BookMyGarage were honoured to be invited to talk alongside industry experts at this year’s Automechanika event in Birmingham. Filling in for Chief Marketing Officer Jessica Potts, Co-founder Karen Rotberg joined Gavin Ruddick of Steer Automotive Group and Quentin Le Hetet of GIPA to deliver an engaging presentation on the topic ‘How to Thrive In Uncertain Times: Insights, Advice, and Actionable Steps For Success’.
If you didn’t make it to the event, we’ve summed up the key points you should know to ensure your business will continue to thrive throughout uncertain times.
Despite 2.1 million ‘lost’ car new sales, the market isn’t necessarily shrinking. In one year, we saw a significant drop in new car sales – from 2.3 million in 2019, to 1.6 million in 2020 – but this doesn’t mean that people don’t need garages.
Whilst the car parc is stagnating, it is still the biggest it has ever been. In 2024, 87% of cars will be three years old or older, and with the average lifespan of a car getting closer to fifteen years, more and more people will be bringing their vehicles in for servicing and MOT tests for longer.
Between 2020 and 2023, there was a 61% increase in drivers searching online for their service, MOT, and repair needs. This accounts for 43% of drivers that are shopping online to find the best deal on their car maintenance.
Joining a price comparison site such as BookMyGarage will ensure that you will maintain your share of the market. We have delivered instant prices to over ten million drivers for thousands of local garages.
One of the most important things about digitalising your business is ensuring your site is going to be seen. Once you get to grips with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), you are on a straight road to gaining new customers.
No one knows your garage better than you. Taking some time to create some content with relevant location-based keywords and information about your business will drive traffic to your site and gain you new clients. Getting to the top of Google’s search ranking is crucial when attracting new customers – in fact, 75% of users only look at the top three results – and SEO is the way you can make that happen.
Pay Per Click advertising can go a long way as a garage. When your ads appear in the right places you are well on your way to gaining a new customer who may not have found you otherwise. Since PPC works by using specific keywords, your business appearing as a suggested result in response to a specific search term can be an effective tool to securing those precious conversions.
PPC marketing is inexpensive and extremely cost effective. If you haven’t considered PPC marketing already, don’t be afraid to invest some time and money into your business, your customers, and yourself.
So, with the help of SEO and PPC advertising, you’ve got yourself plenty of lookers. Now all you’ve got to do is turn them into bookers. The easiest way to do this is provide your customers with a booking tool on your website.
A booking tool comes with a plethora of benefits, such as allowing customers to book day or night without having to wait for you to pick up the phone. A BookMyGarage booking tool will provide your customers with a constant means of booking an appointment with you, so you never miss out on potential revenue.
“BookMyGarage has over 40 staff members that help garages grow their own customer base and have been doing so for the past nine years,” says Karen. “Jessica and her team provide highly cost-effective websites, booking tools, and marketing packages to win consumers direct, and keep them loyal to you.”