When you think of the term “branding,” your first thought is probably your shop’s logo. It’s the visual representation of your shop and the first thing a customer sees when they walk in.
A good logo is important, but it only scratches the surface of what branding is and what it can do for your shop.
Taran Sodhi, owner and CEO of the Virginia-based auto repair shop marketing agency Conceptual Minds, says branding is key because of an uncomfortable truth that shops need to face.
“The auto repair industry is highly saturated and has a lot of competition,” he says. “The reality is that the consumer may not see much of a difference between auto shops, which might result in a lower level of loyalty.”
Because of this, oftentimes a shop’s first response is to cut prices in order to stand out. However, that isn’t a sustainable operating model and can only get you so far. This is where branding comes in.
“Branding is a way of creating a differentiation between your business and the competition, and connecting with your targeting audience,” Sodhi says. “It’s about communicating your company’s values and creating a memorable experience so people want to come back.”
While a company logo is a key part of branding, it isn’t the only part. Everything from the color scheme and web design to the furniture and feel in your physical storefront plays a key role in communicating to your customers what your shop’s core values are. Having a good understanding of what your brand is and how to effectively share that with customers is essential to surviving in an increasingly crowded auto repair industry.
When Should You Consider a Rebrand?
If branding hasn’t been a priority for your shop in the past, or if you haven’t had meaningful discussions about how your brand represents your shop, Sodhi says that needs to change.
“Every shop operator should be thinking about branding at some level,” he says. “It plays a critical role in the long-term success of the business.”
Recently, Conceptual Minds was hired by Wiygul Automotive Clinic, an eight-store operation in the Washington, D.C., metro area, to help with a rebrand and logo overhaul.
“We knew it was time to become more current, more consistent in our messaging and with our branding,” Wiygul Automotive Manager Dave Krukowski says. “We want to be very easy to do business with and we want that to be evident on all platforms. We wanted to separate ourselves from the area competition.”
Initially, Wiygul had a small assessment done for their old logo and website that let them know their logo was outdated and hard to read. Though that seems to be a small fix on the surface, once you get a logo updated, that then has to be applied across physical and digital signage, storefronts, vehicles, websites, business cards and every other place where your logo might be featured.
That, Sodhi says, is not something that can be rushed.
“Everything good doesn’t happen overnight. It takes planning, execution. There’s a vision and a goal that’s associated with it,” Sodhi says. “It’s taken several years to get (Wiygul) there.”
What to Think About in a Rebrand
Because a rebrand and updating your company’s image can be a years-long process, Sodhi says you have to be ready to make a continual investment.
“It’s like renovating your home,” he says. “You start with painting one room and you say ‘Wow, that looks great,’ so it turns into another room and another room, and suddenly, you’re doing the whole house.”
And it’s not just an investment for your shop, either—ultimately, it’s an investment to help your customers feel more comfortable and trusting with your business. Krukowski says Conceptual Minds really helped his team identify their long-term goals and conduct survey research to know what the shop’s customers liked and didn’t like.
The first room of Wiygul’s proverbial house that needed to be renovated was the logo. The old version featured a hard-to-read blind pattern, a color scheme that highlighted the shop’s relationship with Goodyear and an overall aesthetic ripped straight from the '80s.
“Not only was it hard enough to read the name, but the logo made it even harder,” Sodhi says.
Conceptual Minds workshopped several logo refreshes with the Wiygul team and ultimately came up with a logo and font that had a refreshingly modern feel, and a color scheme that helped give the auto shop its own identity.
“The creative ideas that came out of our collaborative sessions with Conceptual Minds really set the tone for the rebrand,” Krukowski says.
Once the logo was updated, Sodhi’s team set their sights on the shop’s website.
“That is their digital storefront,” Sodhi says. “A lot of people go there to check a shop’s credibility first before going to the shop.”
Making sure the website was easy to navigate was crucial; so was having easy-to-use scheduling tools and having photos that featured actual shop employees.
After that, Sodhi says, it snowballs into making sure that your refreshed brand is reflected on all signs, vehicles and other places where your logo is featured. Even making sure the physical space of your shop reflects what you’re trying to convey with your brand is an important step in conveying a consistent message.
“Our approach to our marketing plan is more calculated, thoughtful and measurable than it has ever been,” Krukowski says. “Planning out the marketing calendar 12 months in advance is something that we didn't consider until we solidified this partnership. This approach helps us to create more awareness both internally and externally.”
A Worthwhile Investment
Wiygul Automotive aims to be a comfortable and easy-to-work-with shop that rivals a dealership environment. Before the rebrand, Krukowski says his shop was disconnected from its customers in terms of the overall shop experience.
“We've always tried to obtain feedback from our customers on the quality of their experiences,” he says, “but we really never gave them an open platform to provide feedback until Conceptual Minds helped us in this area.”
With the help of Sodhi’s team, Wiygul has now achieved their goal and is seeing a strong return on their investment.
“Within the same footprint of stores, they’ve grown organically through simple marketing and good execution,” Sodhi says. “We’ve been able to build trust with people and create a brand name for them where people recognize them as the dominant player in the market.”
Branding is a long-term investment, but for shop owners that are planning on staying in the business for the next several years, Sodhi says it will pay off if done right.
“You may not have as much loyalty with a customer base because they don’t know you as anyone,” Sodhi says. “You have to be able to start standing out so you can have your own personality and presence.”
