One of the questions we get frequently from our auto body shop clients is about how to track promotions while marketing their businesses. Plenty of industries have found success in using special offers and other promotions to increase their business, and the collision repair industry is no different. As a method for getting people in the door, promotions are a useful tool. But what are the best strategies for tracking the success of such a tool?
If you are looking for helpful tips on keeping track of special offers for your shop, then you’ve come to the right place! It can be a time-consuming process to keep track of offers, but this research will allow you to make more informed marketing decisions in the future for your shop. Here are the key steps:
· First, determine your most attractive offers. Before tossing an offer out to the public, take the time to brainstorm what might be most appealing to people. Is it a discount on custom paint work? Free towing? Free rental car service? Make a list and rank the offers by how enticing you predict that they might be.
· Next, create a promotion schedule. It might seem tedious, but the more thorough you are throughout this process, the better. It will help you to see what’s working and what isn’t. So, create a schedule for when you’d like to release each offer. Try to give each offer a decent amount of time to generate interest. That amount of time depends on a number of factors, like what season it is, who your clientele is, etc., so use your best judgment.
· Reveal the offer on multiple outlets. Post the offer on your website, in email, on social media, and anywhere else that might be appropriate, such as direct mail, television spots, and so on. Record where and when each offer was posted. It helps if you can assign a particular code to each offer for tracking purposes.
· Implement tracking. A basic knowledge of spreadsheets will come in handy for this part. Maintain categories for which offers were posted, where they were posted, and when. Then indicate how many customers used each offer, resulting in what dollar amount of business.
When you first begin this process, it might take some time to get used to it. After a month or two of practice, you’ll have the steps down and will be much more informed about the success of your shop’s promotions. Once you know what works for your shop, you’ll be able to develop more successful promotions in the future.
If you’re looking for an agency to help you with your marketing, then give Stratosphere Studio a call. We specialize in marketing for auto body shops and have an excellent track record for bringing our clients more business. Our clients span the U.S. and are some of the most successful shops in their respective cities. We would love to help you next!
