If you've only got a limited amount of time and money, then investing it in the right place is vital for the success of your aftermarket auto restoration, performance, race, or restyling shop!
By Barry Alt
What Marketing Should You Prioritize If You Have Limited Time And Money
To ensure your marketing investments hit the nail on the head, you have to prioritize the most important places to invest.
From blogging and social media to video and email marketing, they’re all essential for your company’s online success.
But where should you put all your time and effort first? What should you prioritize to make the most of your marketing and get the best ROI?
Today we’ll guide you through each type of marketing you can use to get your name out there. We’ll show you what they’re used for, how to use them, and what the best option for your shop is.
What type of marketing should you invest in for your automotive aftermarket shop?
There are a lot of marketing strategies out there that you can invest in to make your shop stand out online. But what is the best one to invest in first?
Video, blogging, social media, email, PPC (pay per click)?
With so many options, it can be pretty overwhelming when you’re starting off.
Let’s take a closer look at the top five marketing strategies for the aftermarket auto restoration and performance industry to help you get a better idea of what you’re dealing with.
NOTE: For each section, we used $ dollar signs to indicate the possible cost range in time and money.
1. Social media marketing – $$$ – $$$$$
77% of social media marketers say that their social media marketing strategies have been effective this year. So, social media is a fantastic option to invest in because of how effective it is and because it’s easy to do, and doesn’t take too much time out of your day.
You only have to update your social media 3-5 times a week, which isn’t that much if you think about it. Plus, many social media platforms allow you to schedule posts in advance, so you can organize a whole month of posts in one day without worrying about it for the rest of the month.
Organic social media marketing allows you to enhance your presence online. An active social media account also shows your audience that you’re an actual, trustworthy business.
Be sure to update your social media with a variety of content too, so your audience doesn’t get bored. You can post videos, images, and even audio. It’s important to post promotional posts and valuable, educational content to help your audience.
Valuable content can include:
- Tips
- How-tos
- Statistics
- Entertainment
- Behind-the-scenes videos
Promotional posts are important, but if you post too many, they might appear spammy to your followers.
Keep in mind that you first need to know where your audience lives online. For example, if they’re a CEO and they’re on LinkedIn and not on Facebook, spend your time focusing on LinkedIn rather than Facebook.
Also, remember to keep all your social media platforms up to date, even if you post once a week. We can’t tell you how many aftermarket shops have pages that haven’t been updated in months or even years. If someone hits those pages in search, they might think you’re no longer in business, so be consistent. Even if it’s once a week or once a month – post on your social media!
Social media marketing doesn’t have to be very expensive either; you can do it yourself if you want to or have someone on your team do this task. If you don’t have the time, skill or a team member to do it but still want to reap the rewards of active social media, then hire a 3rd party team that specializes in online digital marketing to take care of your social media for you.
Social media advertisements
Facebook and Instagram ads can be a fantastic way to gain more followers on your social media page if done correctly. They can get you traction quickly and help you gain the audience you’re looking for.
However, social media advertising takes a long time, can be expensive over time, and takes a bit of time to build up a good ROI. Plus, it only works as long as you keep paying for them.
Social media advertising can be great, but building up your online presence on social media will benefit you more in the long run.
We’d recommend investing in social media marketing, and when you’ve built up a following, invest in Facebook and Instagram ads if you have the budget for it.
Pro Tip: See if any of your employees are good at social media and give them the task of updating your social. They could even post live updates of projects they’re working on. This will save you both money and time!
2. Content marketing – $$ – $$$
Content marketing is definitely something that should be high on your list of investments!
Investing in content for your website is key to showing how much of an expert you are in the aftermarket auto restoration, performance, race, or restyling space.
Content mainly includes blog article posts and magazine articles but also your website copy. By providing your audience with valuable information, you’ll show them how knowledgeable you are and how much you know about the industry. The more you provide them with high-quality, informative content, the more they’ll feel confident in your abilities as a shop.
You should post at least once a month on your blog, but twice a month would be ideal. The more you post and the more free information you give your audience, the more they’ll engage with you.
Besides blogs, you can also look at getting published in industry publications that your niche prospects are reading. Magazines that have to put out a new issue each month are always looking for great content and will welcome well-written and researched content from industry experts. All you have to do is ask. That’s how we started writing for THE SHOP magazine back in 2019.
Writing blog posts and articles also helps your website rank for keywords. By including important keyword phrases your audience is searching for, you’ll be able to improve the amount of traffic that comes to your website.
For example, from April – September 2022, six of the most popular landing pages on the Motorhead Digital website were the blog main page and blog posts!
Pro Tip: If you’re not a writer or don’t have time to write blog posts, consider hiring a professional content marketing agency to take care of your blogs and magazine articles. They know what they’re doing and will ensure the blogs help improve your search engine optimization.
3. Video marketing …–>
Please head on over to the Motorhead Digital Blog for the rest of this article.
The Motorhead Digital team are digital marketing expert with over 25 years of experience. They’re focused on supporting automotive aftermarket restoration, performance, and race shops. Their signature Site, Location, and Maximizer™ programs will supercharge your digital marketing including website design, social media, SEO search engine rank, content marketing, and your entire online presence so you attract better leads who want to spend more money with you. You can reach Motorhead Digital at (585) 766-9785, via email, or online at MotorheadDigital.com.
Motorhead Digital
1191 Garnsey Road
Palmyra, NY, 14522
(585) 766-9785
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