Five Social Media Marketing Strategies Your Auto Body Shop Should Use
Auto body shop owners who want to promote their business often focus all their efforts on capturing local Google searches and invest little to no resources in social media marketing, which is usually a mistake.
In this era of ubiquitous social media consumption, businesses need to be where their potential customers are, which is on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Social media presence can help auto body shops connect with their target audience, build authority, and profit from valuable organic traffic when users share content.
Of course, social media marketing strategies go a lot deeper than setting up a Facebook page. Promoting an automotive business on social media requires planning, consistency, and a long-haul approach which is different from blitz PPC campaigns.
Top Social Media Marketing Strategies for Auto Body Shops
The right social media marketing principles will help auto body shops use social media to their maximum advantage.
1. Presence Across Platforms
Some people prefer Facebook, while others turn to YouTube as their preferred content source. Social presence on multiple platforms helps automotive businesses capture a larger audience.
Facebook offers two content pathways for businesses: posting on a business page (including boosted posts) and direct advertising. Page posts are a great way to connect with people who follow the business and boost local authority. Meanwhile, Facebook ads allow businesses to reach people based on their age, location, and other parameters, such as vehicle ownership.
Instagram, a social platform entirely focused on photos and short videos, is another great channel for auto body shops. While posting or advertising on Facebook will usually generate more website clicks, Instagram’s visual content helps build brand awareness. Facebook also owns Instagram, so businesses have a convenient option to post or advertise on both platforms at once.
YouTube
The second most popular social media platform after Facebook, YouTube also works as the preferred search engine for people looking for video content. Auto body shops can set up a YouTube channel where they share vehicle care tips and professional advice.
YouTube also offers various advertising options for businesses, including skippable and non-skippable ads, bumper ads, and overlay ads.
LinkedIn is a professional network great for building connections with other businesses in your industry or related non-competing businesses in your area. Auto body shop owners can use LinkedIn to present their professional authority, learn about relevant market trends, and more.
2. Creating the Type of Content Viewers Want
Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms offer wide advertising options. However, social media content has to include more than direct business promotion. Useful guides, automotive care tips, answers to potential clients’ questions, and seasonal vehicle care advice are some topics auto body shop businesses can cover in their social media activity.
Content with genuine value to the viewer gets the bonus of organic shares and helps a business grow its platform.
3. A Strong Focus on Video
Video content is powerful, engaging, and highly shareable. Auto body shops can build authority by creating videos that help the viewer diagnose or solve a problem — for example, “Dent Repair Tips & Tricks.” Videos reviewing relevant products, like car paint, are also very popular.
Thanks to its personal touch, video format can give an advantage to the small independent auto body shop owner vs. a large corporation. The speaker can address the local audience on an eye-to-eye level and emphasize their business being a part of the local community.
4. Going Live
Livestreaming is an increasingly popular feature on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and other platforms. Going live gives an auto body shop a unique opportunity to create real-time engagement with viewers, share an exciting live update, or build a human connection with an audience that’s craving a personal touch.
5. Constant Engagement
Whatever social media marketing strategies a business chooses, constancy is key. Social media success requires timely, regular production of high-quality original content and steady engagement with the target audience. Unlike a PPC campaign, which may have a start and end date, social media marketing is an ongoing effort.
Is this effort worthwhile? Absolutely. Auto body shops that cultivate a social media presence gain higher customer loyalty, authority, and a much better chance of reaching local customers.
Why Opt for Professional Help With Social Media Management
Auto body shop owners already have a lot on their plates. Improving services, interacting with customers, managing teams, and all the other aspects of building a business may leave an auto body shop owner with very little time for social media campaigns.
The best solution, especially for small family-owned businesses with limited resources, is to outsource social media management to a professional agency with deep expertise in the automotive industry.
BodyShop Marketing is a digital agency that offers social media management for auto body shops and collision centers. Daniel Burkholder, the founder of BodyShop Marketing, managed his family’s auto body shop for years before moving into digital services for automotive businesses.
BodyShop Marketing clients benefit from:
- Digital and social media marketing strategies uniquely tailored to auto body shops’ needs
- Original photo and video content that fosters engagement
- Professional, well-researched, conveniently pre-scheduled social media content
- Full transparency with easily viewable social media activity
- Exclusive commitment to just one body shop per area (no working with competitors)
To learn more about BodyShop Marketing, a digital agency offering advanced social media marketing strategies for auto body shops, call 855 667-9648, email hello@bodyshopmarketing.io, or fill out a brief contact form to request a free quote.
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