There’s an old adage in marketing: “features tell and benefits sell.” This is critical to keep in mind when you’re promoting your auto repair shop. If your prospective customers don’t understand the features your shop offers, how they’ll benefit from these features, and why they should consider your shop for their next repair or maintenance service, you may lose them to your competition.
The main constraint you’ll encounter when emphasizing benefits in your direct mail is usually space. There are a lot of important elements an effective direct mail advertisement should contain, all of which are fighting for valuable space. Furthermore, putting too much information on an ad can make it cluttered and hard to read, which could diminish your return. A great solution to this problem is to provide a clear, concise, and organized list of your shop’s features that can easily be scanned by your prospects
Depending on the available space, there are two ways you can do this. If you have limited space, you can simply list your benefits out in a bulleted list. If you have extra space, you can list them out in conjunction with an icon to help illustrate the benefit and call additional attention to them.
Here’s a starting point to help you develop and build a list of your shop’s features and benefits.
Quality
- Are your technicians ASE certified?
- Do you offer a warranty on your work?
- Do you offer a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee?
Affordability
- Do you offer any financing options?
Comfort
- Do you offer any amenities in your waiting room?
Convenience
- Do you offer any type of shuttle service or loaner car service?
- Do you offer same day service on most repairs?
- Do you offer early drop-off and/or after-hours pick-up?
- Do you offer roadside assistance?
- Do you offer online appointment scheduling?
Trust
- Are all repairs approved by your customer before any work is done?
Pro Tip: Make sure you give your list of benefits a header. Something like: “Why Choose XYZ Auto” or “Our Benefits For You.”
Here is an example of how these can be clearly and concisely displayed on your direct mail marketing
