Repair Shop Marketing Message Part I: Power of Creativity
Our last posts spent time discussing your target customer—how to identify and reach them. This is one of the most important points of marketing and making sure you aren't wasting your time directing your message at people who are never going to come to your diesel repair shop. But what do you do from here?
Once you've gotten your target audience identified, an ideal customer profile developed, thought through some of their pain points, and decided which marketing channels will best help you reach them, you've got to make sure you have a strong marketing message to send them. This is what will help convert them from potential customers to actual customers who bring their trucks to your shop. Believe it or not, this takes more than just listing your services to them and hoping they'll choose your shop. You need to actually show target customer what you can do for them.
What Makes Up a Good Marketing Message?
Your marketing message is what you actually say to your target group about the services you provide. It's the copy that shows up on postcards and fliers you send out, or any ad space you purchase online or in the local newspaper. It's one of the first things people get to know about your shop, so you need it to make a strong impression on them, to avoid being forgotten amongst all the other things they see and read. The best marketing messages are simple and customer focused.
Customers respond better to messages that seem directed at them personally and make a connection with them. They are more likely to remember these than just a general message about a diesel shop that happens to be in town. So think about what it is that makes your shop uniquely suited to solve their specific problem and craft your message around that.
Strong marketing messages are simple. They don't waste time with extra words or fluff that the customer doesn't care about. Try to match the way your customers talk. Refer back to your target customer profile. Are they technically trained? If not, you probably don't want to use a lot of technical terms they might not be familiar with. They could be put off by the message because they don't understand it. Instead, focus on how they might say something. You'll be able to get the same message across, but the target customer will be able to connect more strongly with it—yours is a shop that understands them.
That's why creativity is so important in your marketing messages. You need to stand out from other shops to bring customers through your doors. Being creative about the ways you present your repair shop's unique benefits can help set you apart from your competition in the minds of potential customers. You have to be memorable.
Attracted by Emotion
Customers are drawn to certain things because of an emotional connection they have with it. It's not the only part of the decision making process, but it's the part that helps a company stick in someone's brain. It's the job of your marketing message to help drive this emotional connection.
Return to your ideal customer profile again. What values or beliefs do they have that you can draw on to help appeal to their emotions? Start to think like them and you'll be really hitting on the root of their emotions. That's where you can really start shaping your marketing message.
Think about how you can get this emotional response out of your target customer. Will you appeal to their frustration over the down time? "Quit losing money—our shop will get you back on the road almost before you even realize something's wrong." You could also work on their anger, nostalgia, joy, or anything else you think will push them into your shop. Shaping part of your message around making this emotional connection will go a long way to bringing in new business.
Stay Because of Logic
Customers might be driven to your door by their emotions, but it's the logical side of them that makes the final decision—or at least it's what they use to justify their decision. Therefore, it's important that you don't just play off their emotions. You need to give them hard evidence that backs up what you're saying your shop can do for them.
Do you have customer testimonials you can include in your marketing materials? This can help serve as evidence for new customers. It also might be as simple as including a list of bullet points that backs up your initial statement about your shop. The average time it takes to complete a specific repair you're advertising, for instance, or the low cost of your services when compared to others. Whatever route you choose, this is likely what will seal the deal in the mind of the customer.
Most people need some kind of justification when making a decision, rather than just being ruled by their emotion. That's why your marketing message should come in two parts. One to draw into the emotional side of your target customer, playing off of whatever pain point you've identified as especially relevant to your shop, and the other to give them the reasons they need to go with your shop. Not only do they have a connection with your shop, but you've provided proof that you can deliver on your promises.
Creativity Counts
These aren't the only things that go into your marketing message, but you should be able to begin to see why creativity plays an important role in its development. If you aren't creative in how you shape your message, it stands a good chance of getting lost in all the white noise your target customers see and read on a daily basis. What makes your shop stand out from the others? Focus in on that, and you'll have a good start on developing a winning marketing message.
In an upcoming post, we'll talk more in depth about something else that plays a large role in your marketing message—your brand. This helps the message you develop stick in the mind of your potential customer and helps direct how people think and talk about your repair shop. So keep an eye out for that!
The great benefits of our Repair Shop Value Program can help your diesel repair shop stand out! Check it out today!
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