7 Poor Automotive Marketing Strategies
We have all seen terrible marketing content on tv, social media, and physical forms like billboards or fliers. Not all automotive marketing strategies are created equal, which is why it is so important to understand how they function.
In the automotive industry, there are certain strategies that you should be using to reach your target audience. With that, there are also certain things that you should avoid while creating your marketing campaign. We are going to discuss the seven poor marketing strategies to avoid.
Timely Posting on Your Social Channels
On a platform like Facebook, consistent posting is a must when attempting to build interest in your business. Social media has its quirks, and those quirks include the content you post and when you post it.
Scheduling your posts with care is highly encouraged. Consider when your target audience is most active on the social platform. This will help you reach them more effectively.
The content that you post is also important because of the industry that you represent. Community engagement, promotional posts, customer stories, and shop news, are popular forms of content you can leverage to gain a following.
Not Paying Attention to Ads Can Hurt Your Marketing Effort
If you are running ads on platforms like Facebook, Google, and Yelp, you need to meet a specific set of criteria. You need to pay attention to your budget, the radius of your ads, and the keywords you use.
The duration of time that an ad runs on a platform is also something to be mindful of. You do not want to run ads without clear objectives and goals in mind. Not having a specific run time for your ad should be part of your goals. Failure to pay attention to your digital ads could mean more money spent, which leaves less money for other marketing objectives.
A solution to this problem is developing marketing goals that fit your budget. We recommend using the SMART goal method. SMART is an acronym that refers to the specific, measurable, achievable, relevancy, and timeliness of your goals. If you can determine how your ad fits into this objective, the possibility of running a successful ad will increase.
Google Search Ads are likely to show up when you search for the specific business running the ad. Once consumers search, your local and non-local customers will see it on SERP (search engine results page).
Automotive Companies Taking on Digital Marketing Themselves
We applaud automotive repair shops for trying to market their business themselves. There are so many possible avenues to take that it can become confusing, frustrating, and somewhat unproductive. If you do not possess the skill, knowledge, or tools to market your business, you may be in an uphill battle.
Our solution to that is allowing professionals who possess the tools and experience to facilitate the marketing goals of your business. We partner with major brands like Yelp to make the process of creating, running, and managing your advertising simpler.
It can be difficult to deal with support staff on social media platforms. This is mainly because most people do not have experience speaking with them about technical problems. Our onboarding team has direct access to support staff to make sure that your content and ads meet your expectations.
Creating a consistent plan for digital marketing is paramount to running a modern business. With many consumers using online search engines to find companies to do business with it is important to be present online. Not having an online presence that includes social media accounts, a modern website, or ads, can be detrimental to your business.
Automotive Businesses Only Using Physical Marketing Materials
You may be wondering, “Who only uses physical marketing materials anyway?” There are business owners out there who do not like using social media to market their business.
Marketing your business using only physical marketing materials can be done, but only on a local level. Solely using physical marketing means that you could potentially miss out on reaching more customers and connecting with them online.
We believe that, for your business to grow, the exploration of all types of marketing, physical or digital, is highly encouraged. The solution to that would be exploring the potential of digital marketing tools like a website and social media accounts. You’ll be able to provide promotional information to customers because most of your customers will search for your business online.
Location is a major factor when determining what marketing materials would make the most sense for your business. Even if you are in a rural area, consumers will still search for your business online. It is not on the same scale as a business in an urban area, but rural areas have other types of vehicles that need maintenance and repairs.
Relying Solely On “Word of Mouth” Marketing
“Word of mouth” marketing had a prominent place before digital marketing tools were introduced. It is still used as a marketing tool today, but it does not have the same power that it once did.
Since then, social media has taken on a more active role in spreading the word about business. Social media platforms like Facebook, Google, and Yelp have review tabs where consumers can express their opinions about their overall experience.
Not using any form of digital marketing means potential customers will not be able to find your business online. When users are searching for auto shops near them, there would be nothing of your business for Google to pull from. This means you have a huge gap in potential customers for your business.
Positive reviews on those platforms will inform other consumers about the business and the way it is conducted. Making sure that you and your employees maintain a high level of customer service will enhance and validate your “word of mouth” strategy.
We encourage you to market on social media by posting content that you think is relevant to your target audience. You do not need to create and pay for ads if you choose not to. Having a digital presence is better than having no presence at all.
Responding To Offensive Reviews
All businesses have been there before. We have seen negative reviews filled with improper language, falsehoods, and other offensive content. Those types of reviews are never nice to read. They can often lead to consumers not trusting your business with their vehicle.
Some ways to combat poor reviews are by responding promptly to the review and rectifying the problem as soon as possible. This will show consumers that accountability has been considered and the issue is no longer a concern.
One major problem is that business owners may respond in kind to the review. Consumers that see a disrespectful review response will only hurt your business. We recommend that you do your best to avoid responding in that manner.
Another way to combat poor reviews is by highlighting perfect reviews on your social media platforms. This will not only play well with consumers looking to do business with your shop, but it will also encourage a healthier relationship with your customers.
If you have a good relationship with a customer who had one bad experience and wrote a review about it, then the review may be less offensive. Creating positive relationships with your customers will do wonders for your business.
Hiring The Wrong Digital Marketing Agency
Business owners that look for digital marketing companies to market their brand typically want one thing, and that is to be the right fit for their business. How is the right fit between an auto repair shop and a digital marketing company determined?
The right fit depends on the goals of your business. Optimize is the perfect fit if you are looking to increase your reach and traffic on your social media platforms. If your goal is to boost the performance of your business’ website, then other marketing companies may be the right fit.
An example of the wrong fit would be if a company does not offer the services you require. It could also be that a particular marketing company does not serve a specific industry. If they do not serve a specific industry, then the services may be too broad.
A prime example of an industry-specific marketing company is Optimize Digital Marketing. We have been providing digital marketing solutions to small, medium, and large automotive repair shops since 2012. The content that we create, the website designs, and the advertising services that we provide are all specifically designed to be used by businesses within the automotive industry.
We do our best to make your business accessible digitally by enhancing search engine optimization, or SEO). It is our goal to find a way to make your business stand out and become more successful.
Is Optimize the right digital marketing agency for your business? Give us a call to learn more about how we can help take your online presence to the next level!