Is my business growing?
We understand that it can be difficult to tell if your business is growing after you’ve begun a Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Google Ads online advertising campaign. You ask yourself where the phone calls are coming from, is my website traffic on the rise, are people seeing my ads and more? Luckily the SocialCRM auto repair marketing team has put everything you need to successfully market your auto repair shop into your reporting dashboard!
Here’s a quick overview to help you find and understand your campaign results.
Google Ads Reporting
The Google Ads graph at the bottom of your SocialCRM reports is directly linked with your Google Ads account. This allows us to populate your campaign data in real time (see Figure 1).
This reporting is broken down to show you items such as:
- Cost invested in a given month, Impressions, Clicks and Calls. In addition, the added benefit of having SocialCRM and your Manager SE shop management system integrated together allows us to show you the revenue generated from new and/or returning consumers. This report populates in different colors making it easy to read without digging through complex stats and numbers.
- New Customer Revenue (Blue Bar)– Revenue generated from customers without a previous shop visit.
- Returning Customer Revenue (Grey Bar)– Revenue generated from customers with a previous shop visit.
To track your businesses growth, you will want to take a look over the blue bars which indicate the new customer revenue. Our top goal with PPC campaigns is to bring in brand new customers who have been searching for auto shop repair facilities online. As we build your online ad campaign, we use many of your unique business features and assets to set you apart from the competition and draw in these new auto repair customers.
These numbers will most likely fluctuate depending on the search volume each month, but it is important to be seeing that new customer revenue on a frequent basis. Bringing back previous customers who made a search online is also a huge win as they may not have had your number handy the first time or were possibly considering a new repair shop and saw your ad instead.
Figure 1
Watch your Phone Call Sources
In the SocialCRM dashboard you can see which consumers called you and from what source. The SocialCRM dashboard will also tell you right away if this is a new or returning consumer. It’s very important to look at these calls regularly for several reasons.
First, it allows you to see the new business being generated by your Google Ads. We cross reference the number with your current database and if it is unique, a “NEW!” icon will appear next to the consumer’s name (Figure 2). Second, these calls are recorded so you can jump in to spot-check what service a client was looking for, phone manner, appointment scheduling and more.
Figure 2
I personally listen to these regularly to ensure that our shop customers are getting the calls regarding the services we are promoting. I can tell you that unfortunately I hear missed appointment opportunities quite frequently! Our goal here is to ensure that your shop is always being asked if you can schedule the consumer for a service, diagnostics, or something quick like a free tire rotation. Getting them in the door during that first interaction can create a new life-long customer.
Keep an eye on your Impressions
Your Impressions column shows you how many times your ad was presented on a search result (Figure 3). This allows you to know approximately how many people in your area were searching for auto repair services in a particular timeframe.
When it comes to online searches, visibility is key so we work hard to ensure that your ads are showing up on as many relevant searches as possible. This will translate into better brand recognition, more phone calls, more clicks for directions to the shop and ultimately more conversions!
Track your website visits
Another great feature in our SocialCRM reporting system is the fact that it shows you how many website visits we received after a consumer clicked an ad. If a consumer was interested enough in your message that they clicked an ad to reach a landing page, and then through to your website for more even info, that is a big win! We captured their attention and led them to your LocalSearch website that has options for online appointment requests, contact us forms and phone calls.
Figure 3
Reporting is your biggest tool for tracking business growth and finding areas of opportunity. These reports are emailed out to you on a weekly basis, but remember, you can log in anytime from any computer or device to see them update day to day. If you ever have any questions regarding reports, your dedicated SocialCRM support agent would be happy to review them in detail.
I hope that this has given you an insight into watching your business grow using Google Ads. By providing value through easy-to-read reporting, ongoing keyword research, optimized landing pages and more, SocialCRM and Google Ads will help grow your business!
Here are few closing tips to take away:
Tip #1
Keep your Google My Business profile up to date! Stay on top of hours, ensure your website address is accurate and add pictures as you can. This will allow consumers on the web or on Google Maps to have the right information as well as a peek into your shop before they visit.
Tip #2
Don’t switch your Ad Groups too often. It’s important to allow a campaign to gather data for better ad/keyword optimization that will help lead to conversions. Switching every few weeks puts the ad into Google’s “Learning phase” again and does not give an ad group enough time to mature and produce results. Watch your impressions and phone calls and if neither pick up, then it’ll be time to promote a new service.
Tip #3
Keep your ads seasonal! Air condition work may be needed in Florida all year long, but the same is not true elsewhere. If you began running A/C ads in June, think about switching them up near the end of August and prepare a new service you would like to focus on moving into the fall or winter season. Think about your own vehicle and what you would want be done to get it safely through the season. Chances are people around you will be looking for that same service.
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You may also like to read:
5 Tips for Getting the Most Value from SocialCRM Shop Marketing
