Shop owners know the first quarter is often slow, yet many wait until December to panic and throw money at ads. That is exactly the opposite of what works. The shops pulling ahead treat marketing like preventive maintenance. They market all year, plan a year in advance, and understand that customers make decisions months before they spend.
In episode 137 of Maximum Octane, Kim Hickey and Jason Patel talk with Doug Robison of Optimize Digital Marketing about why marketing is a full-year responsibility. Doug explains how to identify slow seasons before they hit, why April tax refund campaigns are already too late, what Local Services Ads do, how to know if a campaign worked, and how to respond to negative reviews.
What You Will Learn
- Why you need to market 24/7, not just when business drops
- How unexpected expenses work and why budgeting matters to your message
- Why your staple marketing tactics should never change but always improve
- What local service ads actually do and why they’re different from regular Google ads
- Why planning a full calendar in October for the next year beats quarterly planning
- How to speak to customers who owe taxes versus those getting refunds
- Why tax return campaigns in April are completely off timing
- How to help customers understand and plan for their vehicle maintenance
- How to know if a campaign actually moved the needle on your business
- The stat that should concern you: 66% of businesses are increasing marketing spend
- How to actually respond to negative reviews without taking them personally
- The truth about word of mouth in the digital age
Market All Year, Not Just When Business Drops
Doug opens with why shops need to market continuously rather than only when business slows. Marketing takes time to build awareness and train advertising algorithms. Turning it on for a week and expecting results rarely works. Dave Martin makes the same point in Why You Should Never Be Too Busy for Marketing.
A helpful comparison is preventive maintenance. Customers who skip oil changes until something breaks end up with bigger repair bills. Shops that skip marketing until car count drops face a similar problem: by the time they notice the slowdown, the customers who might have booked are already choosing another shop. Steady marketing keeps the shop visible when people are just starting to think about service, so the bays stay fuller when seasonal demand dips. It also gives the shop enough data over time to see which efforts actually drive results.
Budgeting and Messaging
Around the 5 minute mark, Doug discusses how unexpected expenses work for customers and why budgeting matters to your message. Car repairs often arrive at inconvenient times. Marketing that helps customers plan for maintenance positions your shop as a partner, not a surprise expense.
Messaging that acknowledges how customers budget can make a real difference. Maintenance reminders that explain what is coming up in the next few months, estimates that separate urgent work from items that can be planned, and educational content about common seasonal repairs all help customers prepare. Some shops also make customers aware of financing options for larger repairs. The goal is to make the shop feel like a partner in keeping the vehicle reliable rather than a source of unwelcome surprises.
Staple Tactics Should Improve, Not Change
Doug explains why your core marketing tactics should stay consistent but keep improving. Constantly switching strategies prevents any of them from gaining momentum. Refining what works produces steady gains.
Staple tactics for most shops include a strong Google Business Profile, a steady flow of reviews, a website that converts visitors into calls or appointments, reminder and follow-up messages to existing customers, and some form of paid search or local advertising. Improving them might mean updating photos, testing new ad wording, adding online scheduling, or tightening the follow-up schedule. Small, steady refinements compound over time, while constant switching resets the clock on every channel.
What Local Services Ads Do
Around the 8 minute mark, Doug explains what Local Services Ads do and how they differ from regular Google Ads. Local Services Ads appear at the top of certain search results and are designed for local service providers. Google explains the program on its Local Services Ads help center. Doug describes them as the closest thing to an acquisition “magic button,” while noting that results still depend on reviews, responsiveness, and setup.
Because Local Services Ads rely heavily on reviews and responsiveness, they reward shops that already do the basics well. Answering calls promptly, responding to messages quickly, and maintaining a steady stream of genuine reviews all support performance. Shops considering the program should review the eligibility and verification requirements, set a realistic budget, and track the calls and bookings the ads produce so they can judge whether the leads turn into profitable customers.
Plan Next Year in October
Doug explains why planning a full marketing calendar in October for the following year beats planning one quarter at a time. A year-long view lets you anticipate slow seasons, align campaigns with customer behavior, and avoid last-minute decisions.
A practical way to build the calendar is to pull last year’s monthly car count and sales, mark the slowest periods, and plan campaigns to start several weeks before each one. Then layer in seasonal messages, local events, holidays, and any service promotions the shop wants to emphasize. Assigning budget by month, rather than as a single annual number, makes it easier to keep spending steady and avoid cutting marketing the moment the shop gets busy.
Tax Season Timing
Around the 12 minute mark, Doug discusses how to speak to customers who owe taxes versus those receiving refunds, and why April tax return campaigns are completely off timing. Many refunds arrive earlier in the year, so messaging needs to reach customers before they spend the money elsewhere.
Helping Customers Plan Maintenance
Doug explains how shops can help customers understand and plan for vehicle maintenance. Education builds trust and smooths out demand. ATI’s 3 Things You Must Do to Keep Steady Car Count Year-Round and 5 Ways to Avoid the “Slump” Season in Business offer related strategies.
Did the Campaign Work?
Around the 23 minute mark, Doug explains how to know whether a campaign actually moved the needle. Track calls, appointments, new customers, and revenue tied to each effort. He also shares a stat that should get owners’ attention: in his telling, about two-thirds of small businesses are increasing marketing spend, which means competitors are moving.
Measurement starts with deciding what success looks like before the campaign launches. If the goal is new customers, track first-time visits. If the goal is a specific service, track how many of those jobs were sold. Using unique phone numbers, landing pages, or offer codes helps connect results to the right effort. Comparing results with the same period in the prior year adds useful context. Most importantly, look at revenue and profit, not just calls, so the shop knows whether the campaign paid for itself.
Negative Reviews and Word of Mouth
Doug closes with how to respond to negative reviews without taking them personally and the truth about word of mouth in the digital age. Today, word of mouth often happens online through reviews and social posts. ATI’s You’re Not Ruined! How to Respond to a Negative Review walks through the process.
When a negative review arrives, a short pause before responding helps. A good response thanks the customer, acknowledges their experience without arguing, explains briefly what the shop is doing to address it, and invites them to continue the conversation directly. Future customers read these responses to judge how the shop treats people when something goes wrong. Encouraging happy customers to leave reviews consistently also keeps one critical review from defining the shop’s online reputation.
Common Marketing Timing Mistakes
The most common timing mistake is reacting instead of planning. Shops notice a slow month, rush to launch an offer, and see little response because the campaign started too late to influence decisions. Another is cutting marketing entirely when the shop is busy, which creates the next slow period. Seasonal messages are also often mistimed, such as promoting winter preparation after the first cold snap or road trip checks after summer travel has begun.
A related mistake is changing too many things at once. If a shop switches agencies, redesigns the website, and launches a new offer in the same month, it becomes impossible to tell what helped. Planning ahead and changing one major element at a time keeps results readable and decisions grounded in evidence.
Build Your 12-Month Marketing Calendar
- Mark your historically slow months and plan campaigns before them.
- Schedule seasonal messages, such as tax season, winter prep, and road trips, ahead of time.
- Keep your core channels running every month.
- Review results quarterly and adjust, without abandoning what works.
Doug’s earlier episode, Analysis Paralysis Is Costing You Customers!, covers getting started. Chris Messer explains the value of consistent advertising in How to Build Our Own Fleet of Red Trucks for Our Business.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should an auto repair shop plan its marketing for the next year?
Many shops benefit from building next year’s marketing calendar in the fall, around October. That gives enough time to review the current year’s results, identify slow seasons, set a monthly budget, and schedule campaigns before they are needed. Planning a full year at once helps you start promotions weeks ahead of slow periods, keep core channels running consistently, and avoid last-minute decisions. Review the plan quarterly and adjust based on results.
Why is January slow for auto repair shops?
Early in the year, many customers are recovering from holiday spending and may delay non-urgent repairs and maintenance. Some are waiting on tax refunds before spending money. Weather in many regions also affects driving and scheduling. Shops can soften the slowdown by marketing consistently in the months before, sending maintenance reminders, helping customers plan for upcoming repairs, and timing tax season messaging to reach customers when refunds typically arrive.
Are Google Local Services Ads worth it for auto repair shops?
For many shops, Local Services Ads can be a strong source of local leads because they appear prominently in certain search results and focus on nearby providers. Results depend on factors like your reviews, responsiveness to calls and messages, and proper setup and verification. Track the calls and appointments they generate and compare the revenue to what you spend. They work best alongside other consistent marketing rather than as your only channel.
How do I know if my auto shop marketing is working?
Set a clear goal before each campaign, such as new customers or a specific service, then track the results tied to that goal. Use unique phone numbers, landing pages, or offer codes to connect calls and appointments to each effort. Measure revenue and profit, not just clicks or calls, and compare results with the same period last year. If a campaign attracts customers who return and refer others, it is likely worth continuing.
How should I respond to a negative Google review?
Respond calmly and professionally, ideally after taking time to review what happened. Thank the customer for the feedback, acknowledge their experience without arguing or sharing private details, explain briefly what you are doing to address the issue, and invite them to contact you directly. Keep it short. Future customers read your response to judge how you handle problems, so a thoughtful reply can actually build trust. Then look for any process issue the review reveals.
Resources and Links From This Episode
Connect With the Guests
- Doug Robison: LinkedIn, Optimize Digital Marketing
