The Ultimate Auto Body Shop Marketing Guide

3 Auto body shop marketing tools

Investing in high-quality, inexpensive printed materials is a powerful way to attract more customers, boost sales, and increase your profits. Instead of printing your marketing materials on your own, send your online printing jobs to a state-of-the-art online printing company such as PsPrint and let our experts assist with your auto body advertising.

No business is complete without them! Print business cards and hand them out to everyone you meet. You can also insert them with other marketing tools, such as sales letters, and leave them in strategic places where potential customers might find them. Consider printing edge-colored ultra business cards to stand out from competitors.

Design your own auto body shop business cards online for free with our business card templates and design tool.

Pick your favorite now

With the right message and graphic elements, well-placed posters can engage potential customers and increase your brand prowess.

Flyers are perfect marketing materials for placement on bulletin boards, windshields, direct mail, storefront windows, and other high-profile places. Print flyers for your body shop and leave them at partner businesses such as insurance agencies, tire stores, and car washes to get your message out.

Booklets are a unique and profitable way to give your prospects something they can use. Use a booklet to explain auto body care techniques and to highlight your work, products, and special services. Think "How to protect your paint job for decades."

Postcard printing is one of the most cost-effective direct-mail marketing strategies for an auto body shop. Send them out seasonally - such as before the winter ice and the spring rain – and add a special discount offer to motivate response.

View postcard templates

If you sell auto body care supplies or equipment you can compile your products into a mail-order or leave-behind catalog. Or, pass them out at trade shows and other events. Add value with unique anecdotes, tips, and tricks.

Brochures are service industry staple. Add pop and pizazz to your printed brochures with die-cuts and oversized printing. Send them via direct mail, use them as sales tools, and leave them in strategic places your audience will find them.

Not only will almost anyone take a free calendar, they'll also use it 365 days a year. Print calendars that highlight key automotive milestones, such as when tires and oil should be changed, along with a call to action to get their service scheduled. Be sure to feature large photos of your work along with your brand each month.

Showing your customers appreciation for their business and commemorating their special moments with greeting cards will earn you a special place in their hearts. Remember that most purchasing decisions are based on emotion, and then justified with logic. Print greeting cards to help you foster long-term relationships with your best customers.

Design your own thank-you greeting cards for your body shop with our free templates and online design tool.

Choose your template

Sticker marketing lets you place your message anywhere your target audience is likely to find it. If your customers routinely return, as is the case with auto detailers, you can print stickers featuring their next appointment dates, then place them on their windshields.

Banners are ultra-affordable ways to reach the masses. Place banners outside your body shop, near competitors’ body shops, and in high-traffic areas to get the biggest bang for your buck.

Highlight your auto body shop online. Consider adding appointment setting tools, a contact form, and current promotions. Make sure your URL is included on all your printed marketing materials. Post before-and-after shots on social media, and stay connected to customers with email marketing.

4 Auto body shop marketing: copywriting

Along with your brand image and design, professional copywriting is an integral part of demonstrating to customers that you’re the best auto body shop in town. This four-step process will ensure incredible copy that motivates response.

One way to increase the effectiveness of your auto body shop promotions is to add value by including coupons, helpful charts and graphs, tips, and other useful information that increases influence and motivates response.

5 Auto body shop marketing: distribution

Once you have your printed marketing materials, you need to get your message in front of the right audience at the right time. Here are some tips for distributing your auto body shop marketing tools:

Direct-mail marketing is a powerful way to reach a well-targeted audience. When you create direct-mail marketing campaigns for your body shop, keep the 40/40/20 rule of direct marketing in mind:

The 40/40/20 Rule of Direct Marketing

Take advantage of the mailing list tools available at PsPrint, which will help you identify and compile a mailing list based on key demographics such as income, gender, geographic location, and others.

You might have multiple lists, depending on your target audience. For example, you might have one list for classic car owners and another list for collision work customers.

Seek opportunities for strategic ad placement: flyer inserts in newspapers and print ads in magazines, ad spots on radio and television, paid digital advertising on local and niche websites and blogs, promoted social media posts, posters and flyers on bulletin boards and other public hot spots, and anywhere else your audience will find them.

Word of mouth is the most powerful advertiser, so make sure your family, friends, and satisfied customers spread the word for you.

Community event sponsorship is another great body shop advertising idea and a fantastic way to get your name out there

Use the three T’s to become a better auto body shop marketer over time:

With this strategy, you’ll be able to easily develop predictable marketing campaigns that maximize your return on investment.

6 Auto body shop marketing: ideas and resources

Try these creative auto body shop marketing ideas and resources to boost your marketing efforts.

Invite customers to attend a special event; for example, you might showcase some of the classic cars you’ve restored. You can also set up a booth at car shows, trade shows, and community festivals to show off your skills. Be sure to have plenty of business cards, brochures, and stickers to hand out!

Non-competing, complementary businesses can fuel profit. Auto mechanics, tire shops, detailers, and other businesses might prove to be perfect partners for auto body shops. Develop a multiple-service package or offer a discount to those who purchase from your partners. This is also a great list-building strategy.

Come up with exclusive auto body shop promotions for your business. Instead of simply saying you repair collision dents, try giving your services unique and memorable names such as "DentBeGone."

A creative idea that helped one collision repair service earn recognition was to print its own hot sauce labels (featuring the body shop) and apply them to hot sauce bottles distributed to local restaurants.

Think of ways you can appeal to all car owners, not just those who are currently looking for auto body shop services. A monthly newsletter packed with tips and tricks for car maintenance, safety, best new cars for families, etc., can help establish credibility and brand your business, so you’re the first body shop customers

think of when they need you.