Six Simple Digital Marketing Tips for Auto Body Shops
1) Don't Throw Good Money at Bad Marketing
Your potential customers are not using the Yellow Pages or browsing the local newspaper searching for your services. 80% of consumers will perform an online search before they spend money on a product or service. When you spend your marketing budget primarily on television, radio, newspaper, and phone book advertisement, you are hoping your potential customers either hear about you in the precise moment they need you or remember your ad when finally do.
Digital marketing can help you make the most of your investment for several reasons:
- Digital content is evergreen. In other words, once you put it online, for the most part, it’s there until you take it down.
- Digital content generally costs significantly less than traditional advertising.
- Digital content is there when your potential customers need it.
That does not mean there is not some benefit to billboards and radio ads, but even those things work best when you can utilize them to send people to your website and social media.
2) Leverage Your Website
Your website is your greatest marketing asset. It functions as a digital “front door” to your shop, where people can learn your skill, your work ethic, and your company’s culture. Here are # steps to help you leverage your website:
- Step 1: Get a website. If you do not have a website, you need one.
- Step 2: Make sure it is optimized to show up on search engines.
- Step 3: Make sure it is well-designed to showcase your expertise.
- Step 4: Make sure the content is well written to prove your expertise.
- Step 5: Make sure it is user-friendly. A flashy website is worthless if people cannot find the information they need.
- Step 6: Make sure it is mobile friendly. 57% of consumers will leave your website if it takes more than 5 seconds to load on their phone.
Developing or redesigning your own website will likely prove more frustrating than its worth. If you would like more information about how we can build a website for you that encompasses all six steps, contact Cube Creative.
3) Write Blogs and Shoot Video
Once you have a website, blogging is essentially free, and the potential benefit is enormous:
- Blogging helps improve your website’s visibility
- Blogging allows you to answer frequently asked questions
- Blogging helps position your shop as an expert
- Blogging provides content for you to share on social media
- Blogging exists as long as your website is active
Similarly, to writing blogs, apart from purchasing equipment (you can do a lot with your smartphone), shooting video is essentially free. You can create a YouTube page and publish content for free. Always ask your customers before you include their vehicle, but many drivers would love to have their car featured. Furthermore, if a car owner is in your blog or video, they are likely to share it with their friends.
4) Use Social Media Well
Like blogging on your website and posting to YouTube, you utilize social media at virtually no cost. Facebook and Instagram ads are pennies-on-the-dollar compared to television and radio ads. Make sure you are posting frequently, but not often more than once per day.
5) Get Customers to Leave Reviews
Customers lean on the information they garner from reviews. According to Bright Local, “82% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses, with 52% of 18-54-year-olds saying they ‘always’ read reviews.”
The customers you know enjoyed their experience, make it easy for them to review you on Google and Facebook. You might even consider incentives and special offers in exchange for a review.
6) Hire Digital Marketing Experts
You know the value of expertise when it comes to repairing and restoring automobiles. Similarly, digital marketing experts can help you stop throwing good marketing dollars and ineffective strategies. Cube Creative has been helping body shops growing through digital marketing since 2005. Contact us, we are here to help.
