How to add mobile marketing to your collision repair marketing plan

Since the invention of the smart phone, our lives have never been the same.  Everywhere you look, people are constantly making use of mobile technology.  We get news alerts on our phones, social network updates, text messages, emails, and so much more.  More businesses are starting to employ methods that allow patrons to pay for services by scanning a bar code on their phones.  The average restaurant-goer is now as crucial for reviews as a highly-respected food critic, since posting food photos has become a favorite national pastime.  Mobile usage has increased exponentially in just the last decade and it has opened many doors for businesses in how to communicate creatively with customers.

What about auto body shops and mobile marketing?
As a body shop, you might be wondering whether mobile marketing might be effective for your particular business.  After all, people tend to elect your services on a sporadic, as-needed basis.  Does this mean that you can’t use mobile marketing to your advantage?  If this is a concern for you, let me reassure you that mobile marketing can be a major asset for any business in the automotive industry.  Here are some great ways to add mobile opportunities to your collision repair marketing plan:

Have a mobile-friendly website.  Because so many of us access websites via our phones and tablets, it’s crucial that your website be mobile-friendly.  You can either have a mobile version of your website built or you can simply adjust the code on your website to automatically adjust itself to any screen size.  This is called responsive website design.

Deliver text message alerts.  Your customers will love getting mobile alerts to let them know what stage their vehicles are at in the repair process.  It’s a perfect customer service opportunity.

Provide special offers.  For customers who have opted in to receive text messages from your shop, you can provide them with mobile-only special offers, like auto detailing, discounts, and more.  Are you concerned about how to do this?  Many great text messaging services are out there for you to choose from.  Here is a helpful top 10 list of the best text messaging companies from TopTenReviews.com.

Invite social media interaction.  Your customers can help drive business your way by telling their friends and family about your shop.  One of the best ways you can help them do this is to encourage them to “check in” on websites like Facebook and Google Plus.  Just be sure to provide a discount or other special offer as an incentive.

Do you have questions about using mobile marketing for your collision repair shop?
At Stratosphere Studio in Maryland, we’ve helped collision repair shops all over the country to boost their business success with our tried-and-true marketing tactics.  If you have any questions about how to bring more business into your shop, then give us a call.  We can help you to develop the right strategy to increase your website visits, customer leads, email database, social media followers, and, most importantly, your number of customers.  We can prepare a detailed marketing campaign for your shop or provide individual services, such as website design, analytics, search engine optimization, a social media schedule, professional blogging, and more.  Our clients are some of the most successful body shops in their respective cities and we would love to help you next.