Diesel Repair Shop Marketing Guide: Part Two

This guide is a continuation of Diesel Repair Shop Marketing Guide: Part One.

Organic search is one of the best ways to drive new business for your diesel repair shop. But what if you wanted faster results?

That’s what you can get with Google Ads. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to set up a Google Ads account, create a campaign, and design compelling ads that get actual results.

Let’s dive right into it.

Introduction to Google Ads

Google Ads is a digital marketing method that allows businesses to reach out to potential customers in their target area. 

It’s a type of pay-per-click (PPC) marketing channel. When it comes to PPC ads, the advertiser (you) pays each time a user clicks on their ad.

Heavy-duty repair shop marketing through Google Ads is one of the best tools diesel repair shops can use to attract new customers.

Setting up an ad in Google can help boost your shop’s and website’s visibility.

Customers are more likely to click on top search results. And because Google Ads appear before organic search results, this boosts the likelihood that a potential customer will click your ad. 

Why Google Ads for Diesel Repair Shops?

Google Ads present a great opportunity for diesel repair shops to attract new customers.

Nearly 70% of people use Google search to find answers when they need automotive services. 

And many of these searchers will check out an automotive company’s website before making a purchase. 

As a diesel repair shop, this means that a pretty large percentage of your potential customers will come from Google search. 

Given that, there’s no reason why your diesel repair shop shouldn’t be leveraging Google Ads to drive more business, especially when you consider the following benefits:

• Drive traffic to your diesel repair business. When a business boosts its online visibility, its website is more likely to generate traffic. Google Ads offer that opportunity by placing a company’s ad front and center in the search engine results pages (SERPs).
• Target your local market. Nearly 46% of all Google searches are seeking local information. Your diesel shop is a local business, which means you must attract local customers if you want to be successful. With Google Ads, you can target local customers in your service area. 
• Generate more sales. Almost 90% of consumers who perform a local search on their mobile device either visit or call a place of business within a day. This means that the more people see your ad, the more likely it is for your diesel shop to receive new visitors. And when potential customers visit your shop, there’s a higher chance of them paying for your services.
• Build loyalty. A Google Ads PPC campaign allows you to target local customers and segment them into ad groups and campaign ads. As a result, your ads appear for the right customers at the right time. For example, your diesel shop ads don’t just have to be for new customers. You can target repeating customers. So, instead of just advertising your repair services, you can promote preventative maintenance. You can also use Google Ads to encourage existing customers to sign up for newsletters and get coupons, which promotes loyalty.

Steps to Create Google Ads for Diesel Repair Shops

Follow these steps to create a winning Google Ads campaign for your truck repair shop.

Note: these methods, including the campaign setup and keywords, will work whether you are light duty, heavy-duty, mobile mechanic, or a fleet service.

Step 1: Create a Google Ads Account

Create or log into the account you want associated with Google Ads. Then, go to https://ads.google.com/ and click the “Start Now” button. 

Step 2: Create Google Ads Diesel Repair Shop Campaign

The next step is to create an ad group for your campaign. To do this, start by choosing your main advertising goal. 

Do you want to get more calls, get more website sales or sign-ups, or get more visits to your physical location?

Once you’ve decided on your goal, navigate to Ad Groups in the left menu, click the “+” plus sign, and click “Create a New Campaign”.

After that, Google will take you to a page that lets you create an ad group and put in the keywords you want to target for your diesel repair shop ad. 

Enter your ad group name. Then, the next field asks you to enter the service you’re offering, which in this case, would be “diesel repair services”. Then, enter the keywords you want to target.

Here are some of the highest search volume keywords in the industry:

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After you’re done entering your keywords, click “Save and Continue”.

From there, Google will redirect you to a page where it asks you to choose a goal that will make your ad campaign successful. You’ll have many options.

However, you’ll choose “Create a campaign without a goal’s guidance.”

Next, choose “Search” as the campaign type. Then, click “Continue.” Enter your campaign name and uncheck “Display Network”. Keep “Search Network” checked.

The reason for this is that display ads often receive a lower click-through rate (CTR) than network ads. 

That’s because with display ads, people aren’t actively searching for the services you promote in your ads. 

On the other hand, Google’s Search Network targets users who directly search for the keywords you’re targeting. 

After making those selections, click the the drop-down button that says, “Show more settings”. Doing so will show your ad schedule. This is where you can choose how long you want your ad to run.

After choosing the schedule for your diesel repair shop ads, customize your target audience. One of the most useful components of Google Ads is the ability to create audiences. You can set certain categories that are relevant to what your audience searches for. 

For example, the category Auto Repair & Maintenance is highly suitable for diesel repair shops. 

This means that Google will show your ads to people most likely to look for these services. You can further narrow your reach with Targeting. This will serve your ads to any subcategories you’ve selected.

Here are other steps you might consider taking for ad targeting:

• Enter your target location depending on where your diesel shop operates.
• Click “Location Options”.
• Choose “people in or regularly in your targeted locations” as your target audience.
• Select “people in your excluded locations” as the audience you want to exclude.
• Choose the language your target customers speak.
  

Next, set a budget for your ad campaign by entering how much you want to spend each day. By default, you’ll be using the standard plan for allocating your ad budget. 

The standard plan spreads your budget evenly over the duration of your ad campaign. This ensures that your ads are steadily generating leads.

After setting your budget, choose bidding options for your ad campaign. These options include:

• Maximize conversions: Allows you to get the most conversions for your money.
• Maximize conversion value: Helps you get the most conversion value at your budget.
• Maximize clicks: Drives the most clicks possible with your daily budget.
  

Step 3: Create a Compelling Ad for Your Diesel Repair Shop

Now it’s time to create your ad, the most important step in creating an ad campaign for your diesel repair shop. 

Like any business, you want to attract as many customers to your shop as possible. However, you also want people to buy. If they don’t, you end up paying for those clicks anyway.

Below are the main components of a Google Ad:

• Headline: The headline is the first thing searchers will see. And you only have 30 characters for each headline section to attract attention and compel users to click, so make them count. A good example of a headline for a diesel repair shop is, “Quality Diesel Repair in Houston | Free Repair Quotes”. The headline is effective because it features the business’ location and an attractive offer that encourages clicks.
• Description: Use the space in the description (90 characters) to highlight any features or benefits of your services. For example, you could say, “Custom Work Available”, “30+ Years of Experience”, or “HET Certified Mechanics” to showcase your expertise and set your shop apart from competitors. 
• Destination URL: Choose the page you want users to land on when they click your ad. For example, you can send prospects to your landing page where the call-to-action (CTA) might be to call your shop or schedule an appointment.

Leverage Managed SEM Services With Dieselmatic

Don’t have time to set up and manage a Google Ads campaign for your diesel truck repair shop? 

Not to worry. Truck repair marketing is crucial. But many shop owners prefer to focus on running their business. Does that sound like you?

If so, then you’ll benefit from Dieselmatic’s search engine marketing (SEM) services. 

What separates us from other Google Ads management companies is that we take a diesel-specific approach. That way, you’re actually getting results for the specific type of repair services you offer.

Plus, we leverage industry-led data to inform ad creation and management. Analyzing thousands of campaigns for diesel repair shops across the U.S., we can create ad campaigns that actually work.

To generate local leads, work with us, Dieselmatic, a Certified Google Partner. Schedule a call today for a one-on-one conversation.