A thriving automotive service department is an essential source of dealership profits. However, many vehicle owners hesitate to have their vehicles serviced by dealers because they believe they are more expensive than third-party or corner-shop mechanics.
Whether your auto repair shop is nonexistent, minor, or thriving, you can increase your service department sales with these four strategies.
Use Mobile Apps
A mobile app has become essential for most businesses, and dealerships are no exception. A well-designed car service app allows customers to easily find information about a repair, schedule an appointment, or pay an invoice. These apps also help customers compare prices from different dealers and decide to maximize their value.
Increasing repair sales can be challenging for auto shops, especially when competing with other local shops and vehicle manufacturer-recommended service intervals. However, focusing on a few basic and budget-friendly marketing tactics can help grow your dealership’s service department.
For example, implementing a website like rental24h.com with all recommended repairs and clear and consistent pricing helps boost customer trust and loyalty. Including customer reviews, testimonials, and other informative content can enhance your shop’s credibility and encourage new customers to visit your automotive service center.
Another effective strategy is email marketing, which offers a direct line of communication between automotive professionals and their clientele. This personalized approach enables dealerships to maintain high customer satisfaction, cultivate brand loyalty, and boost repeat business.
Create Online Coupons
With high competition for auto service business and manufacturer-recommended intervals ever-expanding, it’s critical to spotlight your shop’s services. With simple and budget-friendly marketing tactics, you can boost your customer base and keep the car servicing revenue flowing.
The Internet is a powerful tool in any automotive service department marketing strategy. An informative and attractive website demonstrates your expertise, establishes trust, and gives prospects confidence that your shop is well-established and a good choice for their next service.
An online lead capture form allows visitors to your website to submit their identity in exchange for something valuable (like a FREE alignment or 20% OFF an oil change). It’s an effective way to build a database of interested customers and follow up with them, keeping your shop on time to schedule that next visit.
An email newsletter is essential to any automotive service department’s marketing strategy. It’s easy for potential customers to overlook your emails as spam, but offering an incentive to sign up (like a discount on an oil change or a free carwash) will make them eager to give you their email address. Dotted lines surrounding your offer highlight it, and terms and conditions (expiration date, “cannot be combined with other offers” stipulations) can help prevent abuse by overzealous coupon clippers.
Focus on Customer Satisfaction
With countless auto repair shops trying to steal customers away and manufacturer-recommended service intervals growing, the automotive industry is a crowded field. Thankfully, some tried-and-true automotive marketing strategies can set dealerships apart.
Blogging is one of these strategies that can help dealerships attract and engage customers. By posting relevant and informative content, dealerships can show they know the ins and outs of car maintenance, repair, and replacement parts. Additionally, blogging can also improve search return rankings.
Another way to connect with customers is by implementing an email program. By collecting their contact information, dealerships can send emails promoting their services and products. It can include discounts on oil changes or free car washes with certain services.
In-store automotive marketing strategies can also improve customer satisfaction. For example, dealerships can install a diagnostic tool in their shop that gives vehicle owners a monthly “health report” and answers to questions like, “What does this light mean?”
Another strategy that can help improve customer satisfaction is a loyalty program. Dealerships can establish customer loyalty and encourage repeat business by rewarding patrons with perks, such as one free oil change after five paid ones. In addition, a loyalty program can increase customer retention and improve brand recognition. As such, it is a great auto service marketing strategy that dealerships should consider implementing.
Incentives
Sales incentives are essential in the automotive industry because they can be used on customers and employees. Car manufacturers offer these incentive plans to help ensure that cars and stock are sold as quickly as possible while generating revenue for the company.
Incentives can be in the form of free services, discounts, or even cash bonuses. If you’re looking to strengthen customer loyalty and boost brand recognition for your business, there are several strategies you can implement. One practical approach is creating loyalty programs that reward specific groups, such as new customers or repeat clients. By adopting such initiatives, you can expect to improve your customer retention rates and overall business growth significantly.
Another way to boost customer retention is offering value-added perks such as free oil changes or vehicle wash. That will make your dealership stand out from the competition and encourage people to choose you over others.
It is essential to track the performance of your automotive service marketing campaigns by analyzing data such as how many ROs are generated and how many calls and emails your team receives each month. It can give you a clear idea of how successful your current marketing efforts are and what areas may need improvement. Doing this can increase your ROI and keep your business running smoothly. With the ongoing inventory shortages, you must utilize all the tools to effectively market your automotive service department.
