Cars have a much longer lifespan these days. Thanks to better built powertrains which are more durable than ever before, car owners are able to keep their vehicles much longer than they used to simply by having them serviced regularly. Considering that the average age of cars on the road today is approximately 12 years, this is sweet music to every auto mechanic’s ears.
But with this shift in longer car ownership comes more auto shops competing for customers. This is why local advertising for auto shops is more important today than it has ever been.
Here are eight different types of local advertising that can work well for auto repair shops, especially when used in combination with one another, plus 3 types used less often for auto repair shops.
Have you ever done a Google search for “auto repair in [insert town]”? Or have you searched for a specific auto repair need such as “transmission repair in [city name]”? The results often include “aggregate listings” on third party websites. This could be on Yelp, or perhaps a local business listing website that has put together a list of auto repair shops in the town. Is your auto repair shop included in the online listings that appear in the results? Sometimes the lists are put together based on who has good reviews. And other times you can pay to be a part of these lists. It’s worth looking into the lists that exist in your city and getting added into them. (You may be surprised to find that you’re already on a few of the lists! But it’s important to know which ones you need to get added to.)
You can also find results in the Google map results or in the Bing map results. Be sure you have claimed your listing and added information about your services, hours, specials, etc. The map listings appear above the organic search results and can have a big impact on potential customers finding you. Your listing is free (sounds good, right?) so be sure you have claimed it and updated it.
When you do this, be sure the website you add to the listing has updated information about your services, prices, location, etc.
Aside from register tape coupons being a proven way to increase new customers, perhaps the greatest advantage of register tape coupon advertising is its low cost per impression. It’s typically no more than $6 to reach 1,000 customers in your immediate area. It’s hard to get this much visibility at that low of a price with any other type of advertising.
- Online Listings
- Online Reviews
- Register Tape Advertising at Grocery Stores
- Social Media Advertising
- Google Paid Search Ads
- Direct Mail
- Auto Events
- Referral Program
1. Online Listings
2. Online Reviews
Reviews are used by more than 85% of consumers when making decisions. They are powerful and there’s no denying it. So what do your reviews look like? Sometimes you might find that people have been reviewing you without you knowing it. Look at the reviews on important sites such as:- Yelp (Used on Bing and Yahoo listings)
- Angie’s List
3. Register Tape Advertising at Grocery Stores
Register tape advertising places a coupon for your auto repair shop on the back of cash register receipts given to customers at the local grocery store. This type of advertising works great to drive more customers into your shop. Whether they need your services right now or not, your ad reminds them that they need to take care of their car with a regular oil change or another type of maintenance. And, your coupon gives them incentive to choose your shop over another.Contact us to learn more about grocery store coupon advertising for your auto repair shop.
4. Social Media Advertising
Advertising on social media has its perks – it’s effective, it’s affordable, and it gives you a presence where people are spending time: on Facebook. This type of digital advertising can accomplish a few things:- Build awareness so that you’re top-of-mind when there’s a need for auto repairs.
- Generate business from those who are ready to use your services. Giving them incentive in the ad gives them incentive to take action now.