Marketing a collision repair shop online may sound like a great idea in theory, but worries over finding the time and cash
can mean leaving your ambitions on the drawing board. With a few carefully planned initiatives, however, a shop owner may
only have to invest very little to make big gains on local competition.
Finer details
Tom Now, marketing director of the Boston base of Web site Marketing Now, says it's vital to define the ideal target audience
segments for the business (e.g. repeat customers). "Take the time to define your target audience – who would get the most
value out of your services. And take the time to define what makes you different from the competition. These two elements
can form the foundation for a very effective marketing strategy," Now says.
At the end of the day, a shop owner's goal, according to Miguel Salcido, vice president of operations, eVisibility in Carlsbad,
Calif., should be to have a good site with as much good information on it as possible. "Portray yourself in an amiable light
because some people may have a bad association with collision repair. Provide lots of photos and video if you can. These things
really help engage visitors and the search engines are really putting emphasis on these two forms of media," he says. On the fence
Some smaller mom-and-pop shops may still question whether they can invest in such a plan, because resources may be limited.
Now suggests shops in doubt about the benefits of marketing should still give it serious consideration.
"Effective marketing requires planning, but it does not necessarily require a lot of money. Even without a large investment,
it makes sense to establish a professional-looking Web site — the foundation of a shop's online identity— as 73 percent of
consumers use search engines to find local businesses," Now says. "It's worth the investment, if the shop will distinguish
itself from local competitor sites."
"Get a Web site and make sure it's half-way decent," Salcido says. The site can be "done on the cheap" for even under $100,
in some cases, by searching "Web site templates" for a predesigned template.
Once you decide on a design, Salcido recommends hiring a developer to set it up. This should cost no more than approximately
$500, depending on the level of sophistication. "You can even hire someone first and have them find designs for you on a template
site. You can find local developers by putting a free post up on your local Craig's List under "Gigs," Salcido adds. No matter
how simple the site, make sure to include the contact information in a prominent place, adds Now.
If your shop is able to make a more serious investment, plan on spending at least $1,000 to get a simple template Web site
built and then invest in some search engine optimization (SEO) for the site, Salcido advises. "For a local SEO campaign try
to dedicate at the very least $1,000/month, however, if you can find the right SEO to work on your site you can probably negotiate
based on whatever you can afford to spend on a monthly basis.
"SEO takes some time to work but pays great long term dividends," he adds.
End of the day
The end goal, according to Now, is to attempt to create a comprehensive marketing plan that includes online and offline marketing,
and integrate the two when possible. "For example, hold an offline educational clinic to local car owners and publish additional
useful information about the topic on your Web site," he says.
The payoffs can be "huge," notes Salcido, if you invest and believe in your Web presence.
But he warns that patience is key. "This whole process does not happen overnight and could take six to 12 months before you
are where you want to be. But once you get there you will reap the dividend for years to come. So take action and then be
patient," he says.
