You’ve been working on cars for a while. There have been ups and downs, but you’ve managed to build your own shop from the ground up with several bays. There was a time when you had more technicians, business was booming, and you didn’t have to worry about pesky things like auto shop marketing. Now, despite the recent dip in the economy, your business is solid. But competition from chains is increasing, and your customers are skipping regular maintenance and primarily coming to you in need of major repairs. Your customers are loyal and always sing your praises. Why not capture your customer feedback and highlight your auto shop’s best-in-class service by developing a Facebook presence?
Facebook? Really? Even if you already have an auto shop website? Yes – there are many reasons you should focus some of your auto shop marketing on Facebook – here are a few:
- It’s where the party is – 854 million monthly active users is a huge, captive audience that Facebook can help you segment for your auto shop advertising needs.
- Photos – Facebook people are picture people. 250 million photos are uploaded daily and shared on Facebook, and many of them are car and motorcycle photos. You, too, can share your before-and-after repair photos, new tire photos, or cool car photos – they will get people engaged and talking about your shop.
- Likes – Having a Facebook user like your Facebook page is a powerful way to enhance your brand presence and help increase your word-of-mouth sales. The average Facebook user has 130 friends. If a customer recommends your auto shop or auto repair service on Facebook, their positive word of mouth has the potential to be seen by all of their friends. Multiply this effect by all the customers that might recommend your shop. That’s effective (and free) advertising.
- Targeting – Looking to expand your auto repair service to a particular zip code or new city? The user data Facebook is continuously capturing will assure your Facebook ads get to the people most likely to become new customers.
- Time – 700 billion minutes a month are spent on Facebook. Major brands like Coca-Cola have seen a drop in their website traffic while seeing an increase in traffic to their Facebook page. Your existing and potential customers are more likely to encounter you on Facebook than by actually typing in your auto repair shop’s name and navigating to your website (of course, if you don’t already have one, we can help you set up a great auto repair website too).
- Mobile – Social networking accounts for 50% of all mobile Internet traffic. Facebook mobile traffic is a considerable portion of this. As smartphone use continues to grow, a mobile presence on Facebook and the web itself will be crucial to your auto shop marketing efforts. Imagine the usefulness your auto shop presence will have for the mobile user whose car has broken down on her morning commute. She’ll have previously become a fan of your Facebook page and will have easy access to your contact information (and if you’re using CustomerLink’s automated social media tools, she’ll also have your handy promotions and appointment scheduling apps).
- Conversation – Probably the most important reasons to be on Facebook are the connections to and conversations with your customers. You’ll receive feedback, praise, and complaints, and you’ll have the opportunity to respond to these in near real time. It’s a great way to build ongoing customer relationships.
Ultimately, Facebook offers you a platform to help amplify the value of your auto shop services. Why not take advantage of it? Even though your auto shop may not be on Facebook, your competitors and the auto repair chains are already building their Facebook presence. Especially with new tools like CustomerLink’s, what’s stopping you?
Want more ideas to market your shop? Get new ideas every month with the Shop Marketing Manual.
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