But to achieve these healthy returns, it's essential to understand how to use email to effectively promote your auto shop.
Great email campaigns help you connect with your audience, share valuable tips and updates, and build a loyal community.
If you're new to email marketing and not sure how to use it to promote your auto repair, restoration, performance, race, or restyling shop – don't worry. We're here to talk you through the entire process with a complete guide jam-packed with our top tips on marketing your shop using the power of email.
1. Build an email list
To promote your shop through email, you first need to create an email list of people who are interested in hearing more about your products, services, promotions, and updates.
You can collect email addresses through a signup form on your website, during in-store visits, at events, and on social media. Just make it easy for people to subscribe to your email list wherever they find you.
Pro tip: Encourage signups with perks like service discounts, free vehicle inspections, or helpful eBooks on car maintenance. It's a win-win: subscribers get value, and you get their email.
2. Segment your audience
Segmenting your email list simply means splitting it into different groups to send them more relevant messages. This is also known as email targeting.
For example, you could divide your list of email subscribers into categories like new customers, loyal clients, and those who want to hear about promotions.
Once you’ve separated your categories, you can customize your emails to match each group's specific needs and interests. Each segment could receive a separate email.
This personalization improves your subscribers' experiences with your brand. It makes them more likely to take action or remain loyal customers at your auto repair shop.
Pro tip:
Analyze past customer interactions with your emails to create segments. For example, target customers who have engaged with emails about performance parts with personalized product recommendations or exclusive offers.
3. Use compelling subject lines
Your email subject lines are a crucial part of any successful email marketing campaign because they’re the first things people see in their inbox.
Engaging text can make all the difference in determining whether your emails will be opened or ignored.
To make your subject lines more clickable, follow these tips:
- Make it personal: Include the recipient's name in your subject line to personalize the interaction and help build a connection.
- Get to the point: Attention spans are shorter than ever before. Clearly state your main offer or benefit right away, whether it's a discount, promotion, or valuable information.
- Keep it concise:
Keep subject lines short and sweet to make them easy to read on mobile devices and in preview banners. Stick to 50 characters or less.
Pro tip:
Use urgency or curiosity to prompt action. For instance, phrases like "Limited Time Offer" or "While Stock Lasts," encourage immediate engagement.
4. Create engaging email content
Once your subject line has gotten a reader to open your email, your content needs to be engaging enough to keep them reading in order for your email marketing strategy to succeed.
Top tips for creating promotional email content:
- Offer valuable tips and insights: Provide readers with practical advice on car maintenance, performance upgrades, or relevant industry trends that may interest them.
- Share success stories: Highlight customer testimonials to show the real-life benefits of your products or auto repair services. This is a great way to build credibility and trust.
- Use visual content:
Include eye-catching images or videos to break up blocks of text or present information more clearly.
Pro tip: Feature content your customers create, such as reviews, photos, or testimonials, to showcase authentic experiences and foster community.
5. Design mobile-friendly emails
55% of all emails
are now opened on a mobile device, so your emails need to be easy to read and navigate on smartphones and tablets.
Make sure every email has the following:
- Fonts that are easily readable without zooming
- Buttons that are easy to tap on a touchscreen
- Images and graphics designed to load fast on mobile platforms
Pro tip:
Test your emails on different devices to be sure they look good and work well everywhere. This includes smartphones, tablets, as well as different email platforms like Gmail and Outlook.
6. Include an appealing call-to-action (CTA)
An appealing call-to-action (CTA) is designed to encourage your subscribers to take specific actions. To create a CTA, you'll need to:
- State the action clearly:
Tell subscribers exactly what you want them to do next, whether it’s booking a service or exploring new products.
- Make CTAs stand out visually: Use buttons and contrasting colors to make CTAs easy to see and tap or click on.
- Use persuasive language:
Encourage immediate interaction with compelling phrases. For example, "Claim your exclusive 20% off" or "Discover our latest performance upgrades".
Pro tip:
Experiment with different CTAs to discover the most effective way to encourage more customers to click and take action.
Closing thoughts
Email marketing is a powerful tool for connecting with your audience and boosting your auto shop's profits.
You can engage customers and share important information about your products or services by building a segmented email list, creating personalized content, and optimizing for mobile devices.
Remember to use compelling subject lines and clear, visually-appealing CTAs to encourage subscribers to take action fast.
Create an exceptional email marketing campaign with Motorhead Digital
If you want to create email marketing campaigns that effectively promote your business and win over auto enthusiasts, look no further than Motorhead Digital!
Led by Barry Alt and boasting 26 years of digital marketing expertise, we specialize in maximizing online presence and attracting high-value leads for auto repair shops.
Along with email marketing, we offer comprehensive online auto repair marketing services. We help customers boost their marketing efforts through website development, social media management, search engine optimization, blog posts, and more.
Simply
contact us today, and we'll kick things off with a quick auto shop marketing consultation.
