Today we'll show you exactly why a strategy is necessary for your shop's success and how you can formulate the best strategy possible.
Take a look at our expert advice on building the perfect strategy for your shop's online success.
Do shops need an online marketing strategy?
Whether you're writing a blog post, updating your website, posting on social media, buying Facebook or Google ads or even onboarding a brand new client, you must have a strategy and a process.
Without a dedicated strategy, your marketing efforts will fall apart at the seams! Leaving you with an empty shop and bank account.
For example, let's say you decided to invest in some Google ads. Advertising your services on Google is a great idea, and it can help you gain more traction online and get more clients through the door. But, if you don't have a strategy ready or you're not sure what you want your ads to accomplish, you won't get the results you're hoping for.
Beware that $150 Google Ads credit you got in the mail, it could end up costing you thousands of dollars if you start running ads without a solid strategy and plan.
Getting ahead of yourself and rushing into marketing your business online with no plan will only cost your shop more money. You'll also lose out on a lot of time - time that could have been used to develop a marketing strategy that works for your shop.
Imagine spending thousands of dollars on Google Ads only to get zero clients?
Without a strategy in place, you will never be able to get the results you want for your shop's online success.
But how do you even go about building a marketing strategy? How can you ensure that your efforts don't go to waste?
How can you build the perfect digital strategy for your shop?
Shockingly enough
45% of businesses
don't have a digital marketing strategy in place - don’t be one of these businesses! If you don't have a strategy set up for your marketing, you won't be able to improve your business online.
Building the perfect strategy for your shop takes a lot of time and effort, and it's not something you can just throw together quickly without a second thought. A strategy must be well planned and thought out to succeed for your business.
Google ads, Email marketing, Social media and so many other marketing tools are really just Tactics. Before you implement any tactics you need to Get Clarity first and then create your strategy before you can utilize any tactics effectively.
To help you make the right choices when building your strategy, we've put together these five easy steps. Build a full-proof marketing strategy for your shop with a little bit of help from the experts.
1. Set SMART goals
Step one is an easy step to take, but it's also vital to the success of your marketing campaign.
For any strategy to work, you must have goals; the best goals to set up are SMART goals!
What are SMART goals?
They're
specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-sensitive goals. They're goals that will help you achieve everything you need to become a successful online business.
But why should you use SMART goals? What makes them so unique compared to regular goals.
Well, SMART goals will allow you to stay focused on your work. They'll help make sure that your strategy is implemented correctly. When you've completed your SMART goals, you'll feel inspired to focus on more goals and improve your marketing strategies even more.
With SMART goals on your side, you'll also be able to focus clearly on your strategy and get more people interested in your shop and your work.
Here's an example of a SMART goal;
Secure three new clients with your email marketing strategy in a month.
This is a specific goal; it's measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-sensitive too!
2. Research your market & competitors
To create the best strategy possible for your company, you must research your market carefully to see what's new, outdated, and currently trending in your niche.
By knowing what your potential clients are looking for, you'll be able to adjust your marketing strategy to meet their needs.
Don't forget to keep an eye on what your competitors are doing too. If you don't stay on top of what they're searching for or posting, you could quickly fall behind and become forgotten.
It's essential to keep an eye on your market changes so your strategy will always be relevant and targeted. Nobody will pay attention to what you're offering if you're not relevant.
3. Create buyer personas
You won't be able to create a targeted marketing strategy for your company if you don't have a customer or buyer persona set up.
But what’s a buyer persona anyways you may ask, and why are they so crucial to your marketing strategy?
A buyer persona is a document that details everything about your target client.
It tells you their:
- Age
- Occupation
- Income level
- Location
- Gender
- Family make up
- Likes and dislikes
- Where they spend their time online
- Why do they want to work with you
- What stops them from working with you
It also lets you know their pain points and allows you to figure out exactly how to target your advertising towards them.
Having buyer personas at the ready before you create the perfect marketing strategy will help you ensure your strategy is successful. It also enables you to stay consistent across media regarding your marketing efforts.
Did you know that
82% of companies that use personas improve their value proposition.
4. Make sure everything is relevant & consistent
If your message is not relevant or consistent when it comes to your marketing, then you're going to miss the mark and possibly lose out on gaining those new clients you need to keep your shop full. If your marketing is all over the place and doesn't make sense to your target audience, they will simply ignore it.
Why do consistency and relevance matter when it comes to marketing?
Have you ever heard of
The Rule of Seven? It’s an old marketing adage that says a prospect needs to see or hear your marketing message at least seven times before they take action and buy from you. This is one of many reasons being consistent and relevant matters.
Simple. It might take your clients a few interactions before they consider working with you, and one small irrelevant or inconsistent post or link will push them away again.
Potential clients need frequent, consistent, relevant interactions with your company to encourage them to convert and become paying clients.
For example, we've seen so many people purchase Google or Facebook ads and send their clients straight to their home page - rather than a focused landing page that’s related to the ad. Yes your homepage is important but in the case of an ad it may be irrelevant to what your client was looking for,
Not only does this delay conversions, but it could also potentially cost you a client! Imagine spending all that time getting your potential clients to notice you, only to lose them at the last step. Your time could be totally wasted if you finally got them to your site but they were confused and just left.
So, if you're creating and buying Google or social ads, link your clients directly to the corresponding page and if possible to a focused landing page.
Social media posts should also always be relevant to keep your potential clients engaged with your company. Don't post things on your social media that have nothing to do with your business or the services you offer - you may just turn off any prospects that were looking at doing business with you.
73% of consumers are impacted by social media posts so make sure you’re being specific and posting relevant content that attracts your audience's attention so you can reel in even more high-value projects.
For your strategy to work, you must continuously post relevant, valuable, and exciting content for your clients. Doing this will secure high-value clients for your automotive aftermarket shop.
5. Put everything together
After setting your goals, researching, and planning your marketing strategy, you should have everything in place to build an irresistible strategy.
Now, you have to sit down and implement it into your shop.
To make it easier on yourself and your team, create a document that maps out every part of your strategy. This is a critical step toward a successful digital strategy.
If you're a bit lost when it comes to implementing a digital marketing strategy for your shop, consider bringing in the big guns and hiring a digital marketing expert who knows exactly what they're doing.
The team at Motorhead Digital has been working with performance and restoration shops for years, and we know how to help you build the perfect strategy for your digital marketing campaign.
Get in touch with our team today to get noticed online and get the high-value projects your shop deserves.
