Late Ownership Services
FIXED OPS DIGITAL CEO Owen Moon was featured on the Automotive News Daily Drive Podcast last week, where he and Dan Shine discussed the importance of late ownership services for dealerships. Listen to the podcast below or read on to learn more!
Older Vehicles Need More Repairs
The average age of vehicles on the road recently passed 12 years. Owen mentions that this could be due to a combination of Covid keeping customers from purchasing new cars, people not driving as much, and the chip shortage. No matter the reasoning, the fact is that many more service customers need late ownership services and will be searching for a place to have them done.
In many cases, “once a customer’s warranty or prepaid service contract expires, up to 70% of them will go somewhere other than the dealership for service, maintenance, and repairs.” (Automotive News) Focusing on late ownership services in your fixed operations marketing can help retain customers and keep them returning to your dealership.
Late Ownership = Higher ROs
Not only are late ownership services crucial for your customers’ safety, but they can also make your dealership more money. Oil changes and tire rotations may increase customer retention, but high-mileage services such as transmission replacements and exhaust repairs are often higher-dollar ROs, so you shouldn’t overlook them.
Bring Customers to You
More customers are looking for information about older vehicle maintenance than ever before. How can you make sure they choose your dealership over independent shops? As Owen says, “the service customer has changed, but in many cases, the strategies that we as an industry use to try to reach those customers haven’t.” Older marketing methods are not necessarily outdated, but trends are shifting to paid media and digital marketing. Since many people are searching online for information, that is where you need to meet your customers.
Marketing Late Ownership Services
Since service customers are searching online, it’s essential that you are getting your dealership in front of them with new digital marketing strategies. Directing customers to a content page on your site where they can learn more about the importance of late ownership services can be more effective than leading them straight to a scheduler, but that’s just the beginning. At FIXED OPS DIGITAL, we offer several options to help you market your late ownership services and increase traffic to your fixed ops pages. These include late ownership-focused videos, content pages, and late ownership service coupons through Drive Service SPECIALS.
Ready to start marketing your late ownership services and filling your bays? Contact us today to learn how we can help!
