Not sure if your auto shop’s marketing is on the right track? When you’re running a small business, it can be difficult to make sure that you’re executing your marketing at the best possible level. To do this, you’ll need to make sure that you are asking yourself key questions at every step of the process. We’ve composed a list of everything you should be thinking about on a daily, weekly, monthly, and annual basis.

Auto Shop Marketing: What Do You Need To Do At Every Stage?

Every day, you should...

Day-to-day, your marketing efforts should be focused on creating a positive experience for your customers. You can do this by:

• Making sure that employees are engaging in best customer service practices
• Utilizing a customer loyalty program
• Encouraging your customers to leave feedback on Yelp, on comment cards, or through other methods
• Engaging with your audience on social media and online

Every week, you should...

Provide up-to-date and accurate information about your auto shop. This is key to making sure that your marketing is putting in the work on a weekly basis. Set some time aside each week to do an audit and update any information that is out-of-date. This could include making sure that your website has accurate pricing info, that any expired deals are no longer being advertised around the shop, etc.

Every month, you should…

Month-to-month is a great time to check in with your team, refer back to your marketing plan, and evaluate your progress. It’s too soon to do a complete overhaul on your marketing (save that for your annual review) but it’s a great time to think critically about your audience, your brand, and your messaging. At this stage, ask yourself:

• Is my audience still who I think they are? How can I refine my concept of my target audience?
• What is my auto shop’s brand? In the past 30 days, have we done a satisfactory job of communicating that brand to our audience?
• What worked this month, in terms of our marketing efforts? What didn’t?
• What are my competitors doing? Is it working?
  
  

Make sure you take notes! Document your monthly check-ins so that you already have an audit prepared when your annual marketing brainstorm takes place.

Every year, you should…

Take an annual look at your marketing plan. This is crucial. Every year, you should sit down to critically examine your successes and your failures, and to set (realistic) goals for your shop going forward. At your annual marketing review, ask yourself:

• What was our most successful campaign or initiative this year? Why do we think it worked?
• Are our existing customers satisfied with our service? If not, why?
• Are we consistently generating new leads?
• How can we improve the amount of repeat business that we get?
• Is our brand voice, messaging, and look consistent? Does it need to be updated?

BAYiQ takes your auto shop marketing strategy to the next level.

Adding value for your customers requires a clear, comprehensive strategy. Our marketing communication platform, rewards program, customer portal and review management system can increase customer satisfaction, simplify your day-to-day marketing operations, and help you put your best foot forward. Click here to schedule a demo.