However, it’s important to stay consistent in also attracting new customers rather than relying solely on the group of existing customers you build up as your shop expands its reputation for good repair work.
While walk-ins are certainly a thing, it isn’t the best bet to depend on them as your sole way of getting new customers. Instead, take proactive approaches to gain a steady stream of new customers coming through your doors.
Community work allows you to not only expose the business to potential new customers but also make a positive impact on the people and places you call home.
Do something good by feeding the homeless, supporting your city’s high school, or raising money for a local nonprofit, like Casey’s Automotive did for Ellie's Hats.
Partner with an adjacent local business, like a car wash or detail facility to establish a flow or referrals between your business and theirs.
According to Mary, advertising locally is one of the most effective techniques to draw new customers into your shop.
Some reliable local advertising mediums include local papers, school mailers, sports programs, small magazines, or even something as simple as hanging up flyers at adjacent businesses.
Running special promotions is a great way to attract new customers. Haglin Automotive provides first-time customers with an oil change special or $25 off a repair each quarter with a seasonal savings card sent to every customer.
A few examples of social media auto repair promotion ideas include both sponsored content and visual advertisements.
When you advertise your auto repair shop on social media, make sure you consider:
A strong automotive SEO strategy will help make your business appear higher in the Google listings when someone searches a keyword in your area.
Pro-tip: the first step you should take to improve SEO is to list your business on Google, then regularly update your website with new content.
Always remember the customers who have been visiting your shop since the beginning. As Mary says, you’ll also want to employ strategies that help retain existing customers and increase loyalty.
Vehicle maintenance can become less of a priority for customers who don’t set their own personal reminders on vehicle maintenance.
By investing in a shop management system that gives you and your team full visibility into what repairs customers have had previously and exactly which repairs they’ve declined, your service advisors have the opportunity to remind them of repairs and maintenance work that may be needed soon, saving them money on what could become more expensive repairs later on.
Your customers will appreciate that you are looking out for them and their vehicles amidst everything else they have to manage, and you can bring more revenue into your shop, too.
One aspect of marketing that Mary prioritizes at Tekmetric is the reliable information that the customer success team provides to Tekmetric users. Implement Digital Vehicle Inspections into your technician’s processes.
With Tekmetric’s DVIs, you can attach images and videos along with your findings, building trust with customers while clearly showing them what’s going on with their vehicles.
Giving small gifts to your customers during holidays, birthdays, or other celebratory times of the year is a great way to show customers that you appreciate their business.
A simple coffee mug with your logo on it could spark the next conversation about your shop when they have their friend over for coffee.
Never underestimate the power of word-of-mouth auto repair shop marketing.
Provide your loyal customers with a gift showing how much you appreciate them.
Implementing a loyalty program in your shop will offer your customers important benefits that keep them coming back.
Or, for returning customers, one of the best ways to give and receive is to create a referral challenge that incentivizes existing customers to refer people to your shop for a reward.
Make your program attractive to customers and easy to track.
Upping your social media game can sound intimidating at first, which is why Mary recommends making it fun.
Consider sharing testimonials from satisfied customers, posting “day-in-the-life” or “behind-the-scenes” looks at what goes on in your shop from your perspective or the perspective of a technician, sending out e-newsletters with fun shop updates and vehicle knowledge, or making applicable “how-to” videos for sticky situations such as flat tires.
No matter what auto repair promotion ideas you put into place at your shop, you’ll want to track what works and what doesn’t.
With regular, careful analysis of the results, you’ll put your shop in the best possible position to generate more profits as cost-efficiently as possible.
Selecting a shop management system that allows you to track your auto repair shop marketing strategies will provide you with insights into who your most loyal customers are, how they found your business, and why they keep coming back.
Tekmetric's former Marketing Coordinator Mary Payton had the chance to share these go-to marketing strategies to attract new customers and retain existing customers with Vehicle Service Pros. Access her full piece here.
The reality is that now is a better time than ever to set your auto repair shop up for success, and even start laying the foundation for multi-shop growth. Especially for shop owners willing to take the time to embrace a new toolset: a modern shop management system.
In our latest Auto Repair Industry Index we took a look at recent industry trends across the country, compiled data from industry resources, and compared it to our Tekmetric data. What we found was really promising!
With a cloud-based SMS, shops can leverage amazing features like Default Inspections and Smart Jobs to not only simplify their workflows and smooth out their operations to run like a well-oiled machine but also set their business up for future growth and success.
Tekmetric is a huge improvement over a traditional paper process for sure. Estimates are easy to draft, orders are easy to create, and work flows easily through the platform as cars move through your shop.
That's because there’s always a better way! Canned jobs in Tekmetric are particularly powerful, saving service writers time by simplifying the process of building job estimates. Less clicks means more time to focus on the customer and offer amazing service while selling even more amazing BG Products.
When you have the right tool that helps simplify your work, why not use them? You wouldn’t use an open-ended wrench when a ratcheting socket wrench cuts the time in half and saves your knuckles.
In our effort to keep growing Tekmetric so running your shop is even easier, our latest update to canned jobs now includes even more canned jobs for BG Products and services right in Tekmetric. Just enable the canned jobs you want to use, and start selling even more BG services right away!
Canned jobs are pre-saved job templates in Tekmetric that include labor and parts associated with common repair work done.
Instead of recreating jobs you perform on a regular basis, shops can create as many canned-jobs as they like to build estimates in just seconds. Just apply the right canned job and you're ready to send for approval.
In fact, shops find canned jobs so helpful, one shop running on Tekmetric has created over 2,000 customer canned jobs, and even uses at least one canned job per RO.
The value of canned jobs is clear: making it easier for repair teams to provide customers with the best of the best.
Simple, efficient, and reliable processes lead to more completed work and happier customers. And as we know, happier customers leads to even more customer retention, and better customer retention increases shop profitability.
In essence, canned jobs can even help you pay for Tekmetric. The profit generated from saving time, closing more repair orders and selling better service can cover the cost of the platform, and then some.
Just why are canned jobs so powerful for your shop? That's easy:
Selecting the right business name for your auto repair shop can be a challenging task. Your business name will be the first impression your potential customers have of your shop and will determine how memorable your shop will be. Use the ideas below to brainstorm the perfect name for your auto repair business.
Once you have your list of potential shop names narrowed down, it is time to do a final round of research to make sure your name is legal, optimized and ready to launch. Check out our final 6 tips and tricks below.
Before you can launch your new automotive shop name, you should check for Trademarks by visiting the US Patent and Trademark Website. Simply search your pending business name to see if it is taken or if you can proceed.
Search engine optimization for auto repair shops is an important avenue for driving brand awareness and new customers. To maximize your new business name, aim to include common keywords like “automotive”, “repair”, and “shop”. Also, try to use local terms like “Houston” to help search engines know where your services are located. Lastly, check to see if any competitors are using a similar name and determine if your name will be unique enough.
GoDaddy can check if your new automotive repair shop name is available to use. You will also be able to see how much the domain name will cost and whether it would be cheaper to use a variation of your business name.
Keeping your new shop name simple will help you in the long run. Potential customers will find it easier to remember (and share via word of mouth) if you keep it short and simple. Plus, shorter business names are easier to fit on business cards, advertisements, and social media.
Looking down the road, your new business name should fit within your overall automotive marketing strategy. Are you planning to use a certain logo or color scheme? Make sure your name fits the theme you are aiming for and attracts your target audience. If you plan to use social media marketing, check to see if your business name is available as a social handle.
Your name is likely your first impression with your customers. Once you are ready to launch, give it one more review to make sure it conveys the right brand identity and message. Lastly, have a friend or colleague offer feedback on your business name and see how it resonates with them.
Tekmetric has developed a free AI-powered mechanic shop name generator tool to help you brainstorm new business name ideas. Our tool can also help you check for domain availability and provide logo design concepts.
Finding the right name for your business is a daunting task and we hope this guide has helped you brainstorm new business name ideas and narrow down your list. We recommend taking the extra time to make the right choice up front so you don’t have to rebrand down the road. As always, there is wisdom to asking for feedback from your community. Select your top 5 names and ask for help picking the best shop name for your business.
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