the people who have already done business with you. The power of a referral from a friend is incredibly strong, and this is what you need for your business.
Here are 5 marketing ideas for auto repair shops to help increase their word-of-mouth referrals.
1) Use Email Newsletters to Keep in Touch
Email newsletters are the best way to stay in front of your customers. But getting in front of them is only half the battle. Rather than sending email newsletters that simply give monthly discounts or specials, send emails that entertain your audience.For example, in place of a 10% off coupon, write an email newsletter talking about the 10 must-have phone apps for a road trip. Content marketing through email is a great way to keep your customers engaged without selling to them. 90% of consumers find custom content useful, and 78% believe that businesses that deliver custom content want to build a good relationship with them.
Keeping their attention through regular emails keeps your name in their minds and referrals coming your way. Below is an example of an email campaign we sent out for our automotive customers.
2) Thank People for Their Business
It might sound like a simple idea, but a creative thank you goes a long way. Remember, your focus is on making sure your existing customers tell their friends about you. The more you can make every experience they have with you memorable, the more comfortable they’ll feel recommending you to their personal networks.I have firsthand experience with this. My mom went to buy a new Acura from the dealership that sold her the first one. Her older car was going to my sister, and the dealer knew that. They gave her a ride home so they could run her old car through the car wash. When they got back to the dealership, both cars were detailed and adorned with bouquets of flowers. To this day, my mom and sister tell their friends about that experience, and they both still drive Acura.
This might be a bit more than you have time or money for, but this style of surprise and delight is a great way to thank your customers for their business. That small thank you turned out to be a long-term investment for continued word-of-mouth referrals.
3) Be Social
You need to share things to your social networks that help and entertain your customers. It’s all about having a business presence online that people want to follow. Share photos of the pets that come to your business. Maybe you found a blog post comparing the best DIY waxes for your car. Your page needs to be filled with helpful, interesting and relevant content. This will brand you as an expert in what you do.A lot of people will check in on Facebook when they visit you. This gives your business more exposure—their friends will see your name mentioned. People can tag your business in posts too. I recently had my car tinted, and when a friend asked for a tint shop recommendation on Facebook, I was able to tag that business in my comment. I got them a new customer and they didn’t pay a dime. Below is the resulting Facebook post from my friend I referred.
4) Get Reviewed
Don’t hesitate to ask your customers for feedback. Whether positive or negative, when someone hops on Google, Yelp or Facebook to find out more information, even neutral reviews are better than no reviews at all.Reviews on these sites are also great because they can indirectly act as a word-of-mouth referral. If I visit a dent doctor’s Facebook page and see two check-ins from my personal friends, I’m more inclined to trust that business over one I’m not connected with at all.
The same concept applies to Yelp and Google+. Google will show reviews from my email contacts when I search for a business on Google maps. Yelp has me log in using Facebook and reviews from my network are highlighted.
5) Ask for Referrals
There’s no shame in actively growing your business through your existing network. Make it known to your customers when you see them that you’d greatly appreciate a referral. Make sure to have a business card to give them, but more importantly, make sure you have their contact information. If you’re sending them email newsletters every few weeks, they’ll be sure to always have your contact information, unlike a business card.When you do get new customers referred to you, make sure you send the person who made the referral a note, possibly with a $10 Amazon gift card as a thank you. It gives your customers even more reason to keep referring business to you. Remember to continue to surprise and delight your loyal customers, and they’ll return the favor.
Wrap-up
Focusing your marketing efforts on your existing customer base is a great way for auto repair shops to increase their word-of-mouth business. You can spend a lot of money on things like TV commercials, radio spots, and direct mail campaigns, but you’ll spend a lot of money targeting the wrong audiences.Article By Unite Automotive Equipment ：http://www.uniteautomotive.comKeep providing quality service, stay in touch with your customers through email and social media, and think outside the box to surprise and delight your customers. Building this connection with your customers brands you as a trusted partner and keeps your name at the top of their minds.
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1 Reply
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That is an extremely bold and false statement that no other marketing channels such as direct mail, SEO, PPC, etc. generate good leads and a healthy ROI. This is easily disproven with facts and real results. I have personally tracked the results on direct mail campaigns and when dont properly generate new customers and the ROI to match. How about the facts from a real shop owner from an article in Ratchet+Wrench June Edition.
5 Common Misconceptions about Direct Mail
June 24, 2019
For several years, OneWay Automotive Service relied on word-of-mouth as its primary means of marketing.“My marketing was opening the garage doors, putting a sign on the building, and having my daughter out front with free donuts and coffee,” says Matt Hoage, owner and operator of the shop in Ardmore, Oklahoma.
After saying goodbye to $3,000 with another company’s poor marketing campaign, Hoage knew there had to be a better way. Then, the crisp corner fin of a Mail Shark ad swam through his mail pile and everything changed.
The mailer was on thick stock and was crisp, vivid and simple. Hoage contacted Mail Shark and soon a new marketing campaign was formed for OneWay.
“I wouldn’t do it any other way,” Hoage says.
In his own words, Hoage outlines the benefits of a direct mail marketing campaign with Mail Shark and lays to rest some common misconceptions about direct mail in today’s crowded market.
Myth: Direct mail has poor response rates and can’t help you get new customers or retain existing ones.
Definitely false. The responses I’ve gotten have been overwhelming. Between my own ideas and Mail Shark’s collaboration, the pieces are extremely attractive. Mail Shark is constantly able to work and change on a dime. As a piece gets sent out, people who come through the door love it. I always hear, “It’s attractive, it got my attention and the pictures and colors are crisp.”
As a business owner, I’m always concerned about retention. I’ve gotten responses from people who weren’t customers and decided to come in due to a simple glance at the mailer.
Mail Shark is versatile and wants to contribute. I like the idea that we’re marketing to the same routes multiple times with different pieces. Every piece is different—larger, smaller, magnet, scratch-off. They provide mixed media to stimulate potential customers who may get multiple pieces that appeal to them through size, texture and tone.
We’ve done flyers and postcards; currently we’re doing a magnet with a calendar and coupons on thick card stock. Some of our pieces even feature a scratch-off coupon. People can throw it in their briefcases, backpacks, purses or put it in their car so it’s there when they need it.
Sub 1
Myth: Direct mail is boring and doesn’t engage recipients the way digital advertising can.
Working with Mail Shark and knowing who you’re going to market to has been a huge asset. You’re reaching the right demographic. Because the mail is so unique (size, stock and quality), there’s no question that it will be seen. It’s not your typical throw-it-in-the-trash piece. The response has been great.
The other aspect is that it’s tangible—it’s something people can touch and see. Scrolling Facebook, for example, you skip most ads instantly. Our direct-mail pieces are more in-depth than a social media or a Google ad. We do that as well, but our mailers will sit on clients’ counters or on their dashboards. I can even ask my customers if they have their coupon, and if it’s in their car. “Yes,” they’ll say, and now they’re enjoying additional savings and thanking me for reminding them.
Myth: You don’t need a coupon strategy and it doesn’t matter which coupons you send to prospects.
Casting a wide net helps catch the widest audience. We offer a cheap oil change, for example, just to get people’s attention. We don’t want to come across like Pep Boys or Jiffy Lube, but the reality is that people want a deal—they want to feel valued. We’ve offered inexpensive oil changes to garner attention and get people through the door. The coupons really do get people’s attention. If you can’t capture them after that, you shouldn’t be in business!
Myth: Only a small niche group of businesses can benefit from using direct mail marketing.
If there’s a niche market, automotive is definitely one of them. It’s known that direct-mail marketing is one of the most effective ways of marketing for automotive repair. Dealerships do it, and if it didn’t work, why would they? As independents, we need to get on the bandwagon and understand this is what’s working. If you’re not using direct mail, you’re missing the opportunity for new customers.
Myth: You have to handle every aspect of your direct mail campaign on your own (design, print, mail, etc.).
I’ll answer this one with a story. A few years ago I was affiliated with a different marketing company. You should create your own campaigns, they said—we’ll help design them, and you can print them and mail them on your own. It failed, and I waited two years to do anything because physically and mentally I didn’t have the stamina, time, and resources to try again. I lost the opportunity to gain a stronger business faster because I thought I had to do it myself.
With Mail Shark, the only thing I have to do is look at an email and say “yes” or “no.” It’s rare that a phone call is necessary, but if it is, it’s easy. Because of Mail Shark, I’ve lessened the amount of stress on myself and gained the customers I wanted to gain for the last three years—all within the last six months.
I have two dedicated reps who really make me comfortable. It’s been great. Sarah, my account specialist, is positive and ready to work. My sales rep, Derek, is thorough and attentive to my needs. Anytime I call him, I get a response immediately. He follows through with everything and makes it happen for me. I’ve had the chance to talk with the executive vice president of sales, Josh Davis, multiple times. He’s interested in what we do—we once spent 45 minutes on the phone to talk about evolving the company and how he can help me.
Within a metro area, this kind of campaign also helps separate yourself from the competition. I’m one of the only shops in the community making a difference as far as marketing goes.
If I have the opportunity to help independents, I’ll share any knowledge I have. And if shops hesitate on direct mail, they’re wasting time. They need to give it a chance and commit themselves to three to six months of direct mail before they decide whether or not it’s working.
If you’re not doing it, do it. You can trust Mail Shark.
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