As a local business, your online presence contributes a lot to your brick-and-mortar shop. While you might have an excellent location on a busy street and built a reputation for yourself through word of mouth, a digital marketing strategy is still the best way to build on your success. Here‘s how you can optimize your German auto repair shop’s digital marketing strategy.
Think Locally for Website Content
Optimizing your website content for local searches is the first step to success. Your website is the main online presence for your business and needs to make it clear where you are located and that you specialize in German auto repairs. Thinking locally for your website content means you focus on including local SEO with mention of your location and consistent location info throughout your site.
Local SEO Optimization
Next, set your sites on improving your local online presence. Begin by checking your Google My Business Profile and making sure all relevant information is filled out correctly. Then use some common local SEO tactics including:
- Local link building with other businesses
- Citations with other relevant, trustworthy websites mentioning your company
- Inclusion on local business and industry directories with proper contact information that matches your Google My Business profile information
- Asking customers for Google reviews and ratings
These additional steps help optimize your local online presence.
Become the Local Expert
You also want to become the local expert. People who drive German cars want someone who understands German cars to make their repairs. You can become the local go-to mechanic by focusing on the things that matter most to your customers on your website:
- How long you’ve been in business and a member of the community
- The years of experience for you and your team
- Your professional affiliations, certifications, training, awards, credentials, etc.
- Positive customer testimonials and reviews
- Complete and consistent contact information
- Links to your social media
Presenting this information on a well-designed website helps Google find you, and also answers all the questions customers consider before giving you a call.
Responsive Design
Your website also has to be very responsive with easy navigation, scannable headlines and quick loading capabilities. You also want your site to be accessible across all devices so people don’t get frustrated and go elsewhere.
Keep Up To Date on Social Media
Social media is a must even for a German auto repair shop. This is the best way to engage customers and also help Google raise your ranking. When you share information about your latest achievements, activity in the community and images of your recent work, people see who you are and what you’re all about. This builds credibility while fostering brand loyalty. Better yet, if you can get customers to get in on the act, with images of them at your shop, sharing their own before and after shots, or thanking you for saving their car, you really become someone people can relate to in a more meaningful way.
And while you’re at it, consider following some of your customers, as well as local businesses. This is a great way to start conversations, add some hashtags and more. Social media can also become an easy way to speak to customers and answer their questions quickly. Customers feel heard, and it shows you care.
Reputation Management
While we encourage customer reviews, you need to keep an eye on what people are saying. Nothing is more important to your success than your reputation as a trustworthy auto repair shop. In an industry where scammers can take advantage of unwitting customers, you want to be squeaky clean and ensure people only have nice things to say. However, if something does come up with a negative tone, reputation management ensures you are there to immediately respond, take things offline and make sure you address needs.
This shows you care while reducing harm a negative review can cause. You can make sure customers are heard and that you are doing your best to resolve issues. Reputation management helps you meet customer expectations and execute damage control quickly when something negative appears. Acknowledging positive reviews also shows appreciation for your customers.
Paying close attention to your online presence ensures you have a strong base to build your SEO strategy. When you understand how to optimize your website, local search, social media and reviews, you become a trusted company Google happily moves up the rankings.
We’ve been helping shops like yours get insane results for the past 8 years. See how we can help you out with a discovery call.
