Keeping up with emerging marketing trends and reaching current and future customers is more challenging than ever in the tire sales industry. While launching a website with SEO keywords is one way to reach your audience, you need to be innovative to get your message across to your customers.
Tire sales businesses can stay ahead of their competition with these tire marketing ideas for an effective tire sales marketing strategy.
Put the Tires on Display for Your Customers
One of the ways to sell more tires is to put your products where they’re easily visible. You can display your stacks of tires in the storefront window or the platform near the drive-through.
They should also come with the appropriate signage and easel boards displaying your clear selling points, such as Factory Approved Tires or Price Match Guarantee.
Feature Your Employees on Social Media
Social media is one of the excellent tire advertising ideas that can help you reach many people. You can use videos to market your garage on social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Shop owners can talk about tires and services at the store in the videos. If you want to honor your tire-savvy, hardworking employees, ask them if they are interested in being part of short videos for your shop’s social channels. When they see employees on camera, your customers gain trust and know who to call for tire help.
They can appear in educational videos explaining how often tires should be replaced to ensure their performance and, more importantly, their safety. As the winter months approach, your employees can discuss tire concerns related to snow and ice in the videos. In the summer, they might discuss tire concerns related to rain and heat.
A video is a perfect way to show customers what they can expect when visiting your shop. You don’t need professional-quality equipment, either. All it takes are some simple videos recorded on a smartphone.
To further grab people’s attention in this era of short videos and quick social media posts, you can let them see behind-the-scenes footage of employees doing their daily duties. This allows them to connect with your brand and makes it more relatable to them.
Start a Referral Program
One of the best ways to sell more tires is through referrals. This encourages your existing customers to share your store with their friends, family, and co-workers. People enjoy saving money which is an excellent incentive for them to recommend your shop to others. 74% of customers cite word-of-mouth recommendations as the most significant factor influencing their purchase decisions.
As one of your marketing ideas for auto repair shops, you can create referral cards. These cards for your customers may provide them with a 10% discount off their next set of tires or a free oil change if they bring a friend or family member to your business. By rewarding them with discount cards, they are more likely to refer new customers to your store.
You can feature your referral program on your site, email marketing messages, and social media posts. You can even talk about the referral program with a customer after they complete their payment in person for your tire replacement services.
Include a Section on Your Website for Sales and Specials
Sales and deals are one of the most critical marketing strategies for car & tire dealers. Promote your tire sales by adding a prominent sales and specials section on your homepage that features the best deals on tires. Customers will be more likely to complete the transaction if they think they get a good deal on their purchase.
The sales section is crucial to retaining the customer’s attention. A visitor forms an opinion on your site within 50 milliseconds and decides whether to stay or leave within that time.
So, to stand out to your customers, you should include current manufacturer rebates in the sales and specials section of your website. The site can also show discounts for tire rotations, oil changes, and car battery replacements if you offer them in-store.
Offer Winter Specials With Print Coupons
The winter season is an excellent time to promote coupons for oil changes and vehicle repairs. Advertising your auto shop with register tape coupons can effectively market your auto shop in front of customers. It involves placing coupons on grocery store receipts that are handed out to customers after each transaction. They can make your store more visible to the public and attract more customers.
You can also feature your coupons in other digital marketing campaigns. Use images of your print coupons in your auto repair social media posts and include the hashtags in your captions. When a snowstorm is forecasted to hit your area, tell your customers to use their coupons before the storm hits as a call-to-action.
If you have data indicating a customer changes their tires at certain times annually, send them emails prior to their usual appointment date with your coupons.
Consider using emails with subject lines like “Are Your Tires Winter-Ready?” to emphasize the importance of tire safety in snowy weather. The urgent subject line encourages recipients to open the emails and see the coupons.
Boost Your Auto Tire Marketing Strategy
The tire industry is a competitive market, but there are still plenty of opportunities for you to grow your sales. These strategies can help you reach more people who want quality tires that fit their budget.
Putting the tires on display for customers at the storefront or even running special winter offers with print coupons are great options for aligning your marketing strategy with your brand identity.
By Eric Shafer