People love to connect to good stories. They become invested in a tale of nostalgia, wonder, and amazement. You can connect to your audience by showing them all the fascinating stories you've unraveled over the years.

When you work in the auto performance and restoration industry, you get to meet a lot of interesting people and work on a lot of projects. The stories those people tell you and the history attached to the projects you work on can help fuel your company’s success. The stories live on through your work, so why shouldn't your business live on through those stories, too?

People love to connect to good stories. They become invested in a tale of nostalgia, wonder, and amazement. You can connect to your audience by showing them all the fascinating stories you've unraveled over the years. 

Every project you work on will have some sort of story or tale attached to it. It's actually quite unusual to work on a car and not get some kind of dramatic retelling of where the vehicle came from, why it’s being modified, or who owned it before your client. For many, their cars are one-of-a-kind, usually wrapped up in family history and special memories of years ago. Their car is so much more than just a car, it’s a connection to their past. 

So, how can a shop tell stories about their customers and projects to help improve conversions and get more visitors?

Today we're going to show you exactly how and why it's a good idea to tell your customer's stories.

Why should you tell your customer’s stories?

In the restoration space, there's almost always a story about how your client found their car and what it means to them. 

It's the story of their first car or stories of the history of the car, its past owners, and why it's so important to restore it.

Whatever the story is, it's powerful and can be used to help your shop thrive. 

Why are these authentic customer stories so powerful?

People often think that referrals and social shares are the most important things you can ask of your customers. But there's one overlooked gem that could really help your shop soar, and that is customer stories. 

Let your customers share their stories with the world so your audience can see how valuable your services are to them. 

Here are three reasons you should tell your customers’ stories and display them proudly on your website and social media profiles. 

1. Customer stories create a connection for buyers

Your audience wants a reason to work with you. If your customers let you display the story behind their restoration or performance build, then it's going to fill your audience full of excitement and keep them coming back for updates. 

If you put up a heartwarming tale about a client's car, then people are going to connect to it. They're going to read it, and if they have a ride they need restoring or modifying, they're going to think about its story and how they're connected to their ride emotionally. 

Then they’ll think about getting in touch with you because of how much the story they read touched them and made them feel connected to you and your work. 

Adding your clients’ projects to your website or highlighting them on social media is also a huge benefit for the client. It’s exciting for them to see their baby on your website and they’ll be thrilled to be able to share official posts of their project with friends and family. 

Posting their project online allows your client to feel that thrill and excitement of working on a project that’s so close to their heart. Plus, the more they share it with their friends and family the more likely it is they’ll recommend you and you’ll get a few more clients through the door.

2. Posting customer stories help build brand advocates

Featuring your customers on your website and telling the world the stories behind their prized possessions will help you develop and improve their impression of your business. 

Sure they might have loved the work you've done and are eager to recommend you, but by showing them how much you cared for the stories they told you, you'll be able to unlock even more trust and respect with them. 

This will: 

• Encourage them to educate their peers
• Share their thoughts on your work and how amazing your business is
• Make them consider working with you again in the future
  
  

3. It shows you care

A lot of companies will just take on the clients, do the work, and send them on their merry way. But, by actually listening to the beautiful stories that come with each restoration or performance build project, you'll be able to show not only your current customers but also your future clients that you genuinely care. 

By displaying the stories attached to every single project you work on, you'll become more than just another auto restoration shop. You'll be somebody who truly cares about the work they're doing. 

You're not just restoring or modifying cars for performance, you're restoring the life inside them too, and this means more than the world to your customers.

How do you get customer stories for your website?

Every project has a story, which means you actually have a lot of content to share with your audience with all the projects you've done. 

Most clients will tell you the story behind their ride, either how they got it, who owned it before them or why it means so much to them.

But if you have customers who haven't shared their story with you, how can you get them to tell you their tale? How can you convince them to tell you about their ride's history?

Make it a positive experience

Don't beg them. Just ask nicely and explain to them that by telling you the story behind their badass car, you'll be able to immortalize their story on your website next to the glorious pictures of the finished restoration project. 

This will be an excellent piece for them to display at car shows or even to show off to friends and family. What's better than a collection of stunning images of their car? A great backstory to go with it!

By making it a positive experience for your client, they'll be genuinely grateful for the opportunity and happy to promote your company in the future. 

Isn’t it time-consuming to get client stories?

Yes, gathering and writing up client stories can take time and effort from you and your team, especially if you don't have a content writer on your roster. Coordinating interviews with each customer, and getting the approval of each client can be time-consuming, but it is worth it. 

Outsourcing your customer stories to an experienced content writer with knowledge of the industry will help make the process a lot quicker. They'll be able to create first drafts, contact your clients and work with them to tell the story that best represents their vehicle. 

A great way to make sure that everything runs smoothly is to:

• Set up a specific and reasonable timeline
• Minimize friction by outlining expectations
• Organize shared Google Sheets or Google Doc to keep everybody in the loop
• Always communicate efficiently

How to start putting your customer stories together

Here's how we think you should organize your customer stories to ensure everything runs smoothly and efficiently. 

• Message your client to ask them if you can include their story on your website
• Get in touch with your writer and connect them with your client
• After the first draft is written, review it internally before sending it on to your client
• Collect any feedback your client has to ensure that it's authentic and true to their story before writing the second or final draft
• Get final approval for the final draft
• Publish and promote

If you’re not sure how to start putting your client stories together, then the  team at Motorhead Digital is here to help. 

Get in contact with our team of experts today to start attracting more potential customers to your shop by telling your customers’ stories online.