Aftermarket Brand Strategy for Your Auto Parts Business (Made Simple!)

If a new or updated aftermarket brand strategy is on your agenda this year, here’s a simplified way to get started.

We created an flowchart to use that only takes about 5 minutes to go through. The beauty of this approach is that it’s based on your brand’s core competency. Those are the things that differentiate you from other aftermarket brands. That’s powerful. When you base a strategy on your core competencies it’s defensible, it’s unique, and it’s not a cookie-cutter strategy that others can use.

This lets you define what your brand represents so you can reinforce it on your website, in ads, in posts, and on social media.

Below, we show you what a brand strategy is, how a brand strategy framework helps define it, and examples of marketing strategies that work. This may be really helpful if you’re thinking of starting an auto parts business.

Aftermarket brand strategy, with this brand strategy framework

A strategy framework is just a way to help define and organize your aftermarket brand strategy. There’s no need to make this more complex than it needs to be. We’re keeping it really, really simple.

When you search online for tips to create your aftermarket brand strategy you’ll find a lot of different examples. Some methods are very complex. Some are not helpful at all.

But, we’re simplifying the process to create a brand strategy. That means that for now, we are ignoring some of the more common elements of a brand strategy you’ll find online:
1). Who is your target audience? (Let’s ignore this for now!)
2). What are the needs of your audience? (Ignore this, too!)
3). What is your brand’s logo? (Important, but ignore this for now, too!)
4). What’s your brand’s “voice?” (Ugh. Ignore for now.)

Better? OK, let’s get started. First let’s define a brand strategy in two short paragraphs.

Definition of a brand strategy:

Let’s define it this way: It’s a long-term plan to define who your company is, what it does, what you offer customers and what it stands for. It makes your brand easily identifiable and makes it preferred over other brands by consumers.

This is not an email marketing plan, a logo design, headlines to use in ads, a mission statement, or a slogan. Those can all be components of an aftermarket brand strategy, but they’re all at a lower level. The brand strategy comes first and the rest will fall into place.

Why does an aftermarket brand strategy matter?

Why does this matter? A brand strategy is an important step to define your auto parts and accessories business and focus your marketing.

Companies with well-defined branding strategies are less dependent on the selling price for their products or services. They also have have higher profits in the long run. They’re trusted more by their customers, have more brand loyalty, and have more repeat purchases.

A brand strategy framework, simplified

CLICK TO ENLARGE: Our 5-minute brand strategy framework…a decision tree you can use to make to help define your brand in 5 minutes.

Here is the World’s Most Simplified Strategy Decision Tree to help you with this process. Click the image for a larger version.

It’s simple because it’s based on your core competency. Nothing else.

Fair warning: The devil’s in the details. We admit you may have a lot of work to do for your brand strategy after following this decision tree. But, as you go through the tree to define your brand, some of the answers to the brand strategy questions above may become obvious, too.

OK, let’s get started.

Start your brand strategy process by defining your core competency. Simply put, what do you do better than your competitors? What are you really good at? What are you an expert on? What gives you a leg up? Defining your core competency doesn’t have to be complicated or require an MBA.

It may be helpful to give you examples of core competencies. Scroll down.

Core competencies for your aftermarket brand strategy

The best-run and most profitable companies in the world have some core competency that defines their brand. You can and should, too.

As a general rule, you can break down core competencies into one of three categories.

1. Product development and innovation.
2. Customer relationships or customer service.
3. Operational efficiency.

A core competency must have value to your customer. Otherwise it doesn’t work for a brand strategy.

Let’s dig into these three core competencies next. Pick one, and build your brand framework.

Core competency 1: Product development and innovation

Some companies are great at product development and innovation. They understand their products and the customers who use them. Sometimes these companies create their own trends through innovation. And the more they become great at product development the less dependent they are on selling on price. Probably the biggest example of this in consumer electronics is Apple.

Before you start thinking, “but I’m not Apple!” stop and think about this: Are you an expert in your market segment? Can you develop innovative new automotive products because you’re an expert?

If you’re a retailer, can you combine products from multiple brands to create product combos? Do you have the expertise to add valuable information to your product descriptions? Can you recommend products to your customers on a blog? Can you source your own private-label products?

If you answered “yes” to just one of these questions you may be able to focus on product development as a core competency.

Core competency 2: Customer service

Some companies focus on customer service. They understand their customers and offer superior service through technical innovations. They communicate well, resolve problems, and measure how well they achieve customer satisfaction. These companies answer questions on phone calls and live chats. They make it easy for customers to track orders. They have easy return policies and define the policy on their websites. They use AI to create personalized service for customers.

Operational efficiency can be a core competency, like it is for Amazon, FedEx or UPS.

As a manufacturer or retailer of auto parts and accessories you may not have control of your own shipping (that’s FedEx, UPS or USPS). But you do have control of your communication with customers. You also have control over your returns/exchange policy, your satisfaction guarantee and your shipping policy.

Is this your core competency? It takes a lot of work but it can be, and you may be able to focus on customer service as a core competency.

Core competency 3: Operational efficiency

Some companies are great at operations. They can move packages coast-to-coast overnight, report exactly where that package is during the process and even change where it goes if the customer wants to (FedEx). Another example is a chain of restaurants that can serve thousands of hamburgers that look and taste exactly the same.

Operational efficiency is obviously easier for large automotive parts companies like Amazon than it is for small startups. Some companies sell parts on Amazon and delegate operational efficiency to Amazon!) But companies that invest in operational efficiency can offer overnight or two-day shipping. They let you know when an order will show up, before you place the order. These companies can also be great at manufacturing-on-demand for custom products.

If you can pull this off, you may be able to focus on operational efficiency as a core competency.

Core competencies that Do. Not. Work. for a brand strategy framework:

Remember a core competency must have some value for your customer. It should be something you do better than your competition.

Core competencies that don’t add value don’t reinforce your brand. Selling a million SKUs is not a core competency. Lots of companies sell a million automotive parts and accessories. Some do it well, some don’t. Selling 100 SKUs in a market you are an expert in, with detailed product descriptions and how-to information, can be better strategically than selling a million SKUs from an automated feed from a WD.

If a core competency requires a specific website function in order to work, that’s fine. Just realize you must be in control of this function, not depend on a plug-in that anyone else can buy. A true core competency that requires technology and coding can be expensive and/or take time. That’s a question to ask your web developer.

Using your new aftermarket brand strategy

Were you able to define your brand using our 5-minute brand strategy decision tree? If so, great!

If you picked a core competency, did that make defining your target customer and your customers’ needs obvious? Very cool!

Is your core competency absolutely obvious to anyone who visits your website? If so, awesome!

Do your company colors, logo and mission statement reinforce your new brand strategy? Yes? Wow, fantastic!

Do you have questions about building a brand strategy framework and using it in digital marketing for parts or accessories? Just let us know, reach out to us on this website and send us a message.

Download a PDF version of this

Click on this link to download your own aftermarket brand strategy PDF file.