If you’re an independent mechanic or auto repair shop, then you may struggle to out-market the dealerships and the big chains. Fortunately, automotive service marketing doesn’t have to be expensive. Believe it or not, auto repair advertising can be very affordable. In this article, we’ll:
- walk through the buyer’s journey
- take a look at some good auto repair ads
- go over some auto repair advertising ideas
Whether you’re marketing your services as a mechanic, a body shop, an auto repair shop, or anything else, this article will get you started.
The Buyer’s Journey
The buyer’s journey for someone that needs repair work looks something like this:
- Awareness. First, they become aware of a problem. For example, their car is making a strange sound. You’ll want to create content that addresses this issue, and talks about its causes, dangers, and solutions.
- Consideration. Next, they’ll try to determine whether they can fix it themselves, or if they need to take it to a professional. When it comes to the professionals, they’ll be considering single site locations; local, regional, and national chains; and dealerships. You’ll want to have content that honestly assesses each option for their issue. Sometimes it’s better just to show them how to fix something easy themselves to engender good will so that they’ll bring it to you when they have a bigger problem.
- Decision. At this point, they’ve decided whether they’re going to do it themselves or take it to a professional. At this point, if they’ve decided to take it to a pro, it’s your job to show them that you’re the best shop for the job.
Examples of Good Auto Repair Advertisements
When it comes to auto repair advertisements, it doesn’t hurt to take some lessons from the big boys. Here are a few different types of ads with some examples.
Special Offer Promotion Ads
Timely Branding Ads
Informational Branding Ads
Auto Repair Shop Marketing Ideas
Here are a few marketing ideas for you to consider when you’re working on your marketing plan.
Check Out Your Competitor’s Ads
Thanks to the latest changes on Facebook, you can now take a look at your competitor’s ads on Facebook. See what they’re up to, and if it looks like they’re doing something that’s working, see if you can apply it to your business. That way you can save money by not having to test out different ideas to see what works.
Build Out a Full-Funnel Ad Campaign
Build out full-funnel campaigns for your most popular services (e.g., oil changes). What I mean by full-funnel is to target ads to buyers at each stage of the buyer’s journey. Create Awareness, Consideration, and Decision stage content, and then build remarketing audiences on Facebook that serve each content to the associated remarketing audience. I recommend starting with Facebook because it can be one of the most cost-effective ways to advertise.
Google Ads is your best best, but it’s more complicated (and can be more expensive). Try our Ad Spend Calculator to see how much you should be spending on ads.
Use Effective Ad Templates
Auto repair advertising is just like advertising for anything else. If you don’t have good ad copy and creative, no one is going to pay you any attention. So when it comes to your ad creative, don’t reinvent the wheel. There are six creativity templates that researchers have shown are the most effective way to advertise products and services. Check those templates out and use them to generate effective ads and creative for any marketing channel.
Get Some Help
A lot goes into a great ad campaign. Many shop owners are too busy to dedicate that much time to marketing. If you need more assistance, don’t hesitate to email me at [email protected]. I’d be happy to answer any questions.
Leave A Comment