Did you know that about 1000 people search for “car repair near me” in Dubai EVERY MONTH?
If you own an auto repair shop or car garage, this is a pretty promising number for you.
Add to this phrase, other similar searches done in Arabic or other languages as well and you can see that if you could market your business to these people, your business would have a satisfactory number of sales every month.
So how do you find these potential customers? How do you make more money for your auto repair business? Digital marketing for auto repair shops is one pretty amazing answer.
Read this guide for a step-by-step guide on how to start digital marketing for auto repair shops.
How digital marketing helps auto repair shops
Auto repair and maintenance services are a must for all car owners. It’s the kind of service they don’t ignore since their transportation for work, running errands, trips, and emergencies depends on it.
With auto repair digital marketing you get to show your business to potential customers just like other marketing efforts, only with a few distinguished differences:
A. Auto repair digital marketing is affordable
Digital marketing is not cheap by any means. But compared to traditional marketing and advertising methods, it’s pretty cost-efficient.
B. Auto repair digital marketing will show your garage the moment people need you
When somebody is having car troubles and desperately needs help at the side of the road, they won’t have time to look through magazines or remember an auto repair shop sign they saw a while ago. Instead, they will take out their mobile phone and search.
Digital marketing for auto repair shops gives you the chance to promote your garage the moment somebody needs you.
Steps to solid digital marketing for auto repair shops
It’s never too late to start with digital marketing. Follow these steps to build your car garage a solid online presence that attracts customers.
Get a website design or landing page
The first thing you need is a website. Your website doesn’t have to be a huge one. You can even start with a one-page website (or a landing page). But there are a couple of features it must have:
It must be nicely designed
It must load fast, otherwise, you will lose potential clients.
It must be responsive and mobile-friendly since many of your customers are probably searching on their mobile phones.
It must have instant contact and calling options for the auto repair industry.
2. Write some content for your business
Write some clear descriptions about your business and its services. You can do this yourself or ask a content writer to do so. Whatever the case, it must be well-written and Google-friendly. Upload this content to your website.
3. Sign up on Google My Business
Register on Google My Business and complete your profile. Include your website, contact info, logo, and working hours on it. Don’t forget to update it regularly.
Also, try to encourage some of your clients to leave reviews on your profile. This will have a huge impact on your profile.
4. Run online PPC ads
Use the magic of PPC ads. PPC ads are pay-per-click online advertisements that you will only pay for when somebody clicks on them.
The most popular ones are Google Ads. with Google Ads you can show your ads to people who are searching exactly for your services.
Google Ads are fast, it takes less than a day to show up to potential customers. And they are highly targeted. This means that you can make sure only potential clients see your ads, not like random people passing by a billboard.
5. Join online marketing platforms
There are many platforms you can join for more marketing. For instance, you can register your garage on Groupon and provide coupons for their users.
Of course, other competitors will try to be present there too. But every business has its own competition.
6. Do SMS marketing
Try and collect your customers’ phone numbers. For instance, when they come in, ask for their numbers at the reception. Use these numbers to remind them of their regular car checkup times or to inform them of your new promotions. This helps keep them connected with you.
Other tips on digital marketing for auto repair shops
After you apply the essential steps above, you can expand your auto repair digital marketing efforts with the tips below.
Do social media marketing
Social media doesn’t seem like the most necessary marketing channel for car garages. But it helps to use them for further growing your business.
You can post interesting images or informative videos on your social media.
There’s also the possibility of social media ads for promoting your business page.
Invest in SEO and content marketing
SEO stands for search engine optimization. It refers to the process of optimizing your website and its content in a way that search engines especially Google rank it higher in search results.
With SEO you get to show up on top of Google naturally and without any ads. SEO process takes time but it will reduce your advertising efforts in the long term.
A big part of SEO is content. Relevant, fresh, and helpful content will definitely help your website rank higher in Google.
Start marketing your garage today
If you own a car garage or an auto repair shop, start your online marketing today and don’t miss another potential customer. With every day that you go without auto repair digital marketing, another competitor gets all the possibilities there are online.
Our digital marketing experts at DAAVIN can help you with a customized solution based on your budget and conditions. Call us today for a quick offer.