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Please help me figure out how to start marketing for our new shop. I've never done it and need all the help we can get.

Posted

We are looking for suggestions on providers of these services. Who do you use to manage or provide marketing services. What services have provided the best return on investement etc. We do have FB website, etc however we are not in the business of marketing.

 

Thanks.

Posted (edited)

We currently use Netdriven for our website (www.autoDRx.com) and Mechanicnet for our CRM. Other than that the only thing that has worked marketing wise is a monthly bulletin that is mailed to everyone in our area. But, all areas are different. Your best bet is to talk to other businesses in your area (preferably of the same trade) and see what works for them.

Edited by Dustin Rutkowski
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Posted

The first thing you need to know about Marketing is that its a process and it has multiple moving parts. There is no such thing as a single activity done one time that will get you the results of launching your business.

 

There are two keys to success: Your message and the market you deliver it to.

There are many options about how to deliver the message.

 

A basic sixpack for marketing a new small business is:

1. A website

2. A Facebook page

3. Customer Reviews

4. Advertising to the population that are your best targets based on services you offer that they want to buy

5. Basic Public Relations

6. A list of targets that you can call on the phone, send mail and email to.

 

The best way to start is to begin with a canned program or service and then add or subtract from it as you get going and have data on what works and what doesn't.

 

You can get a website, automatic email marketing to your customers, reviews, lists to mail to and postcard campaigns with a dedicated account manager from Mitchell 1. I think Mitchell gives pretty good results reporting. Demand Force and Mechanic.net are in that same category.

 

Great PR and advertising can be fairly easy to come by if you're creative. Post your grand opening on Topix and put an ad on Craigslist. Look for all of the free places you can tell people that you exist. And by no means neglect Google.

 

Is there a free paper in your area that writes up interesting, edgy articles, restaurant reviews and hip places to go and things to do? See if you can work with them to do a promotion with a radio station for your grand opening?Talk to your vendor partners about a customer story on your business that they'd post on their websites. There are marketing programs that may include your ad on a page or in a coupon book that another company sells - a lot of schools sell those coupons for fundraisers.

 

Do your vendor partners publish customer stories?

 

The point is to tell people you're there and that there are a few things that make you different than any other provider in your market. In today's socially networked world, your customers want to know you too.

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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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