5 Marketing ideas for your auto repair shop  

If you’ve already optimized your Google Business Profile, run pay-per-click ads, collected reviews, and created a social media presence, you’re moving in the right direction. But these are basic ideas that your competitors are using too. Here are some other marketing ideas you can try out to fill your bays.  

Build an SMS subscriber club  

You might already use text messages for the obvious stuff, such as appointment confirmations or service reminders. An SMS subscriber club is an opt-in list of customers who get texts because they want useful updates like weather-triggered alerts or seasonal checklists in a timely manner. 

Batteries tend to fail during cold weather, so if a cold spell is coming during the weekend, text your customer list a reminder to test the batteries before the cold hits. You can also send a checklist of things to do before going on a road trip or before each season with a single link to book an appointment. If certain days are pretty much dead, a quick text with a same-day offer can drive in more customers without disrupting your entire week.  

You have to make sure you don’t overdo it and that you’re being cautious about the Telephone Consumer Protection Act rules, which require consent before sending messages. Two texts a month work best. Otherwise, you’ll come off as aggressive and get reported as spam.  

Host community events  

An easy way to interact with your local community and make your shop known is to conduct small-scale events. A few things that you can do:  

• A “know your car” class for teens or first-time drivers where you can show them things they need to be careful of, like how to check their oil, tire pressure, and lights, and also what the warning icons on the dashboard actually mean.  

• Lots of people don’t think about how important proper maintenance is, so a workshop on the basics of car care is a good plan to inform them and market your services.  

For the space, partner with your local high school, library, community center, or even a coffee shop; it costs you nothing and is easily accessible to people. Remember, the goal isn’t about the turnout of the event; it’s about building trust. Even if a handful of people make it to the event, you know they’re going to think of your shop the next time they need to repair their car. A good bonus is snapping some good photos or short clips of the event that you can post on your social media pages.   

Use email marketing  

Johnny, a customer you’ve had for a while now, scrolls past most of your newsletters. But he wouldn’t if the emails you send are based on his customer history from your shop management software.  

Something you can do is to send a short email recapping the repairs that were done and what to watch out for next, based on their vehicle and mileage, a couple of days after their visit to your shop. This is also how a declined job can still work in your favor. Don’t just call once to ask if they’re interested in the later repairs and move on. Instead, space out the emails to show why the repair needs to be done. The emails are meant to be handy and not intimidating.  

List your shop on an online repair marketplace  

Google and Yelp used to be the go-to places when someone needed to find a repair shop. But not anymore.  

• One of the popular marketplaces is RepairPal. To become RepairPal Certified, you need to have fair pricing and meet their quality standards, but after you’re certified, you’ll get customers straight from RepairPal’s site and app.  

• American Automobile Association (AAA) Approved Auto Repair means your shop passes all the guidelines set by the association and gets you referred directly to AAA members in your area.  

• CarAdvise and similar fleet/insurance-linked platforms route drivers and policyholders straight to nearby shops, which can be useful if you do a lot of fleet work.  

There’s another marketplace you can look into: Way Repair Tech. Way Repair Tech connects local repair shops directly to car and fleet owners who already use Way.com for parking, car washes, roadside assistance, and other car services. If you’re already using Way’s shop management software, Repair Tech, you’ll also get priority placement on Way.com and an integrated booking platform that sends appointments straight to your shop. The major difference from most of the marketplaces above? There’s no lead broker fee eating into each job.  

You might be tempted to be in all the marketplaces, but you just need to pick one or two that match your customer base the best.  

Set up a digital wallet loyalty pass  

Have you ever visited a cafe and been given a punch card? Most cafes use punch cards to give their customers a free item or a discount after a set number of visits. However, these physical punch cards can get lost or forgotten in the glove box.  

This works for auto repair shops as well. Instead, use digital wallet passes that stay in Apple Pay or Google Wallet. They’re much better because you can send a notification when a service is due and track the visits automatically. It also requires little setup compared to building an app from scratch, and it’s rare enough among auto repair shops to stand out.  

Bottom line  

If your problem right now is customers coming in once and then never coming back, then the digital wallet pass and email marketing can build loyalty. On the other hand, if you aren’t getting enough customers, focus on the marketplace and community events since they’ll bring you more visibility. 

Ready to fill your bays without spending more money on ads? Schedule a demo!

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