There are approximately 160,000 auto shop businesses in the US. Taking that number at face value might prove enough to make a new auto shop owner despair at the idea of trying to get traction in the market.
The good news is that these auto shops are not all in direct competition with each other. In fact, you're generally only in competition with other auto shops in your immediate vicinity.
That makes it far easier for your marketing and ad copy to generate business and ad conversions. Of course, writing good auto shop advertising copy is a challenge. Keep reading for suggestions and best practices for your next round of ads.
1. Keep It Concise
One of the big mistakes that people make when writing ad copy is that they make it too long. Effective ads are almost always shorter, rather than longer.
One big reason for that is that people often have very short attention spans for advertising. If it drags on for too long, they simply tune out and never hear the key message.
2. Focus on a Benefit
Another key error people make when writing ad copy is that they focus on a feature rather than a benefit. While there are several ways to differentiate the two, let's keep it basic.
A feature is something specific that a product or service does. For an auto shop, a feature is "fixing your car." A benefit is "getting you back on the road."
They amount to the same thing but move the focus from the shop onto the customer.
3. Make It Relevant
Relevance is all about talking directly to your target market. What do they want specifically? If you work in an affluent area, your market may want high-quality service for high-end vehicles.
If you work in a middle-class area, your market may value speed and value over things like working on imports.
4. Know the Channel
Writing ad copy for print is different than writing for online advertising like Google ads or PPC ads. These ads rely much more heavily on things like headlines and keywords than your average print ad.
5. Get Help
Writing ads is a skill and it can take some time to develop it. If you don't have the time for that, you can seek help from a marketing agency that specializes in auto shops.
In all likelihood, they'll have the know-how to write for offline and online advertising channels.
Auto Shop Ad Copy and You
Writing ad copy for your auto shop is something that you'll probably end up doing at some point. When that time comes, there are a few things you should keep in mind.
Shorter ads are often superior to longer ads. Keep your ads focused on the benefits and not on the features. Direct your ads to the concerns of your target market.
Understand the demands of the advertising channel. When in doubt, get help.
AA Shop Marketing provides marketing and advertising services for auto shops. For questions or more information, contact AA Shop Marketing today.