Southwest RV Repair (or Southwest RV) is a family-owned business and leading source for RV and 18-wheeler customization, remodelling, maintenance, and repair in the El Paso area. Their onsite team of experts keep RVs looking and running their best and can customize vehicles’ interiors and exteriors — transforming an RV into almost anything a client can imagine. Their business prides itself on quality repairs, thorough inspections, and quick turnaround service time so that RV owners can feel safe, confident, and comfortable in their “home on the road.”
Challenge:
Southwest RV had all the building blocks of success: a great business, skilled employees, and relevant, quality service, but was struggling to bring in customers because of low visibility. They were hard to find — both at their physical location and on web searches.
Solution:
8 Signal increased Southwest RV’s online presence through keyword searches, online ads, call logs, and tracking website views.
Results:
Southwest RV’s business revenue tripled from $70,000 to $250,000. By increasing their digital visibility and online traffic, 8 Signal helped Southwest RV fill their shop with real traffic — i.e. more RVs to service — and allowed them to expand their business to hire a new employee.
Great employees — check.
Fantastic service — check.
Quality workmanship — check
Although Southwest RV had amazing things to offer customers, they were experiencing a serious lull in traffic. Older methods of getting leads, like going door-to-door, were no longer effective in bringing in customers. They had a website, but it was difficult to find and did not show up on online searches. Business had become so slow that Cobey, manager at Southwest RV, was struggling to find things for his employees to do during the day. “We have amazing employees and an amazing body shop, but we just needed to fill it with vehicles to work on.” Without RVs to service, Cobey was concerned for his employees. “I wanted to continue to take care of our employees, but we needed to make money to keep them on.”
Together with another manager, Cobey decided to take initiative and convince his father, the owner of the business, to try online marketing with 8 Signal. A little over a year before, 8 Signal had helped them with website design. Cobey knew his business needed help, but wanted to partner with someone who would be reliable and get results. “There are a lot of marketing companies, and I see other businesses switching between them. It is hard to know who you can trust.” Because Southwest RV had a prior relationship with 8 Signal, he contacted Ruben to find out how digital marketing could help them bring in the customers they knew wanted their service.
“I wanted to continue to take care of our employees, but we needed to make money to keep them on.”
– Cobey, Southwest RV
Together with another manager, Cobey decided to take initiative and convince his father, the owner of the business, to try online marketing with 8 Signal.
“It took about three weeks for our traffic to increase to a good level. The first week that we started running ads, we started getting calls.”
– Cobey
Cobey and his father were immediately impressed with the ideas that Ruben and Danielle presented. “Their presentation got me really excited. I left that meeting feeling that we were going to do something big here,” he remembers. Southwest RV had considered another marketing company, but did not feel that they would approach their business with the care and confidence that 8 Signal demonstrated. Frustration with the low traffic at their business, minimal online presence, and concern for their employees caused Southwest RV to realize it was time to invest in online marketing. “I felt confident that 8 Signal was going to fix our frustrations,” says Cobey. 8 Signal worked to increase their digital presence so that customers could find them with keywords, ran online ads, implemented call logs and tracked the number of website views to make sure their strategies were effective.
Both Cobey and his father were initially hesitant about the cost of online marketing. “I had to convince my dad to spend the money. I was hesitant too, but in the end we got the money back — and made more than we spent.” In fact, they were shocked with the speed at which their business turned around with marketing and a digital presence. “It took about three weeks for our traffic to increase to a good level. The first week that we started running ads, we started getting calls.” In 2020, after hiring 8 Signal, Southwest RV tripled their revenue from 2019, from $70,000 to $250,000. Demand for their service has boomed, and instead of searching for activities to fill their employees’ days, their shop is full of RVs to repair and customize.
Just as they had always known, Southwest RV had quality service that customers wanted. Their problem was visibility. “In order to get calls, people have to be able to search and find you,” says Cobey. “Our business is something that people wanted — they just needed to know we were there.”
“We went from no calls to calls every day. “
Instead of worrying about whether they would be able to keep all of their existing employees, the uptick in business resulted in expansion and a new hire! “We went from no calls to calls every day. We hired an office manager to answer calls and take care of leads!” And for Cobey, the change was personal: he is now free to focus on his job and grow in his job skill set. “Before, I was all over the place having to manage and work on sales, and my heart wasn’t in either of them. Now I’ve been able to grow as an employee because I’ve been able to focus on my job. And it also takes stress off of my dad.”
So what would Cobey recommend to other businesses experiencing low traffic? “If you have a good business to work with but you’re just not getting the people that you need, [digital marketing] is what solved everything for us.” Marketing is complex, and there are a lot of companies to choose from. But 8 Signal simplified the process through implementing customized strategies and responsive service. Unlike other companies Southwest RV has worked with, Cobey remarks, “We don’t have to chase them to find out what we should do. If we have a question, they’ll make a game plan to help us.”
In this digital age, Southwest RV has seen that online marketing is essential. “At the end of the day, every business needs marketing. We all spend so much time looking at our phones. If you can get your business in front of somebody’s phone, you’ve got them.”
It is an honor to help businesses like Southwest RV to get the visibility that they need for success. If you would like to get the conversation started, contact 8 Signal today for a free assessment.
“In order to get calls, people have to be able to search and find you. Our business is something that people wanted — they just needed to know we were there.”
– Cobey, Southwest RV