MRO Marketing Challenges –
Most MROs and Part 145 repair stations have websites and marketing materials look EXACTLY THE SAME.
“We’ve been in business for umpteen years, we value our relationships with customers, and safety is our Number One Priority!”
(Raise your hand if this doesn’t apply to you!)
So, how can you REALLY differentiate so that customers know why they should choose YOU for their aircraft services?
We offer three underutilized ways to stand out, that are also REALLY HARD for your competitors to copy!
When we evaluate a website or other bit of marketing material, we like to do an exercise we call “the logo test.”
Three ways to differentiate your MRO Marketing
- Transparency
- Testimonials
- Convenience
MRO Customers Love Transparency.
John is one of those guys that ignores the “customers not allowed beyond this point” signs, and likes to walk out to where his vehicles (motorcycle, cars, airplanes, whatever) are being worked on.
Anyplace that doesn’t have this kind of transparency is not a place he’ll get service, if he has any kind of option.
Ways to provide transparency –
- Organize the hangar so that owners, DOMs, flight department managers and chief pilots are able to see their aircraft. Through a window, if nothing else.
- Offer to do a walkaround before and/or after a procedure.
- Take lots of photos or video and show the “inside story” on procedures you perform. Either in general, or, by request to use in your marketing materials, by a specific owner of his or her aircraft. Provide specific owners with the documentation of their procedure, including photos and/or video on a password-protected portion of your website or on CD.
- Be very specific about the services you offer. You can even include the brand names of components you service.
Customer Testimonials Are the Most Credible Advertising.
Some of your customers may be very private about their aircraft, but would be willing to provide a general or semi-anonymous testimonial.
Others WANT publicity.
Car dealers, real estate folks, doctors, dentists, industrial concerns, and others will happily provide a testimonial if they’re happy with their work, in exchange for a link from your website to theirs.
You can do this in a video interview, or a simple text quote on your website or in your materials.
A great collection of testimonials is incredibly powerful and impossible for your competitors to duplicate.
Private Aviation Consumers Often Value Convenience Above (Almost) All Else.
If you can find a way to maximize the downtime of an aircraft by offering additional services (either by doing them yourself, or partnering with another organization in your area.)
Services that could be done while the aircraft is in your hangar:
Pickup & Delivery- Interior refurbishment
- Interior detailing
- Galley restocking
- Logbook transcription and backup
Of course you would charge for these services, or at least make the connection to a partner provider.
Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. Having their plane out of commission, even when scheduled, can be inconvenient. Making the most of that time can really show that you care about them, and can take the sting out of that inconvenience.
Want more tips? Download our MRO Marketing Tip Sheet here:
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MRO marketing can be challenging, but having the right strategies in place really makes all the difference.
Thanks for sharing this blog. The MRO industry, with access to major airlines and engine component parts makers, makes a perfect target. While MROs themselves might only be an entry point, their position in the large, intricate and global supply chain of airlines makes it possible to go through them to cause real damage—potentially even to international commerce.
MRO Marketing is a new way to increase reputation and trust in the market. As we all know that marketing industry has suffered a lot due to Covid crisis, so it is the best time to start a new strategy. Subscribed your blog.