6 Tips for Creating Messages that Grab your Clients Attention

We've all been persuaded into purchasing items, products or services from places by people that are good salesmen. Whether or not purchasing that second George Foreman Grill was the best idea is not the point, the point is that there are tactics people use to market their services and products to their target audience. Unfortunately as auto shop owners we can’t go door to door offering our products to people which is why using attention grabbing messages on different media outlets is perhaps our best bet when it comes to selling our products and services.

An attention grabbing message will not only let people know of what you’re offering but it will remind them of something they might be looking for without realizing it. It will compel them to learn more. Well written messages on social media, the front of your shop and even mouth to mouth can be quite powerful and the following are tips to creating attention grabbing messages.

1.Fear is a Great Motivator

An important thing you can do is present a problem that one of your services will solve. For instance, use social media to promote your tire changing services. Talk about the hazards of not rotating your tires a few times per year and the problems that may arise if tires don’t wear out evenly. It may seem rather simple but it is quite effective. Use phrases such as ‘Reliable Auto Services you can trust.’ They may sound to be buzzwords but expressing reliability and confidence can go a long way.

2.Ask Questions

Ask questions on Social Media or even ask them to your clients directly. Using questions that will raise thoughts in your client’s minds can be powerful ways to grab attention. You can get easily grab a person’s attention by asking questions like “have you ever been sold a product or service you ended up not needing?” Or “Was your last oil change unsatisfactory?” Might seem like trivial questions but we can’t tell you how many times we’ve spoken to individuals who were not happy with a simple oil change. Either the technician was rude or they were promised an oil change in less than 20 minutes and had to wait an hour. This will not only relate to every vehicle owner but it will also have clients and potential clients ask more questions that if answered correctly by you or your staff can have your shop be their go to place for all their vehicle needs.

3.Don’t Underestimate the Element of Surprise

We’ve all seen and been exposed to marketing messages in random newspaper, magazine and recently social media ads that we weren’t expecting. Trends on social media now have seen companies use the famous “memes” (pronounced meems). These are images depict a specific person or object typically humorous in nature that is quickly copied and spread across the internet. Take the image we’ve displayed for example it is a meme of a Chevy truck with a caption that reads “went to a ford dealership, bought best car on lot” Not only is this a good way to grab attention but it will also help spread the face of your company easier. You don’t always need long posts to get your word across; a simple image may be worth a thousand words.

4.Use Captivating Fonts and/or Bold First Words

In previous articles where we've discussed newsletter tactics we mentioned the importance of headlines and/or subject lines. In a printed message making the first few words larger will grab people’s attention due to the prominence of the subject line in comparison to the surrounding text. And if the subject line is catchy, chances are they will take the time to read the print as well.

5.Use Powerful Words and Stay Clear of Tacky Images

You want to avoid using rather cliché images that you will find in all of your competitors signs or posts and you do want to use words that project positive responses. One example we liked was of a sign outside a repair shop that said YOLO (stands for you only live once) Your Oil Lights On.

6.Make Sure to be Concise

Whether you use memes like the ones we mentioned, advertise services like tire rotation or oil services or even post specials you’re having for the month, be sure to avoid using hundreds of words on a single post. If there’s something we know about today’s world is that people don’t have time to read a lot of information nor will they if it is on a poster or Facebook post. We are all bombarded with dozens of subliminal messages each day so the best advice we can give you is, let your messages be brief and full and meaning.

When all is said and done we don’t have all of the answers and truth be told, what works for some might not work for others. Times are changing and we’re all just trying to stay ahead of the competition by using tactics that they might not have discovered yet. Word of mouth will probably always be the best method to acquire new customers for our auto shop but trying different tactics can only benefit us in the long run.

• What Means of Communication do you Consider to be the Best When it comes to Marketing?