The Garage 333

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SALESANDMARKETING PROMOTING AND GROWING YOUR GARAGE BUSINESS Top Tips from 2021 Aftermarket Industry Partner of the Year - PR & Marketing agency, Chicane - for your garage workshop marketing strategy If you own or manage a garage workshop, you constantly need to work to bring in new customers while making sure that existing ones return. You need PR and marketing that consistently drive customers to your business and can benefit from a thorough strategy.. Thankfully, it isn’t as difficult to create as you may think. Chicane has put together a list of actions that could be part of your effective Garage Workshop Marketing Strategy, which you can use to help drive business now and in the future. Media Relations Keep your local media informed Get close to your local media. Find local magazines (paper and digital), newsletters, flyers, freesheets etc. Source contact details for editors/motoring correspondents. Introduce yourselves as the local garage workshop who wants to make sure its customer base (which is, after all, their readership/viewership) has its hands held regarding garage repairs of all types. Supply press releases, contributions and messages about your services, offerings, promotions, quality of brands & products and business generally etc. At some point they may discuss advertising with you, as many media outlets totally depend on advertising revenue and you should respect this. It’s seriously worth considering as part of your strategy. Website and Online Marketing Explanatory Videos Videos are a great way to capture customer attention and provide useful, visual, information about customers’ vehicles and the services needed. You can often use videos produced by your supplier brands, which demonstrate the quality of products that you can offer your customers. Connect with Potential Local Customers Online The internet is powerful for touching base locally. You can target local customers searching for a repair workshop or mechanic by: • Using Facebook and Google adverts (these don’t need to cost much at all) to target customers in your area • Search Engine Optimisation • Creating profiles and linking in with organisations such as Checkatrade.com and Facebook for Business etc Referral Rewards Programme Let your customers benefit from helping you - by offering a referral rewards programme. Market this in the workshop reception area. Blogging Blogging not only informs and connects with customers, but also boosts your SEO and search return rankings. Try to create a regular schedule. 32 THE GARAGE 32,33 Chicane.indd 1 18/11/2021 15:46
In-Store Marketing and Point of Sale Implement a Garage VIP Club Account If you offer regular maintenance services at your garage, consider implementing a loyalty programme that will ensure that your customers return to you for all their upcoming requirements. Offer informative in-store content Workshop customers can be notoriously sceptical, so you have to create trust. One way is to provide informative content that lightens their fears, concerns, and confusion. In-store signage can provide content that: • Explains how services are performed and why these are necessary • Shares facts and evidence about the value of products and services • Includes product/parts videos that show how items work Again, talking to your distributor and brand suppliers can help, as many will already have POS and generally will be happy to supply it as this will only help confidence and increased sales all round. Use In-Store Digital Signage to Promote Products and Services Grab customers’ attention by scrapping boring or out of date posters/flyers that they usually ignore. Instead, use engaging and attractive digital signage marketing tools. Social Media Marketing Encourage Engagement on Social Media You don’t need to be on every social media platform. But at least create a profile on Facebook and regularly update your page with content to interest your audience. This doesn’t have to be all about automotive repair work. It can be about vehicles, driving, your community, and your garage business. Offer discounts and vouchers for ‘likes and shares’ Use Social Media as Another Customer Contact Platform Being on social media is also about listening to what others are saying. ‘Social Listening’ is the act of tracking conversations online to discover what customers think and need, what their problems are - so you can help address customer issues and concerns. Look for: • Comments about your business • Mentions of your competitors • Remarks that relate to your industry, products, and services Encourage Customer Reviews Get customers to post reviews and endorsements about your business. Positive endorsements are important as they build trust and encourage new customers. Set up systems that encourage past clients to share reviews on feedback cards, review sites and maybe film their testimonials on your phone. Post Before and After Photos Show new customers they can trust you, by sharing examples of your work. Email Marketing Send Regular Emails Collate your customers’ email addresses and consider an email newsletter. Email allows you to stay directly in touch with customers. But, it’s only effective if you follow a few best practices. • Understand and know your audience - When you know exactly who you are talking to, you can create better content. • Sort your audience into groups - As you build your email database, use tags to identify the qualities and habits of each customer (i.e. oil change customer, mechanical repair customer, MOT customer, body repair, PCV, LCV, CV etc.). Then, you can send specific key email messages to each. • Provide more value than promotions - Balance your messages by sharing more useful and valuable content than simply sales-focused messages. Personalised Service Reminders and Promotions Providing personalised customer experiences helps your workshop business stand out. Collecting customer data, creates profiles and allows you to know when a customer’s service is due, then send targeted and personalised reminders/ promotions via email or SMS. Examples: • Free offer with the purchase of another service (a thorough tyre check with repair work) • Discounted offer with the purchase of another service (30% off oil change with MOT) • Money-off discounts (£20 off an oil and filter change) • Percentage discounts (20% off a brake and disk change) • Seasonal specials (£10 off an AirCon check in May/June) Create a Follow-Up Programme Stay in touch with customers by following up after they’ve visited your workshop. Implement a programme that requires a call to each of your customers once they have completed a service.. This gives feedback about your performance and creates a greater,more personal relationship with customers. Community Marketing Host Events Running information sessions about car maintenance can bring new faces to your workshop and strengthens relationships with regular and previous customers. Again, your factor distributors and product suppliers/manufacturers will generally happily support this kind of event. Get Involved Locally Show you are really part of your community by supporting other local initiatives. • Sponsoring local events • Working with nearby charities • Partner with other local (non-competing) businesses Partner with Other (noncompetitor) Local Businesses Swap marketing materials with your business neighbours to expand your customer reach. Get Started! Remember: ideas for a garage workshop marketing strategy are only powerful if you implement them. So, prepare your own official ‘garage workshop marketing plan’ and create a schedule for it. If you need any help implementing any of what we have suggested here, Chicane would be delighted to help you. We aim to help you grow your business and improve your relationships with your customers, distributors and product brand manufacturers. For further information please contact chicane. Tel: 01923 265894 or email gary@chicane.marketing THE GARAGE 33 32,33 Chicane.indd 2 18/11/2021 15:46
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