Background
Auto repair owners and managers are perceived to have remained reliant upon conventional marketing modes, such as newspaper ads and Yellow Page listings. This perception proves true: Though 11% of all automotive repair businesses claim plans to engage in future online marketing promotions, only 18% are currently promoting their businesses via
email marketing. Seventy percent of the surveyed do not participate in email marketing at this time and surprisingly state that they have no plans to do so in the future.
The savvy owners and managers of automotive repair facilities successfully managing email marketing campaigns discover that, in most cases, it becomes their promotional method of choice. These automotive service business owners and managers determine that a foremost priority is the task of collecting as many email addresses as possible (with clearly specified permission to be placed on the list). This collection is generally achieved through these separate vectors:
At the service counter
At car shows
At racing events
At concert events
At sports events
Through parades and other municipal & social events
By sponsoring little league and other local teams
Via website signup page
From collaborative local businesses such as parts stores
Many participating automotive repair businesses are discovering that proper email and social media marketing is not a one-to-many broadcast like more traditional forms of newspaper, radio and television advertising. Online promotion should take the form of a loosely structured one-to-one conversation in order to engage the customers and achieve maximum marketing effectiveness. According to Chris & Erika Ester Guarino at the Internet marketing services agency Cybertegic, it is vital for automotive repair businesses "to be more engaged when employing a social media marketing campaign. Being more engaged means offering news, feedback, and engaging in conversations that may or may not be about your brand."
It is indisputable that the 18% of automotive repair businesses who are currently active in email marketing campaigns gain considerable competitive advantage, able to access a significantly larger demographic base than companies still mired in conventional media. Advertising has made a clear turn to email and social media marketing, an approach that should be carefully considered by the owner or manager of every automotive service, maintenance and repair facility.
