Acquiring new customers is a challenge that all auto service related companies face. However, there has never been a better time to increase automotive aftermarket sales than now. According to POLK, new and used vehicle owners are holding on to their vehicle longer, which is increasing the need for repair and maintenance; their research shows a 29 month increase in ownership since 2001. All of these older late model vehicles need service!

The competition between the OEM’s and their dealers and independent auto service providers is also ever increasing, so, wisely spending marketing budgets has become more important than ever. With so many marketing options to choose from it is essential to choose methods that are proven to be a good return on investment. Based on our research and feedback from auto service clients, here are five tried and true marketing strategies.

5 Proven Marketing Strategies for Auto Service Companies

1)      An Online Presence is a must and should include – Company Website, Blog, Social Media Networks, Email Marketing, and Registration with Online Directories (i.e. Google Places) for local search results.

2)      Service Reminder Programs – it is important to keep your existing customers coming back with retention marketing efforts. Aside from scheduled maintenance you should also be sending out seasonal offers to customers, such as a winter antifreeze change or a summer tune-up before the vacation season. This can be done through mail, email or SMS marketing.

3)      Direct Mail Prospecting – this is a great way to reach new movers as well as target your competitors’ customers. While the offer and design of the mail piece are important, the critical part of a direct mail campaign is the mailing list. Vehicle Owner Mailing Lists that can be filtered by year, make and model will enable your auto service center to service those that you are most specialized in. New Mover’s Mailing Lists are also a good choice since the new mover will most likely be looking to establish new relationships with an auto service provider.

4)      Referral Programs – word of mouth is one of the best ways to grow your business with the least amount of cost. Many people worry about getting ripped off or receiving poor service by an unknown repair shop so promotional programs that give your current customers an incentive to refer their friends and family is a fool-proof strategy.

5)      Branding through Community Involvement – build brand awareness in the community so that when your service is needed your business comes to mind. Supporting local sports teams, contributing to charitable causes and participating in local events are just a few of the marketing and networking tactics that can be used to introduce yourself to prospective customers and start to build a positive brand association in their minds.

Of course there are many other successful strategies not included here, we have only included what our customers have commonly described as part of their top five marketing strategies – so feel free to share yours in the comments section.  Endless Resources provides direct mail marketing lists for many auto service, auto repair and other aftermarket companies – please read on for more information about direct mail lists for auto repair/service/aftermarket marketing.

Auto Service Direct Mail Marketing Lists

Automotive service direct mail marketing, while more costly than some of the other marketing strategies, is still one of the most basic and responsive ways to bring in new customers as long as you have the right mailing list. In this digital era, there is so much chatter online that it can be difficult to stand out in the crowd. Our email boxes are overflowing, Facebook posts are lost in Newsfeeds, and Twitter Tweets are coming out of our ears, making it hard to know what is sticking. All this electronic communication has made checking the mail box and receiving a physical piece of mail exciting again.

Auto Owner Lists are one of the best mailing lists to use to target new customers by year, make and model of vehicle they own. This list can be scrubbed against your customer list so any duplicates are removed in order to mail to incremental prospects. This is one of the most requested mailing lists for automotive service related direct mail campaigns next to the New Movers and Residential Mailing Lists. Auto Owner Lists can be filtered by vehicle year, make and model in addition to a range of other demographic and behavioral data sets for precise targeting. Auto Owner Lists can be targeted by zip code, radius, city, county and state as well as narrowed down to one per household or include multiples based on preference.

Endless Resources provides multi-sourced Auto Owner Lists, recent New Movers Lists and up-to-date Resident Occupant Lists that have been tested and passed through standard data hygiene standards i.e. Do-Not-Mail, Do-Not-Call (DNC), National Change of Address (NCOA) and Delivery Sequence File (DSF2). We welcome the opportunity to discuss your next direct mail campaign and answer any questions you might have. Give us a call or send us an email: 1-866-430-0514 – we are here to serve you.