Almost more so than any other industry, auto repair and service shops depend on customer loyalty to survive. After all, people aren’t rushing out and buying a new car every six months – they keep the one they already have for as long as possible. Therefore, the goal of your direct mail marketing campaign is simple: you need to convince them that taking care of this most precious of investments is the right thing to do, and that if they want to do that properly, they need to book an appointment with your shop and nobody else’s! The nexus where those two ideas meet is where customer retention is born.
Powerful Automotive Marketing Ideas For Your Shop
By far, one of the most important things you can do with your targeted mailing efforts involves crafting collateral that helps establish yourself as an authority as much as possible. If you know that there is one particular make and model that is popular among your customers, create “car advice” materials with specific (and actionable!) tips and tricks that will genuinely help people keep their vehicle on the road for years to come.
Not only will you avoid falling into the trap of only reaching out to customers when you want them to buy something, but people will feel like you’re looking out for their best interests – which will definitely come in handy when their next oil change comes around.
Speaking of, don’t forget to send out postcard mailers and other collateral with timely offers that line up with regular service schedules. This is a perfect way to both attract the attention of new customers and remind existing ones about how much you care via a technique that is both low-cost and high return as well.
You could send out a reusable “V.I.P. Driver Card” for nearly anything – from first time customer discounts to free oil changes with the purchase of other services and more. You could even get people in the door with promotions like free tire rotations and, once they’re there, offer them further discounts on specific services and scheduled maintenance that will benefit their own unique vehicles.
If you’d like to find out more information about effective customer retention tips for auto repair shops, or if you’re just eager to find out about all of the other ways you can use direct mail marketing to your advantage, please don’t delay – contact us today.
