Navigating Digital Marketing for Your Auto Repair Shop in Arizona
Repairing my car is as intimidating for me as Digital Marketing may be for you, but it doesn’t have to be. There are some really simple steps that can be taken to learn and understand some effective techniques that will help you get a little traction online for your business. There are always unknown variables you will need to deal with as you make this journey, but it’s like anything else, once you’re under the hood and tinkering around with things you will get a better idea of what is going on and how to fix it. The information I have shared below scratches the surface on just some of the digital marketing avenues that are available for mechanics in Arizona. It’s a pretty quick read, and I kept it pretty basic. If you finish the read and have questions about implementing some of these strategies for your auto repair shop, just contact us through the contact page or give us a call at (480) • 500 • 7020 and we would be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Online Marketing For Mechanics
Automotive repair is a business 
that will not go away anytime soon. The need for more qualified mechanics that understand the complex nature of modern vehicles, computer systems, and high-performance technologies is at an all-time high. Car manufacturers are designing and producing smart cars that literally have the ability to navigate the roads without a human operator, drive from destination A to destination B, and park the vehicle without a human operator. These technologies are so advanced that the old school mechanics of yesterday are no longer qualified to provide maintenance and repair on these vehicles without proper certifications from the manufacturers. Most dealerships prefer that car owners bring the car back to the dealership for repairs, and this is especially true for leased vehicles and vehicles that payments are being made on. Some manufacturers will void warranties if a certified dealership/mechanic doesn’t perform the repair procedure on the vehicle using certified parts. This ever-growing advance in technology is making it more and more difficult for small-time mechanics to compete with the big dealerships. So how does a local mechanic compete with the larger dealerships in an industry that is more technical than ever? The answer is equally as technical as the work that needs to be performed on the vehicles. Online Marketing!
Repair Shops Can Compete With Dealers
This question has been presented on multiple fronts, not just the automotive repair front. Anyone in business for themselves at some point will need to face the reality that there are competitors in their local markets that have bigger budgets, bigger garages, a larger staff, and a bigger presence in their local market. Advertising dollars alone won’t be enough to compete with these thriving businesses at first, local repair shops will need to look to the Internet to drive more traffic to their repair shops. It doesn’t matter if you are a BMW repair shop, a certified Mercedes dealership, or a Toyota dealership that offers service and repair, there is most likely already someone in your local market that has a greater reach to the public than you. Leveraging the affordable resource that is the internet is the absolute best place to start promoting your repair shop. A great example of this can be seen at Arrowhead Imports where this small BMW service center is competing locally with some of the larger dealerships in the Phoenix market. Arrowhead Imports doesn’t have an online presence like Schumacher Mercedes in Phoenix, but they have the online resources to create content and promote their shop through social media, paid advertising, display ads, and PPC campaigns.
Youtube For Mechanics
Youtube can be a huge resource for mechanics, Youtube is the second largest search engine behind Google and people visit Youtube every day for “how-to” videos on automotive repair-related topics. Most mechanics have access to a smartphone, therefore shooting video shouldn’t be some complicated process. As users search Youtube for things like “DIY oil change on a BMW” or “fix Mercedes transmission that doesn’t shift” they will find an abundance of video content that can be used as a resource to repair their automobile. Ideally, if you did well, your video will become that resource for thousands of people on the internet. If the repair process is far more involved than the viewer may have anticipated, they may refer to the mechanic in the video (you) for business. Giving away rich snippets of information like this is easy, and if it’s already an automobile that you are being paid to repair, then you might as well capture a video of the repair for your Youtube channel. Becoming an authority on automotive repair can drive people from your Youtube channel to your website, and it creates an opportunity for you to receive referral traffic from the Youtube search engine. This is one of the most affordable options for mechanics, it’s free to create an account, and you can publish an unlimited amount of content for your business at any time.
Facebook For Mechanics
If you are a mechanic that is creating content for your Youtube channel, then it becomes really easy for you to share it across multiple social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, and more. You can also leverage other video-sharing platforms like Vimeo and Daily Motion to promote your videos. In addition to pushing video content to these platforms, you can also leverage them to create communities of inspired weekend mechanics. There are plenty of people that like to tinker, and having them as an engaged audience can help you with your social activity. There are going to be times when these weekend hobbyists won’t have the time or desire for certain automotive repairs and you may be the first person they think of. So how does it work?
A real simplified step-by-step process looks something like this.
- Create A Facebook Group (Example: Arizona BMW Enthusiasts)
- Invite People To Join
- Create A Facebook Ad Campaign Targeting People In Arizona That Like BMW
- Send That Traffic To The Group Page
- Produce Great Content (Pictures, Videos, and Resources)
- Stay Active In The Group
- Build Your Community
By doing this you can create a local Arizona chapter of BMW enthusiasts on a platform that they are all already using, targeting them because they have already specified to Facebook that they “like” BMW. You can use this platform to share insider knowledge, post videos, and establish yourself as an authority on automotive repair in your local market. As a BMW mechanic, you have the experience and knowledge that people seek on service and repair, people will look and listen when you publish content. This community will grow substantially, and users will use this as an authoritative resource for any questions they may have on BMW service or repair. Without question there will come a time where these individuals will need the assistance of a professional mechanic and a professional garage, that is when you begin to benefit from the many hours spent creating the group, content, and engaging the audience.
Instagram Advertising For Mechanics
Everyone likes pictures of nice cars, and enthusiasts will like pictures of their favorite models and brands. As luxury vehicles roll in for repair, or classic cars are dropped off for maintenance, snap a photo, create a caption, and post it to Instagram. Instagram is huge, and even though it’s not necessarily as effective for local services as it is for e-commerce and affiliate marketing, Instagram is still a great free resource to utilize if you are looking for more exposure. Instagram also offers paid advertising within its platform, giving you the ability to target your market.
Free Resource On Instagram Marketing From Later.com and HubSpot: Download Instagram Marketing
Pay Per Click Advertising For Mechanics
Pay Per Click advertising (PPC) can be extremely effective for mechanics in the Phoenix area, it’s a competitive market, so PPC bids may be a bit high. Make sure you have the budget for it and understand how it works before diving in. Hiring a PPC agency in Arizona to handle your campaign for you is a pretty good idea. Most companies charge 15-20% of the budget as a fee for setting up and managing the PPC campaign. The one thing about PPC campaigns is that they come and go, so if you spend that money on those leads, make sure you are converting that traffic into business. It’s entirely possible that you set a budget of $500 dollars and you don’t convert that into a single customer. It’s the nature of the beast, but it can definitely generate traffic right now if you are willing to roll the dice.
SEO For Mechanics in Arizona
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing content on your website so that people find it when using search engines like Google and Bing. SEO is a long-term commitment, but when done right it can become the lifeline for any business looking to generate more leads online through organic search. There is a ton of information out on the web about SEO and how to better optimize your content for search. SEO experts like Brian Dean have shared hours upon hours of great information for the world to consume. Take the time to watch his videos, learn how he creates content, and even buy into some of his courses.
If you are a local Arizona mechanic that wants to try this on your own, by all means, that is a stellar option for you, however, if your calendar is booked and watching SEO videos doesn’t sound as appealing as providing service repairs on a European luxury import, then contact a local SEO agency (480) • 500 • 7020 that can assist you with those efforts. The sooner you start, the better off you will be! It all takes time, and if you are serious about driving more traffic to your automotive repair shop then organic SEO is a sure-fire way to make that happen.
