How Can Garages And Workshops Attract More Customers In A Competitive Market?
Motorists have plenty of options when deciding where to take their vehicle for its next MOT or service, which is why garages, workshops and service centres are communicating more than ever with both new and existing customers to ensure their technicians’ schedules are kept fully booked.
A quick search online for local garages can tempt many car owners to book themselves into one of your competitor’s workshops, including existing customers who aren’t yet loyal to your business, so it’s important that you are reaching out first to increase the likelihood of them using your services.
Read our top tips below if you’re a workshop owner looking for advice on how you can help grow your customer base and keep motorists coming back to your garage for repeat business:
Text Message Reminders To Boost Retention
The most popular way for garages to build loyalty with existing customers is by sending text messages with a reminder about any upcoming MOTs or services. As phone calls to customers can easily go unanswered and emails aren’t guaranteed to reach their destination thanks to strict junk mail filters, sending a text message proves to be one of the most trusted methods for successfully reaching customers, particularly when you consider SMS open rates stated from a variety of sources stand as high as 98%.
After a customer’s first MOT or service with your business, you’ll now know the time of year when their vehicle is due its next appointment, giving you a reason to get in contact within the next 12 months. A dealer management system can record this vehicle information for you and even automatically send a text message to your customers so they can book themselves into your garage ahead of time, increasing their loyalty and trust with your business.
Mailer Campaigns To Drive Booking Conversions
Email campaigns are a great opportunity for your garage or workshop to present customers with the latest news and offers from your company, encouraging them to book their car in with your mechanics. Whether you’re advertising limited time deals and discount codes for everyday services or seasonal promotions such as summer and winter health checks ahead of essential road trips, emailing your customers with a simple mailer campaign can help to boost your service bookings.
An email full of branded content that includes links to helpful blog articles you’ve written will also instantly boost your credibility with customers, who will be reminded of your professionalism when your email reaches their inbox, helping to lead them back to your workshop before considering a competitor they’ve had no interaction with.
Strengthen Your Online Presence With Social Media
Regularly posting on social media will keep you active online, ensuring you stay in the news feed of your followers and subtly reminding them you are open for business. Posting less frequently can give the unwanted impression your company are not very responsive online, which can cause new customers to hesitate over using your services if they’re researching your garage on social media ahead of picking up the phone.
Uploading your positive customer reviews to social media is a great way to advertise your services and remind followers why you’re worth a visit over another garage, while posting links to your dealer website pages and blog articles that are full of advice can also drive your online interaction and get customers on your website ready to fill in your online service booking form.
SEO-Driven Blog Content To Help Attract New Customers
Adding a blog page to your dealer website will allow you to reach more motorists nationwide, which can help you to climb the search engine rankings so that your business will appear in front of more people online. Including SEO keywords in your content that you expect your customers will be typing into search engines will help websites such as Google to recognise your expertise and promote your garage ahead of the competition.
Writing helpful content that leads back to your own services, such as an article full of vehicle maintenance tips before describing how your mechanics can assist, can drive online traffic across the country to your website and increase the likelihood of local car owners discovering your garage and booking themselves in for a visit.
The DragonDMS dealer management system is full of features that have been designed to help increase your workshop profits and grow your company, including automatic text message reminders to boost customer retention and a comprehensive CRM section for ensuring regular contact with those who have already used your services.
Our garage software works alongside car dealer websites powered by Dragon2000 to ensure you can take advantage of even more key features that can attract customers to your business, such as online service booking forms that can feed appointment requests directly into your DragonDMS, plus blog hosting if you want to grow your online reputation.
If you’re ready to attract more MOT and service customers to your garage and retain them for years to come, contact Dragon2000 on 01327 222 333 or email us at sales@dragon2000.co.uk to learn how our products can help you.
Dragon2000 have been helping car dealers and garages drive their businesses forward for three decades with our dealer management system, car dealer websites and mobile apps. Speak to our sales team to find out how we can help your business increase profits and reduce costs.
