by Chuck Jessen
PreFab Ads allows independent auto body shop owners like you to promote your business with captivating, professionally-produced ads you might not otherwise be able to afford.Because these ads are designed to break through the media clutter and build awareness, they’ll make more effective use of the media budget put behind them.
Understanding Customers & Context
Most body shop ads fail because the shop owner has a natural desire to cram all kinds of information about their shop into the ad, complete with a photo of the building and perhaps the employees out front waving at the camera. Sure, the ad will be noticed by your family, your employees, your competitors, your former sixth-grade teacher, and by every other media salesmen out there looking for business. But it will most likely be ignored by the very prospects you most want to reach.
Why? Because unless they have a damaged car sitting in their driveway, they don’t really care. In fact, they hope they never have an accident that require your services. Your ad, after all, is merely an obstacle in their path of them consuming the entertainment or information they seek on television, radio, in newspapers and magazines, or online. Unless your ad grabs their attention in some special way, they will ignore it. The trick, therefore, is to break through the clutter and get through to them with a commercial they will pay attention to. That’s how advertising impressions are made.
The Advertising Business
Unlike other professions such as Lawyer or CPA, there is no certification required for someone who wants to be in the advertising business. Consequently, the range of experience and talent varies greatly.
At the top of this knowledge-based hierarchy are the true advertising professionals who more than likely paid their dues working for major ad agencies or marketing agencies. They know how to craft ads that get through to the consumer.
At the bottom, are the ad order takers. They’ll dump anything into the ad you tell them to, propagating false hope that there’s an audience out there that can’t wait to see it. After all, as long as you’re paying them, what do they care?
True advertising professionals, on the other hand, are trained to work backwards from the mindset of the consumer as to what will get their attention while taking into account the context in which the ad will appear. Only by smartly navigating through this can an ad first get the consumer’s attention, make an impression for your brand, and impart some information about your business.
PreFab Ads often employs humor because it tends to break through the media clutter and get noticed. People appreciate ads that are clever enough to make them laugh or smile. With that, the first door to their consciousness has been pried open. You’ve made an impression; and, in a small way, started a relationship with them.
But you must stay the course and keep advertising. As your clever messages continue to reach them, you will overtime establish top-of-mind awareness. Enough so, perhaps, that when that day comes when they suddenly need a collision repair shop, they’ll be thinking of you long before their insurance company recommends you or another shop.
Digital Marketing & Traditional Advertising
There’s no doubt that, in today’s world, digital promotional efforts should be an essential part of every marketing program. This starts with having a great website develop that communicates the essence of who you are, what you offer, and why you’re different. In other words, your brand.
Any good website must be developed on the foundation of good analytics platform so you can monitor who visits and why, and make periodic adjustments/updates to the site to optimize its potential. In other words, you don’t just want people looking at your site, you want them coming in for estimates. Once you have the design and architecture of your website up and executed correctly, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Google Ad words, geo-targeted online ads, and other paid search opportunities should all factor heavily into your marketing efforts.
Next, add a good social media strategy employing a Facebook page, supported by one or two other social media forms such as Google+ and Twitter. Make sure you have a “review” management strategy for Yelp and other review sites.
Also, make sure you have an email and/or e-newsletter effort in place to nurture your relationship with past customers and contacts. But don’t overdo this. Emailing them four times a year is sufficient. Any more than that and you’ll annoy them and they may opt out. Make sure your emails are substantive about your area of expertise (i.e. car care) and have value to them. And spare them the trite, cliche’d emails wishing them “Happy Thanksgiving,” “Happy Holidays,” or any other holiday. They get plenty of these already. You’re just an auto body shop after all – one they hope they never need. Not their latest best friend.
Now assume that you and all your competitors are (or soon will be) doing an equally good job of employing these digital marketing methods. What can you do to make yourself stand apart? … to quickly reach and make an impression of thousands upon thousands of prospects, instead of the “hundreds” typically reached by social media? Mass-media advertising: local TV, radio, outdoor boards, and print ads. That’s the difference maker. Here’s why.
Digital marketing lives in a ‘lean forward’ user experience, reaching those who are engaged with their computer or mobile device pursuing some specific information. Unless they are actively doing a search for an auto body shop any message you put in front of them is in their way and probably irritating them.
Traditional advertising reaches consumers when they are in a ‘lean back’ mode. Leaning back on their couch after a hard days work, for example, enjoying their favorite TV show. Or, leaning back in their car seat during commute hours, listening to the radio and/or noticing your outdoor board as they drive by. Or, looking your newspaper print ad as they relax in a coffee shop. In these instances, they’ll be more likely to be receptive toward your message if it is inviting, compelling, engaging or funny. Think of it as planting seeds of awareness; seeds that will help ensure a better harvest of collision repair work later on.
Advertising in a DRP world
I’ve often heard body shop owners say, “But I don’t have to advertise. Insurance companies recommend me.”
Which causes me to reply, really? Are you nothing more than a generic building of contract workers? Have you no brand of your own? Do you stand for nothing on your own, outside of your insurance company relationship? Are you content to be at the mercy of a plug that could be pulled at any time? Is THIS why you wanted to work for yourself and have your own business? Is it even YOUR business anymore?
The winning attitude is to want to have potential customers pre-sold on your body shop before the insurance company even gives them your name. And what if the insurance company gives an entire list of DRP shops to their client? Don’t you want to be already on the mind of that client and at the top of their list?
Also, wouldn’t it be nice to know that you’d have your own brand and reputation to stand on if you had to part ways with that insurance company?
Maintaining positive brand awareness in the consumers mind is as important as maintaining the exterior of your building. Perhaps more so. Put a polish on it with a great advertising campaign.