With most of the day spent “under the hood”, auto shop owners may see posting on social media platforms where users post pictures of their dogs and their best friend’s wedding as useless.
However, many internet users use social media for more information about a brand or product.
Let’s look into why social media marketing is vital for auto repair shops in particular.
- An auto repair mechanic has to establish trust with customers. Nobody wants to put their ailing car in the wrong hands, and reliability is key in this business. Social media can help establish that trust.
- Social media can be an effective way to differentiate your shop and build a loyal following; you need to establish a relationship with your customers to remain top-of-mind.
- You can leverage social media to connect with female customers as females use social media more than men and are more likely to leave positive reviews.
In this article we’ll help you revamp your shop’s social media presence!
Before we get to how to engage with your audience on social media, let’s talk about which platform to use specifically for auto repair shops.
Which social media platform should I use for my auto repair shop?
You probably know about the various social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, LinkedIn, etc.
However, when it comes to an auto repair business, which platforms should you pay more attention to? Where can most of your customers be found?
We suggest you start with Facebook.
If you don’t already have one, creating a Business page on the platform is a great start.
According to Oberlo, Facebook supports over three billion monthly active users, with more than one in two users aged 18 to 34. That means you can reach many potential customers who own and operate vehicles needing repairs!
Source: User age data, Facebook and Instagram
The chart above shows that Facebook has a dispersed audience in the US in all age groups.
Although 25-34 year olds represent the biggest age group on the platform constituting 26% of users, there are people from all age groups using Facebook.
Facebook is just a starting point.
You might be thinking, “I am not a fashion brand or a restaurant; what am I going to show my viewers on other platforms besides Facebook?”
If you would like to increase engagement and establish yourself as a popular option in the auto repair industry, we suggest developing a presence on Instagram as well.
According to Gitnux, 62% of people said that seeing a brand or story on Instagram made them more interested in it.
Instagram has a younger audience compared to Facebook, which is depicted in the chart above. So, it is a very effective platform to target customers between the ages of 18-44.
There are many auto repair shops and mobile mechanics with thousands of followers on Instagram. For example, YourMechanic and GDOAutomotive are making an impact on this social media platform.
Also, remember to use hashtags properly on Instagram. Recommended hashtags include #autorepair #autorepairservice and #autorepairshop.
You can also include your local area in the hashtag to be more specific, such as #autorepairhouston.
Other platforms
Then, if you want to go all out and be everywhere, YouTube could give customers the benefit of seeing you in action with audio and video.
Snapchat is your next option if you want to be more popular with customers between the ages of 18–34.
Now, let’s get to the meat of the discussion. Here are some social media ideas for auto repair shops.
1. Real reviews take you places
Let’s begin with the most impactful: reviews. Everyone wants to know what other customers think of you, and this is an excellent step in relationship building, especially for auto repair shops.
According to a study by FixAutoUSA, 49% of customers rely on word-of-mouth as their primary way to select an auto repair shop. The second highest percentage is for online search at 21%.
If you post reviews on social media, that improves your authenticity and gives customers the feeling that they can trust you with their car.
Trustpilot found that 89% of global consumers check online reviews as part of their online buying journey.
Putting up customer testimonials on your social media pages could help build customer trust. Here is how an auto repair shop has done it.
2. Share details on offers and prices with your customers
This may seem like a no-brainer. However, it is an important reminder.
FixAutoUSA mentions that 1 in 4 auto repair customers leave an auto repair shop because they have been given an extravagant estimate.
While that’s for existing customers or queries, we suggest that you post new offers and prices for general jobs such as an oil change, tire replacement, etc., for potential customers.
Including information about pick-up services, emergency services, and more could be effective since many customers may need you to be there for them when they are in a fix.
3. Talk about your specialization
Just like other professionals, some auto repair businesses have specializations. Do you specialize in Audi? BMW? Volkswagen? Toyota? Talk about the car brand you specialize in or even the car brand you love. Some shops that specialize in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) or electrification can also include these to reach potential customers.
You can post pictures of your favorite cars, share stories about why you love a particular car brand, and events related to your specialization. These can be car shows, auctions, and other industry-related events.
Another popular post could be before and after shots of a car that fits into your focus area. If you gave a car a makeover or fixed it up after an accident, a before/after picture will show your customers how competent you are.
Image Source: Legacy Collision
4. Share personal experiences
When we say share personal experiences, we are not talking about hard selling or direct marketing.
Openbay.com advises that you limit marketing to 40% of your posts and the remaining 60% should be dedicated to engaging with the customer and talking about experiences.
This also doesn’t mean you should tell your customer how you met your wife (or husband). That may be an interesting story, and if you really want to, why not?
But what we mean is instead of talking about “How to Repaint Your Car”, try showing them a short video of how you actually repainted a car in the past.
Don’t have footage? Film yourself talking about it. Get down and personal with the customer; tell them what you are all about and what you have done in the past.
You can share funny stories as well.
Check out this page to see an auto repair shop owner speaking of his experience: everything from the exciting and surprising to the weird and unwanted.
Share your brand story, your shop history, anything you think the customer may be interested in and would keep you on their mind.
You can also share community service projects or encourage your local community to participate in a cause you really believe in.
5. Talk about travel tips, safety, and traffic
Auto shop social media marketing is much more than just talking about cars and your business.
It also means being a go-to source for local information as most of your customers will be from your local community.
Suppose there are roadblocks or construction happening in your local area; post about it to give your customers a heads up. If it’s snowing in your area, let your customers know how to drive safely in the prevailing weather conditions.
You can also give customers tips on what to do if their brakes fail or emergency numbers they can call if someone gets sick while they are on the road.
Additionally, you can tell them how to prepare for a long drive if they are traveling and what to check for in their vehicle.
Try to make the conversation local and relevant. Educate your customers whenever you can.
This will establish you as an excellent local source of information and keep your customers visiting your social media pages.
Check out this example:
6. Ask questions
Auto shop social media marketing is a two-way conversation, and you want to involve your customers in the talk and get them to engage with your business.
While exploring social media ideas for auto repair shops, we have to mention how much fun True/False statements and polls are.
Facebook would be the best platform to design a poll or use Instagram stories for this purpose.
Ask your customers what they think about purchasing premium gas, how many times they go to the car wash in a month, which color Mercedes they like best, and more!
We would suggest asking them relevant questions, but you can also do community polls or ask them for opinions on recent events.
Of course, you can be funny in your polls. For example, a poll may be “What should you never ask a mechanic?” and you give the customer some funny or sarcastic options.
The options can be something like this:
- Can I fix this myself by watching a video on the internet?
- Can I bring my own parts?
- Are you sure that’s the problem?
- Are all of these cats yours?
You can also make True/False statements and ask the customer to choose one. For example, “I would rather buy a BMW than an Audi” or “The new Cadillac is overpriced.”
This provides you with information, keeps your customer talking, and helps you build a community.
7. Highlight employee achievements
Employees are such an essential part of your business. Putting up employee achievements and telling people more about the people that will be handling their ride is a social media idea for auto repair shops that cannot be ignored.
Tell them your employees’ experience, include a picture, maybe also tell them what they drive, and add a fun fact about your employee that your customers can relate with.
If your employee has serviced more cars in a month than usual, for example, adding that detail would be helpful.
This is engaging and it helps build trust.
8. Memes and quotes light up your content
Social media ideas for auto repair shops can’t go without memes and quotes. It is perfectly acceptable to be fun and funny with your customers as we said earlier.
In fact, humorous and creative content is most liked and remembered.
Use symbolism, jokes, images, cartoons, animations, or storytelling to tell your customer more about your brand or just what a mechanic or auto shop owner’s life is like.
If you have pets, you can include pictures of them and turn them into memes. On the other hand, you don’t always have to be funny.
You can provide genuine, valuable, thought-provoking advice as well.
Alternately, you might want to include a quote of the day or quote of the week, wish your customers a happy weekend, give them a general motivation boost with a quote—the possibilities are endless.
Or, consider getting your point through to customers with quotes.
For example, famous playwright Neil Simon said, “People with honorary awards are looked upon with disfavor. Would you let an honorary mechanic fix your brand-new Mercedes?”
Valid point, right? Share it on your social media.
Here are a few examples of what other repair shops are doing:
Image Source: Open Bay Auto
Image Source: Ace Performance Auto
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