Marketing is one of the most powerful ways to attract new customers to your auto repair shop, and content marketing – specifically, running an automotive repair blog – should be part of any marketing strategy. By creating a portfolio of useful information on relevant topics, your auto shop can demonstrate its authority, increase visibility, and boost engagement with clients, new and old.
That said, a successful blog post is more than just words on a page or rambling thoughts from the shop owner. An effective blog post entices readers, identifies an issue, and explores it thoroughly, ultimately leading back to the expertise of your business.
Here’s how to do it.
1. An Enticing Title
First and foremost, a blog post’s title should entice a person to read it. With this in mind, your title should succinctly convey the blog post’s topic.
Ideally, the topic will be something a reader will want to know more about. Remember, you and your team are the experts on auto repairs. Try to brainstorm topics that are relevant to your clients or frequent questions customers ask at your repair shop.
Some ideal topics might include:
- When to change your tires
- Preparing one’s car for the winter
- Repairs and maintenance that can be done at home
Check out our article, 6 Blog Topics Perfect for Your Automotive Repair Shop, for more ideas to get you started!
After selecting a topic, you’ll also need to use an eye-catching title. People often respond to listicles, how-to guides, and suggestions. The topics noted above might be titled in the following ways:
- 5 Signs It’s Time for New Tires
- A Mechanic’s Guide to Winterizing Your Car
- Think Twice Before Performing This Repair at Home
2. A Relatable Opening
The opening paragraph of any blog post should identify the problem and briefly segue into how it will provide solutions. For example, if we’re writing a blog post about when it’s time to change tires, an opening might look like this.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends that drivers change the tires on their vehicles every six years, but in our experience, there are many cases in which more frequent changes are required. To help prevent a flat or blowout, here are five signs that it’s time to change your tires.
In two sentences, we have our problem (people not changing their tires often enough) and the segue into the solution (the signs it’s time to change them).
3. Actionable and Valuable Sections
When writing each section of your blog post, you’ll want to consider whether or not you’re providing information that the reader will need. In high school or college, we were trained to write with word counts in mind. However, the beauty of blog posts is that there is no goal length. The ideal length is however long it takes to convey your thoughts to your reader.
While some research suggests that the ideal length of a blog is about 2,000 words, a quick Google search will contradict this idea. When you search for “when to change your tires,” the first three results have word counts of 1,449, 696, and 793 words. This demonstrates that Google doesn’t always prioritize certain lengths.
4. A Call to Action (CTA)
Even if your blog post is purely for thought leadership or to provide information, it’s important to include a Call to Action, which invites the customer to do exactly that – take action. Typically, this section asks the reader to engage with your business, such as booking an appointment, signing up for an email list, or making a call.
A blog post about learning when to change your tires might end with either of the following CTAs:
- A link to schedule a consultation so your shop can examine the reader’s tires
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- Schedule a Free Consultation
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- A link to sign up for an email list so readers can receive weekly information on car maintenance
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- Stay Updated on All Things Car Maintenance
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If you don’t currently have scheduling or email campaign functionality on your website, then it’s time to invest in some software. BayIQ, a platform designed specifically for auto shops, allows you to build a website for your shop that hosts everything your clients need.
With a BayIQ website, clients can schedule appointments through a scheduling system and receive text updates about their appointments. BayIQ also allows auto shops to send out automated email campaigns related to promotions, general information, or scheduling maintenance.
Once you’ve created a helpful blog post, your next task is to engage the reader through CTA. By reaching them through the website, email, and text message BayIQ makes it easy for clients to do so. Schedule a demo today to see for yourself exactly how it works.