I feel that digital marketing is the key to help businesses grow to their full potential. And time has proven me right!
Over my years of experience in dealing with digital marketing strategies I’ve discovered some tried and true methods to maximize income and put more money into your pocket.
It’s amazing how simple and effective these methods can be.
Here’s a little story about an Auto Shop Owner who managed to increase sales (people spending money on services) by 20 to 50 per month.
This information is universal and can be invaluable in growing any business you may be in. Below are the secrets that you can start using in your business right now.
The story behind how this Auto Shop Owner discovered the “Newsletter” model.
As in most new businesses, this owner was learning how to establish their Auto Shop business by trial and error. After brainstorming various ideas they decided to give newsletters a try even though they weren’t really sure what they were doing at the time.
Here is their story:
“We decided to start collecting email addresses from our clients right off the bat. We had the addresses so we thought, why not use this connection to reach out and try to get more business. Of course we’d seen lots of emails coming in from other businesses but we wanted to be different. We wanted to stand out, but what to write? That was the hardest part.”
“One day, a business happened to send us a more personal message. It wasn’t fancy and had no images. The lightbulb went off! It isn’t all about “selling” something. It’s about establishing a more personal relationship with our customers.”
“Coming up with something to write was a challenge but after a lot of talking we came up with the content we send out today. We were excited when the phone began to ring not long after our first newsletters went out. It was a pleasant surprise when some customers we hadn’t heard from in a while decided they needed to see us again.”
“We gradually received even more inquiries. It was surprising how many customers said they’d been thinking about us but the newsletter was a good reminder to get in touch.”
After the monthly newsletter went out, the Auto Shop Owner told me that he got an additional 30 new appointments that month. So they usually average between 20 and 50 customers per month when they make regular contact. The good news is they even had to hire extra help in order to handle all the extra business they were getting.
The Psychology of Why the Model Works so Well.
It may be hard to believe, but they do not use the newsletters for deals, discounts or promotions! That is not the objective.
Of course newsletters should have content that people are interested in reading. They always write about things relevant to the time of the year to keep it current. The topic in each newsletter positions them as the expert in their field while making the business relatable on a personal level.
We always strive to keep in touch with customers both to keep their business and increase repeat business and there’s no better way than a newsletter that will remind customers that we’re still here and always ready to serve them.
The clients who receive your newsletters are already fans of what you’re doing. You are simply contacting them in an entertaining way, encouraging them not to forget you amid all their usual daily distractions. This is a unique way to do so and can make you stand out from the competition.
How to Write and Send Out the Same Kind of 300-500 Word Newsletter that this Auto Shop Owner Uses to Drive Business Each Month.
The end result you are striving for is getting the customer to open and read your newsletters and ultimately take action. The secret to this is making it something appealing, something they want to read.
There are two major mistakes that many people make with newsletters and you’ll want to avoid them.
- Mistake #1: Only Sending out Promotions.
It’s tempting, but don’t do it. Concentrating only on promotions sends up red flags to many people. They get tired of receiving constant “deals”. They soon become immune to the effects when deals are presented too often. On the other hand, an “occasional” promotion or deal can be effective but it should be used sparingly or not at all. Trust me, only sending out this kind of newsletter can really hurt your business.
- Mistake #2: Writing Boring Content.
Unfortunately, writing good entertaining content can be time consuming. No one will want to receive or read newsletters that are boring. It’s always difficult for business owners to find time to dedicate to such projects. As a result, the letters never happen or the content is less than interesting. Your aim should be to write something that is on topic and teaches, while branding the business as experts in the field.
An Example of the Kind of Newsletter that Works:
The above email newsletter works because:
- It’s something that is topical.
- It has actionable information.
- It’s about helping the reader.
- The call to action isn’t salesy.
It’s called positive reinforcement! You want your readers to have a feel-good reaction to what you write. Since they are customers we can assume they already like you, so you want to reinforce that positive feeling and remind them why they need your services. This is how you initiate repeat business and positive word-of-mouth endorsements.
How to get the Same Kind of Results Without Having to Wrestle with the Tech or Write any of the Content for Your Newsletters.
Time is money! You realize how profitable publishing newsletters can be but like many of our clients you don’t have the time or desire to tackle this project yourself. As an Auto Shop Owner, your time is precious and better put to use dealing with other business matters.
That’s where we come in! We can help. If you’d like to have us do everything for you, just contact Nathan at 0423085643.
The monthly newsletter service may be stand-alone or packaged into a program such as the “Mechanics Customer Engine” which includes the monthly re-activation newsletters.
