A good mechanic is hard to find and can be even harder to find if they don’t advertise properly. Word of mouth is often the best marketing tool for a business like automotive, get your customers to talk to boost your business!
Your customers are one advertisement away, be it word of mouth, social media, or simply better marketing. Are you having trouble reaching your customers? Let’s take a closer look at how you can bridge the gap between your business and your customers.
1. Recognize Your Target Audience
Do you know who your target audience is? Do you specialize in a certain type of auto maintenance? Pinpointing who your average customer is can help direct you to where your advertising dollar is best spent.
2. Give the Ultimate Customer Service
Superior customer service is your first line of building a successful business. If you want your customers to be satisfied, tell their friends about you, and come back for future automotive repairs, you must act as if you do.
This goes for answering your business phone, as well. Customer service starts the second you answer a phone call.
Calling your customers a few days after their vehicle has been picked up to check up on it is a great way to reach back out to them. Encourage them to contact you with any questions or concerns to reassure them, and show the depth of your great customer service.
3. Tapping Into Social Media
Social media is not only free advertising, it is one of the smartest online marketing resources you could tap into.
- Start a business page
- Purchase ads
- Engage through posts that offer tips etc
- Guest posts on another businesses page
- Link another business to your page
For those with mechanical skills, but lacking in internet skills, consider hiring someone to manage your SEO marketing-or better yet, trade them for automotive work! Linking up with other businesses is a great way to cross-market like with junk my car companies.
Once you have your social media account activated, encourage your customers to engage with you on social media. When customers “check-in” or share their experiences on social media or Google a real review is advertised to the entire internet. Some people base their decisions on reviews of businesses.
4. Constant Contact With Customers
When you are entering a customer’s information into your computer, be sure to ask for their e-mail address and explain that you mail out special offers and service reminders through e-mail. This can be overwhelming for someone who just wants to work on vehicles. Consider using a program that sends out emails for you.
Constant contact can be as easy as setting up a loyalty program. Forbes claims that 90% of businesses have loyalty programs and over 80% of the members have made a redemption from these programs. A loyalty rewards program can offer a variety of rewards for loyal customers such as discounts or free service upgrades.
5. Do Something Different
It is no secret that people love free stuff. Raffling off a free oil change or tire rotation is a great way to get your name out there and catch the attention of new customers to your car repair business. Print out instructions and attach them to an empty container where people can drop their business cards to enter.
Good marketing includes getting involved with your local community. Sponsoring a youth (or adult) sports team might be a small investment, but the return is bound to surpass the cost. Pay for uniforms, and some equipment, and receive advertisements and new customers including the family of the team players.
Better Marketing Skills
Better marketing for a mechanic does not necessarily mean spending more money. You can get great results from giving stellar customer service, getting creative with social media, and staying active with promoting yourself.
Keep up on all things auto-related to keep your juices flowing.