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Posted

One of the best things ive discovered for driving traffic is Boosting a post on my business facebook page. While some or most may have seen the option to boost a post, Have you done it? My phone rings off the hook when I have certain tire specials going on, Or just a post for auto repair in general. I probably spend more than I should, Still working on making it efficient, But I do see results. Anyone else doing this? Feel free to share.

Posted

I haven't seen as much of a return for paid advertising on Facebook. As for reviews and testimonials, absolutely worth the effort. We encourage our customers to leave reviews through crm

Posted

Here's some data from our other business. Facebook is the main source of advertisement, weekly we see 400-600 patrons who mention they found us on facebook!

It can be extremely effective!

post-1409-146158533911_thumb.jpgpost-1409-146158539497_thumb.jpg

 

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

Posted

Here's some data from our other business. Facebook is the main source of advertisement, weekly we see 400-600 patrons who mention they found us on facebook!

It can be extremely effective!

attachicon.gifuploadfromtaptalk1461585338000.jpgattachicon.gifuploadfromtaptalk1461585393881.jpg

 

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

Very Nice, How do you narrow your reach down? I sell used tires as well so i like to go probably 50 miles out. Its effective as I get people in that dont even come to my city for anything.

Posted (edited)

We also use Facebook advertising by boosting a particular post, choosing the demographics and area we want. It has worked very well for us and it is cheap advertising.

 

The one thing I do hear our Facebook administrator tell other business owners is to be specific on the ad you boost. Instead of focusing on the entire shop, focus on one specific area, like brakes...... and use lots of pictures!! Our A/C ad had a picture of a dog hanging out the car window.

Edited by PAPShop
  • Like 2
  • 8 months later...
Posted

Are you managing the ads yourself or do you guys have a company doing it? I recently had a sales pitch from a guy who charges $1200 a month (not including ad budget). There is a 30 day trial with him but I think the price is high unless the ROI proves to be amazing. I tried 2 different campaigns on my own with not much luck.

Posted

I've had autoshop owners who have used Facebook and/or Google adwords and they all got results.

 

The problem is, when the ads stop so do the customers.

 

We are deriving far better ROIs (return on investment) on cheap SEO tactics like using keywords tied to cities and zip codes and attaching alt tags to images. YouTube videos work great, too.

 

I have one client, a PDR guy, makes over $250,000 a year and relies on little more than SEO (and working extended hours to serve all his clients).

 

I have another Auto Pro who was spending $600 a month on Adwords. I SEO'd his site and now he gets More customers and keeps his $600/month for himself.

 

SEO is an asset. Advertising is an expense.

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

I'm getting rid of Facebook. Too much hassle. Had a customer complain that we put a hole in his engine block doing a water pump and timing belt and he's now leaking oil. We did the repair 7 months ago. Within an hour of the one bad review I had two additional reviews from people I investigate who happen to be friends of the first guy who said we used tape to cover an engine block hole! There's no policing this type of thing.

 

I get good results from Google Adwords and I took my Facebook account down.

Posted

I'm getting rid of Facebook. Too much hassle. Had a customer complain that we put a hole in his engine block doing a water pump and timing belt and he's now leaking oil. We did the repair 7 months ago. Within an hour of the one bad review I had two additional reviews from people I investigate who happen to be friends of the first guy who said we used tape to cover an engine block hole! There's no policing this type of thing.

 

I get good results from Google Adwords and I took my Facebook account down.

 

 

There is no policing any type of review platform unless it is on your own website. Yelp, Googl Review, Facebook etc fall into this category.

 

I know you are pissed off and I would be as well however by just turning off facebook as an act of defiance you are just keeping yourself in the digital dark ages. To make any any social media / review platform work for you, you must be consistent. To drown out the negative reviews you must obtain positive reviews. The only way you get ahead of it is to embrace the good with the bad. There is nothing anyone can do to stop change. This is the world we live in.

  • Like 1
Posted

Respectfully disagree. I have a productive website, SEO working, and Google Adword campaigns. Facebook is expensive to drive traffic in comparison. It also brings out the people too willing to throw flames without thinking, without consequence. I watched a concerted effort to slander my business reputation with false claims yesterday and I've seen it happen too often to others as well. I'm nowhere near the digital dark ages as you suggest but I appreciate your thoughtful and kind words. Yes, I am pretty disappointed in the Facebook folks and I've tracked FB for three years. It's brought me minimal to no direct positive benefit. It has brought me hours of worry and stress. I've called each negative review I've had (about 6) since I bought my shop three years ago and not one of them would talk with me. Not one of them had a complaint while here for service. One complaint declined all services and still complained because he did the repair himself across the street in a parking lot in 30 minutes and we were charging him 5 hours of labor. Again, a flat out lie. The others who don't answer their phones or return my calls to discuss know they're not telling the truth or the whole story yet are willing to go out online and try to ruin my reputation. I've lost sleep and bent over backwards to help EVERYONE in my shop, especially the malcontents. There isn't enough business from Facebook to justify the headache and return.

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

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      It always amazes me when I hear about a technician who quits one repair shop to go work at another shop for less money. I know you have heard of this too, and you’ve probably asked yourself, “Can this be true? And Why?” The answer rests within the culture of the company. More specifically, the boss, manager, or a toxic work environment literally pushed the technician out the door.
      While money and benefits tend to attract people to a company, it won’t keep them there. When a technician begins to look over the fence for greener grass, that is usually a sign that something is wrong within the workplace. It also means that his or her heart is probably already gone. If the issue is not resolved, no amount of money will keep that technician for the long term. The heart is always the first to leave. The last thing that leaves is the technician’s toolbox.
      Shop owners: Focus more on employee retention than acquisition. This is not to say that you should not be constantly recruiting. You should. What it does means is that once you hire someone, your job isn’t over, that’s when it begins. Get to know your technicians. Build strong relationships. Have frequent one-on-ones. Engage in meaningful conversation. Find what truly motivates your technicians. You may be surprised that while money is a motivator, it’s usually not the prime motivator.
      One last thing; the cost of technician turnover can be financially devastating. It also affects shop morale. Do all you can to create a workplace where technicians feel they are respected, recognized, and know that their work contributes to the overall success of the company. This will lead to improved morale and team spirit. Remember, when you see a technician’s toolbox rolling out of the bay on its way to another shop, the heart was most likely gone long before that.
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