When you think about the target audience of your automotive website, you probably think about the guys. Sure, guys naturally gravitate to the appeal of auto shop websites, but if your website is marketing to just men, you’re missing the mark. In fact, women make the majority of purchase decisions in almost every product category and service industry, including automotive! Even more important, once you’ve gained a woman as a customer, she’s far more likely to remain loyal to your shop than a man. So it makes sense to use some of the same effective website marketing strategies as big brands to win over the female side of the market.

Don’t Panic. It Doesn’t Have to be Pink.

Don’t worry; your website doesn’t have to lose any of its rugged appeal to win over female customers, it just needs to have the right elements in the right places. Women appreciate relationships in a professional environment more than men do, so it’s important to have a website that is welcoming, highly visual, builds trust, and provides the right information.

What Works
You don’t need to create a separate “woman friendly” auto shop website to reach female customers. You just need to provide website elements that meet their needs.

• Use text and email reminders. Women don’t always think about their car, so they love having the safety net of having a reliable service that lets them know exactly when to come into the shop to keep everything running smoothly. Services like DemandForce provide you easy ways to remind customers when to come in for specific services. In fact, one of our customers reports that over 70% of his customer base are women, who love the friendly e-mail reminders his shop uses.

• Use great photos. Women want to bring their cars to a shop that looks clean, organized, and inviting.

• Have a mission statement. Women want to know what matters to you and use mission statements to gauge their trust.

• Have a blog that provides helpful information. While a woman might be hesitant to call you over something like a weird noise coming from the engine, she will look it up to find reassurance that the car does indeed need some attention.

• Highlight offered services women might especially need, such as car pick-up and drop off or a cozy waiting room.

• Use special offers. Women love to know that they are saving money while getting the job done.

• Highlight your social involvement. If you give to charitable organizations or otherwise involved in giving back to the community, highlight your efforts on your website. Women believe in the efforts of business owners willing to work building a better community.

• Use testimonials. Testimonials build trust and help customers on the fence see what others think about your services.

• Commit and connect. Offer ways to stay connected and show your commitment through helpful relevant information such as reminders for tire rotation, oil changes, winterizing or other regular maintenance.

Once you have a great an inviting website, you’ll see that women can make up a huge portion of your customer base, and have other local shops wondering about the secrets to your success!

Do you want to grow your shop?

Scan your website today for a full report that will provide insight into how your can find more customers online!