Over the years, THE SHOP contributor and digital marketing specialist Barry Alt has spoken to many automotive aftermarket shops in the restoration and performance space, and they’ve often said they’d rather have fewer, more focused and profitable ongoing projects in their shops than a larger number of jobs.
In the August issue of THE SHOP Magazine, Alt details some key steps that can help your shop get noticed by new prospects that have money to burn and want to spend it with you, in turn leading to fewer ongoing projects with great profitability.
1. Develop a Professional-Looking, Easy-to-Navigate Website
Do you want to be seen as a highly professional shop? Then the quality of your website matters.
One way is to make sure your website is mobile-friendly. If it isn’t mobile-friendly or mobile-ready, people will get annoyed and frustrated by an inability to navigate the site.
It is also important to have a user-friendly website. If your site is not professional-looking and/or is hard to navigate, then potential clients won’t convert. They’ll leave your website in search of one that’s professional, up to date and easier to use.
2. Share Your High-Value Projects on Social Media
Posting and talking about your projects on social media is just as important as posting them to a portfolio or project gallery on your website. Showing off the projects you’re working on creates excitement and is a great way to get people interested in your work, show the quality of your work and build trust.
3. Know Your Customer’s Journey from First Contact to Delivery
Engaging with customers doesn’t happen solely over social media. When you’re working on a project, keep the client updated throughout the project with text messages, emails and images.
4. Educate Your Customers & Demonstrate Your Skills
Educating customers about the work you’re doing can help you connect with them more easily and allows them to enjoy their vehicles even more. It also allows them to talk more intelligently about their vehicles once they inevitably begin to show them off. They’ll be more invested in the project and feel more comfortable talking to fellow enthusiasts and likely tout your staff as local experts worth checking out.
5. Always Display Up-to-Date Proof of the Work You Do
Your prospects want to see your latest awards, current and past builds, as well as top projects that have been featured in the media or at big shows. Posting this information on your website and social media can be very informative to prospects that know nothing about you.
6. Always Continue to Tweak Your Processes to Improve the Customer Journey
Developing a process for every step in your client project workflow is critical to success, no matter the size or type of work being performed. The more things you can build a process around, the more efficient your team can be. This results in clients that get their vehicles back sometimes sooner than expected, meaning they’ll be even happier with your work, hopefully tell all their friends and keep coming back for years to come.
Read the full article in the Digital Version of THE SHOP’s August issue.
