EPISODE: 024 – How To Create A Real World Marketing Plan For Your Auto Repair Shop
Intro
In this episode, Kim talks about how non-marketers can create a very useful marketing plan that will keep you organized and on-budget.
Talking Points
- A real marketing plan that’s fluid, can be edited, and accessed quickly
- The 3-book auto repair marketing MBA. Read these 3 books:
- The Ultimate Guide to Auto Repair Marketing
- They Ask You Answer
- Building a StoryBrand
- Who is your preferred customer? Defining your customer avatar.
- Look backwards at what was successful this year then set your goal for the upcoming year. What are you planning to accomplish? Complete a SWOT Analysis looking at your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
- In your sea of services, which ones do you want to focus on in the upcoming year, quarter, season? What’s most profitable? Which one has untapped potential? Include that service in your marketing plan.
- Difference between promotions and special offers/coupons.
- What needs to be promoted and deserves a space in your marketing plan?
- Determine the specific marketing tactics/strategies you plan to utilize.
- How to decide on a marketing budget. Are you trying to be more conservative and maintain growth or you want to be more aggressive. Depending on your goal your budget could be 5% or it could be 12%.
- Consider who will be accountable for the marketing efforts and tracking. Including who will do the marketing in your plan is important.
- With all this in place, it’s time to focus on the message. What will you say? How will you say it? Consider a StoryBranded type of message that focuses on your customer and their problems.
- Create individual campaigns. These could be monthly, quarterly, seasonally, or for specific slower times of your year.
- Decide on specific promotions considering your weak areas, strong points, and opportunities.
- Consider seasonal campaigns, service-based promotions, and events you can attend, sponsor, or host.
- Look at your community involvement. Is it a strength or a weakness? How will you improve or implement being involved in your community?
- Measuring! You cannot manage what you are not measuring. Look at what’s working and what’s not. Include in your marketing plan how you will start, stop, and/or pivot your marketing efforts based on the metrics you are measuring.
- How to put all of this together.
Lagniappe (Books, Links, Other Podcasts, etc)
- Guide: How to Create a Real-World Marketing Plan for an Auto Repair Shop
- Podcast: When is the Best Time to Plan Your Marketing?
How To Get In Touch
Group – Auto Repair Marketing Mastermind
Website – shopmarketingpros.com
Facebook – facebook.com/shopmarketingpros
Get the Book – shopmarketingpros.com/book
Instagram – @shopmarketingpros
Questions/Ideas – podcast@shopmarketingpros.com
