September has arrived, and for the UK motor trade that means one of the most recognisable dates in the automotive calendar: the new registration plate.
While the traditional March and September plate changes may not dominate the industry quite as much as they once did, September still creates a valuable marketing opportunity for dealerships, independent garages and other automotive businesses.
More people are thinking about cars. Dealerships are promoting new stock. Used vehicles are changing hands. Customers are considering upgrading, and increased activity in the market creates opportunities beyond simply selling new cars.
The question is: is your marketing making the most of it?
September Isn’t Just About New Car Sales
It’s easy to associate the September registration change entirely with franchised dealerships and new vehicle sales.
But increased activity in the automotive market has a much wider knock-on effect.
Vehicles are being part-exchanged. Used stock is becoming available. Drivers are comparing finance and ownership options. Existing cars need preparing for sale. Newly purchased used vehicles may require servicing, tyres, repairs or MOTs.
That means September can be a great month for:
- Independent garages
- Used car dealerships
- MOT centres
- Tyre specialists
- Vehicle detailers
- Bodyshops
- Automotive specialists
The opportunity is there – but you still need to get your business in front of the right customer at the right time.
1. Make Sure You’re Visible on Google
When somebody needs an MOT, service or repair, one of their first actions is often a Google search.
They might search for:
“MOT near me” “car servicing Exeter” “garage Newton Abbot” “car repairs near me”
Those searches have strong intent behind them. The customer isn’t casually browsing; they’re looking for a business that can help.
That’s why local SEO remains such an important part of automotive marketing.
Your website, Google Business Profile, customer reviews, location information and individual service pages should all work together to improve your chances of appearing when a potential customer searches locally.
And don’t assume that because you’ve always appeared on Google, you’ll continue to do so.
Search is changing rapidly, competition is increasing and AI-powered search is changing the way information is presented to potential customers.
2. Give People a Reason to Follow Your Social Media
September is also a perfect opportunity to freshen up your social media.
But that doesn’t mean posting endless pictures saying “Book your MOT today!”
Mix things up.
Show new vehicle arrivals. Introduce members of your team. Take people behind the scenes in the workshop. Share customer reviews. Answer common motoring questions. Create short videos. Highlight unusual jobs. Celebrate vehicles being collected.
Your Facebook and Instagram pages increasingly act as an extension of your website.
Someone discovering your business for the first time may look at your social media before deciding whether to contact you.
What impression does yours currently give?
An active social presence tells people that your business is busy, approachable and very much open for business.
3. Don’t Forget the Customers You Already Have
Automotive businesses can spend a considerable amount of money trying to attract new customers while overlooking one of their most valuable marketing assets:
Their existing customer database.
September is an ideal time to reconnect.
Previous customers may be approaching their next MOT or service. Someone who bought a car from you several years ago could be considering changing it. Others may simply need reminding that you’re there.
A well-timed email campaign could promote:
- MOT and servicing reminders
- Autumn vehicle checks
- Tyres
- New or used vehicle stock
- Seasonal offers
- Customer referral incentives
- Recently introduced services
You don’t necessarily need thousands of contacts either.
A smaller database of genuine local customers can be considerably more valuable than a huge list of people with little connection to your business.
4. Your Google Reviews Matter
Imagine someone has narrowed their search down to two local garages.
Both offer the service they need.
Both are conveniently located.
One has 46 Google reviews.
The other has 387, with plenty of recent positive feedback.
Which one is likely to get the call?
Google reviews have become an incredibly powerful form of word-of-mouth marketing.
Yet many excellent automotive businesses simply don’t ask customers to leave them.
Make requesting reviews part of your customer journey rather than something you remember to do occasionally.
More importantly, keep doing it.
A business with a consistent flow of recent reviews can make a much stronger first impression than one whose last review was six months ago.
5. What Happens When Your Marketing Actually Works?
This is something that often gets overlooked.
You can improve your SEO.
Run advertising.
Post regularly on Facebook.
Send emails.
Generate more website traffic.
But what happens when somebody actually contacts you?
If they phone at 5:45pm and you’ve closed, what happens?
If the receptionist is already dealing with a customer, does the phone just ring?
If everybody in the workshop is busy, who answers?
Generating an enquiry and successfully capturing it are two different things.
This is one of the reasons we’re increasingly looking at AI and automation within automotive marketing.
An AI receptionist, for example, can answer calls when your team can’t, provide basic information and capture the customer’s details so the enquiry isn’t simply lost.
Technology shouldn’t replace the personal service that makes a good independent automotive business successful.
It should help make sure you have the opportunity to provide it.
Make September Count
The September plate change gives the motor trade a natural burst of attention, but successful automotive marketing isn’t about one month of activity followed by silence.
The businesses that perform best online are generally the ones that remain visible consistently.
They appear when people search.
They keep their social channels active.
They stay in touch with previous customers.
They build their reputation.
And they make it easy for potential customers to contact them.
At DriveBrand, that’s exactly what we help automotive businesses do.
We specialise in performance-focused marketing for garages, dealerships, MOT centres and automotive specialists across Devon, Cornwall and Somerset.
From SEO and social media to email marketing, websites, reputation management and AI-powered customer communication, our focus is simple:
More enquiries. More bookings. More business.
If September has got you thinking about how your automotive business is being marketed, perhaps it’s time to have a conversation with DriveBrand.
Get in touch with our team to discuss where your marketing could take you next.