At Stratosphere Studio, we work with many auto body shops, so we’ve met numerous shop owners who have reached their wits’ ends when it comes to marketing. Too many of you are strapped for time, since you’re pulling double- and even triple-duty, taking on everything from servicing customers to hiring technicians and from repairing cars to ordering supplies. You’ve got your hands full. It’s very easy for marketing to fall onto the back burner during the busiest times. Yet, if you’re taking the time to read this right now, then you know how valuable marketing is to your business. After all, if a collision repair shop wants to have a successful future, it must have a solid marketing plan under its belt. But what if you barely have time to sleep, let alone advertise?
We’ve heard this question from many, many different collision repair shops, so we understand your frustration. The best thing you can do is to prioritize your efforts, from most important to least important, taking on each strategy as time allows. To help you prioritize, here is the order in which we recommend you work:
1. Make sure your signage is appealing. If you’re an established auto body shop, then you probably already have your business’ signage all squared away. However, you’d be surprised how many shops lack attractive signage (or any signage at all). Even though we’re not supposed to, we humans tend to judge a book by its cover, so make sure your outdoor signage is clean, up-to-date, visible, and engaging.
2. Invest in your website. At Stratosphere, we like to say that your website is your #1 salesperson. Think about it: what other employee do you have who works 24/7 without breaks and presents the very best impression of your shop at all times? Just make sure that your website looks great, has all the necessary information, and shows off how excellent your shop is.
3. Provide special offers. Once your foundations are in place (your outdoor signage and your website), entice people to try your shop with some special offers. If you’ve been doing the same offers for years, switch it up! Get creative. Post coupons on your website, in your local newspaper, and everywhere else you can. If you post them online, be sure to capture names and email addresses for your lead database.
4. Write some helpful content. If you want to draw people into your website and through your body shop doors, you need to get on the content marketing train. Start blogging regularly, addressing the questions that your customers ask, and watch your pageviews and lead numbers increase dramatically.
5. Dive into social media. Once your website is in order and you have some interesting content, use social media to draw more people to your site. Post links to your special offers, as well as your blog content. Post photos of your best repairs and custom paint work. Host contests and do giveaways. It’s time-consuming, but social networking can also be fun and rewarding for your business.
Do you need help with your collision repair marketing?
At Stratosphere Studio, we are experts at automotive marketing and we are proud to call some of the best shops in the country our clients. We can help your body shop rise to the top in your town, too. If you don’t have time to market your business, let our team do the work for you and bring you powerful results!
[…] Prioritize your collision repair marketing strategies, according to Stratosphere Studio. […]