Marketing, marketing, marketing!
If you are not constantly thinking of how to acquire and retain customers, you might as well close the doors and go home!
Marketing in today’s world is radically different than what it was just 10 years ago. As a new generation of millennial and gen z consumers grow older and create their own wealth, we must all be proactive in adapting to what works in attracting their business.
Social media has opened a whole new way to connect with your target audience and navigating this world can be intimidating. There are agencies and experts that can be engaged to help, but it is also possible to handle the basics in-house without the need for additional expenses.
First and foremost, you need to create social media accounts on all the major platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc.). Once you have done that, you need to grow your “following.” Posting interesting pictures and videos is key. A video of a tire being dismounted or balanced, a nice car with brand new tires, a happy customer, etc. There are so many interesting pieces of content that can easily be created if you just train your mind and eye to see it.
Once you post, you can “boost” the posting by paying a small sum of money. By boosting the post, you can pick the demographics and area you want to reach thru the targeting tools provided by the platforms themselves. It is very user friendly and intuitive, so you will quickly get the hang of it.
One other area I think is extremely important are the online reviews your business receives. You need to be aware that just one unhappy, technically savvy customer can hurt your online reputation and affect your business. We monitor our reviews, and if we find an unhappy customer, we reach out and try and remedy the situation. Most of the time it is a simple fix, and it goes a long way in creating good will and getting an updated positive review.
Our objective must always be to leave the customer satisfied and ask for them to please leave a positive review on your website, or whatever local site that is relevant (i.e., Yelp).
You can even incentivize the customer to do so by adding a note to your invoice offering a future discount or free oil change (etc.) if they post an online review.
Some of the more obvious areas where you can passively market is in your store’s appearance and signage, as well in how your team members dress and identify themselves as part of your organization. No detail should be ignored. We are dealing with younger, more demanding customers who have certain expectations that we must identify and master.
Do the little things right and the rest will take care of itself.
Happy Marketing!
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