Social media has become a necessary tool for auto repair shops to find and connect with customers, build an online presence, and drive business growth. With an estimated 4.9 billion people using social media globally, it’s very likely that your customers are looking at social media and spending an average of two hours a day on it, according to Forbes.
In our Social Media 101 for Auto Repair Shops: A Comprehensive Guide, we’ll explore the fundamentals of social media marketing for repair shops, providing you with tips and strategies to maximize your online presence and grow your repair business.
- Who is your repair shop’s target audience?
- Which social media sites should you use for your repair shop?
- How to optimize your social media profile
- What type of content should your auto repair shop share on social media?
- What is the difference between Facebook Instagram Posts, Stories, and Reels?
- How to create visual content without graphic design experience
- Is it important to interact with customers on social media?
- How often should your shop post content on social media?
Who is your repair shop’s target audience?
Before diving into social media marketing, it’s crucial to understand your target audience. Your target audience would be consumers in your area that are in need of auto repair. Ask yourself the following questions.
- Who are my customers?
- What do my customers need from me?
- Where are my customers located?
- When do my customers typically come in for service?
- Why do my customers choose our shop over others?
Once you answer these questions, you’ll be able to understand your target audience better in order to create information that they will be interested in.
For example, let’s answer the questions for our audience persona, Carol:
- Who: Carol is not knowledgeable about her car or repairs. She feels as if she could get ripped off like she has in the past.
- What: She needs to find a new, trustworthy mechanic, but is wary of going to one without reading reviews and researching the problem at hand first.
- Where: Carol is located in Raleigh, NC. She’s likely to look for a repair shop in Raleigh.
- When: Carol needs her car repaired immediately.
- Why: In this case, if Carol receives great service from a trustworthy shop, she will likely return.
Carol will not represent every person that comes to your shop for service. However, we have learned that trust is an important factor for her, and likely along with other customers.
With this given information, here are a few social post ideas with “trust” in mind:
- Show off your warranty policy to gain trust from your target audience. For example, RepairPal Certified Shops abide by a minimum 12-month/12,000-mile warranty.
- Post about your technician’s education, including any training programs completed for the year, or coming up in the near future.
- If you are a RepairPal Certified shop, encourage consumers to use the Fair Price Estimator, which is trusted by millions of consumers, which can help your customers find out how much they may expect to pay before they book an appointment.
Conducting market research and creating audience personas can help you tailor your social media content to resonate with your repair shop’s audience effectively.
Which social media sites should you use for your repair shop?
Identify which social media platforms align best with your marketing goals and target audience. While social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram are the most popular choices for businesses, others such as LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, and TikTok, can also be valuable.
Each social media platform is different, so it is important to start with one and expand where you see fit. Let’s review several social media platforms that you may be interested in marketing your auto repair business.
Facebook is an excellent platform to start with for auto repair businesses. It is the most popular platform with over 3 billion active monthly users, with the largest group of users between the ages of 25-34, according to Sprout Social. Users tend to spend about 30 minutes per day on Facebook.
Facebook is versatile as you can post links, photos, and videos. The platform allows customers to post reviews, ask questions directly through messenger and post events. According to Kepios, more than half of Facebook users tend to come to the platform to follow and research local businesses, brands, and products, making it a great way for customers to find out more information about your auto repair shop.
Instagram is also a great choice to market auto repair businesses. There are over 2 billion active monthly users, most between the ages of 18-24, according to Sprout Social. Users tend to spend about 33.1 minutes per day on Instagram.
LinkedIn is a B2B platform, and although it is not the best platform to market to a local consumer audience, it can be a great way to connect with the automotive industry, other local auto repair businesses, and your community. If your shop is part of a community or organization, or if you partner with other businesses, it is a great way to participate in local events, post local events, as well as get to know the automotive community.
According to Sprout Social, there are 1 billion active monthly users, mostly between the ages of 25-34. 69% of users use the platform daily.
YouTube
YouTube is a great platform to post video content with 2.491 billion active monthly users, most between the ages of 25-34 (Sprout Social). Users tend to spend about 48 minutes per day on YouTube. Most users come to YouTube for entertainment or to learn how to do something rather than to find brands or businesses.
If your auto repair business has the ability to create video content on a regular basis, adding your videos to YouTube can benefit by increasing your visibility on search engines.
TikTok
TikTok is most popular amongst a younger audience, and is growing fast in popularity. There are 1.7 billion monthly active users, most between the ages of 18-24 (Sprout Social). TikTok users spend more time on the platform than any other platform, as of the latest data from Sprout Social, with an average of 53 minutes per day. Although TikTok hasn’t surpassed Facebook and Instagram for the number of active monthly users, it is growing in popularity dramatically as daily time spent on TikTok has increased by almost 10 minutes, compared to last year.
TikTok relies on creativity and video content, so it is important to keep that in mind as this can take significant time and effort. Also keep in mind that the maximum length of videos on TikTok is 15 minutes.
Need some ideas on what to post on TikTok? We’ve got you covered with topics as well as auto repair shops and influencers that are worth following to inspire your video content.
- Q&A Sessions: Answer your viewers questions about car maintenance, repairs, or any other automotive-related topics. This can position your shop as a trusted source of information in the community. Watch “AT vs MT tires” by Tires Home in Texas as an example of answering viewer’s questions. The TikTok gained 12,000 views, and they created a part 2 to entice their audience to watch the next series.
- Fun Facts: Statistics can capture your audience’s attention about car repair and maintenance, especially if they are actively looking into the issue online. Check out Royalty Auto Service’s viral video “The 5 Most Expensive Vehicles to Maintain That We Work On” as an example, which gained over 700,000 views on TikTok.
- Funny or Relatable Content: Share humorous anecdotes or relatable situations that car owners often find themselves in. This could include things like struggling to change a tire or dealing with a stubborn check engine light. Discount Tire is a great example of using humor to promote their services, including a video on TPMS, which has over 5,000 views.
- Educational Series: Develop a series of videos that delve deeper into specific topics related to car maintenance and repair. This could include videos on how different car components work, how to recognize common car problems, or understanding warning lights on the dashboard. Moore Tires creates videos on car care safety and maintenance, including how to check your oil, which gained 19,000 views. Check it out here.
- Collaborations: Partner with other local businesses or influencers in the automotive industry for collaborations. This could involve joint promotions, sharing each other’s content, or collaborating on videos that appeal to both of your audiences. For example,. Chaya Milchtein, an automotive repair expert and author of Mechanic Shop Femme’s Guide to Ownership, has created promotional videos for auto repair shops for her upcoming book tour. Check out Chaya promoting Great Bear Auto Shop in Flushing, NY for her upcoming book tour here.
@mechanicshopfemme New York City, show out! Let's sell out this book tour stop and rally behind a woman owned shop that's going to treat you right. #NYC #queertok #queensny ♬ original sound - Chaya Milchtein
Remember to keep your content engaging, informative, and relevant to your target audience. Use trending hashtags and sounds to increase the visibility of your videos and interact with your viewers by responding to comments and messages.
X, formerly Twitter
X has seen a decrease of active users after they rebranded in 2023. However, according to Sprout Social, there are 368 million active monthly users between the ages of 25-34. Users tend to spend 34 minutes per day on X, more time than Facebook and Instagram. Therefore, X may be a good way to add content along with other social platforms, as it has benefits for Search Engine Optimization (SEO), but it may not be the best platform to start with for your repair shop audience.
How to optimize your social media profile
Once you’ve chosen the social media websites that work best for your auto repair business, it is time to optimize your online profile to get the most out of each platform. Your social media profiles serve as the face of your auto repair shop online. Make sure to optimize your social media profiles by using high-quality images, compelling descriptions, and accurate contact information. Consistency across all platforms is key to building brand credibility and recognition. Here are some tips when optimizing your online profile:
- Be sure your logo is at least 1,000 x 1,000 px, and use the same logo on all social media websites for brand recognition. If you do not have a logo, check out Canva to create your own, or hire a freelance designer on platforms such as Fivrr.
- Add a cover photo if applicable.
- Complete all necessary information on your profile, such as business category, website link, address, bio, about us, hours of operation, email, phone number.
- When writing the description, use keywords such as “auto repair” and your local community name to rank higher on SEO.
- Most social media sites have the option to choose between Personal and Business pages, so be sure to create business pages. Business pages are typically designed to include more pertinent information for your business as well as help consumers locate your business.
What type of content should your auto repair shop share on social media?
Share a mix of educational, entertaining, and promotional content to keep your audience interested and engaged. Consider showcasing before-and-after photos of vehicle repairs, sharing helpful maintenance tips, or posting behind-the-scenes glimpses of your shop.
To get started right away, here are some content ideas you may want to consider:
- Showcase before-and-after photos of recent repair jobs, highlighting the transformation.
- Share tips for basic car maintenance to help followers keep their vehicles in top condition.
- Introduce your team members with fun facts or anecdotes about their expertise.
- Post a video tutorial on how to check tire pressure and why it’s important.
What is the difference between Facebook Instagram Posts, Stories, and Reels?
Facebook and Instagram both offer two main ways for users to share content: posts and stories. Here’s a simple breakdown of the difference between them:
Posts
Posts on both Facebook and Instagram are a way to communicate to your audience through text, photos, or videos. Posts allow for comments, likes, and shares, to help them with increasing visibility and the ability to have a conversation.
💡 Tips About Posts:
- Be creative! Posts will potentially show up on your audience’s feed, but it is not guaranteed.
- The more engagement a post gets, the higher chances those who follow your repair shop page will see it.
- Instagram posts can have up to 2,200 characters and 30 hashtags, but do not have the ability to add a link to a website.
- Facebook posts can have up to 63,206 characters, and it is a best practice to limit to one to two hashtags.
Stories
Facebook and Instagram Stories are temporary news updates that can include photos, videos, stickers, text, and interactive elements like polls or quizzes. Stories are at the top of your audience’s newsfeed and are only visible to those who are already following you. Although Stories are not a great way to find new followers, it is a great way to engage and retain your current audience.
💡 Tips About Stories:
- Use polls and quizzes to interact and engage with your audience. Once they engage, you will be notified and communicate through messenger. Some shops send their customers coupons or other discounts with participation.
- Stories can include links on Instagram and Facebook, so it is best to use this opportunity to include links on Instagram Stories.
- Photos will display for 5 seconds on Facebook and 7 seconds on Instagram before it plays the next Story.
- Videos have the ability to display for 2 minutes on Facebook Stories and 60 seconds on Instagram Stories.
- Each photo or video shared to your Stories will disappear after 24 hours.
Reels
Reels, similar to TikTok videos, are a short form video that allows you to add music, stickers, and special effects. The videos also rely on creativity and video content, and may be a learning curve for some, and may take more time and effort. However, it may be worth the time and investment since Reels are currently the top way to reach an outside audience as well as your current followers.
💡 Tips About Reels
- Reels are 90 seconds long, can be posted to your feed or Reels section, and can have up to 2,200 characters and 30 hashtags.
- It is important to be as descriptive as possible in the Reels caption, as users are able to find you through the keywords within your description.
How to Create Visual Content Without Graphic Design Experience
Photos and videos tend to perform exceptionally well on most social media platforms. You don’t need to be a graphic designer or videographer to capture your audience’s attention with eye-catching visuals of your shop, staff, and completed repairs.
Use what you’re good at – capture repair moments with your phone! Go a step further by adding a logo with easy-to-use design programs such as Canva, Adobe Express, or VistaCreate. Incorporate branded graphics and logos to reinforce your brand identity and make your content easily recognizable.
Social Media Post and Reel Examples from Auto Repair Shops:
Is it important to interact with customers on social media?
Social media is not just about broadcasting messages—it’s also about building meaningful interactions with your customers. Be sure to respond positively and promptly to comments, messages, and reviews to demonstrate your commitment to customer service and build rapport with your followers. Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews and share their experiences on your social media pages, and it’s also important to respond to those reviews, good or bad.
Social media marketing software such as Buffer, Sprout Social, and Hubspot allow you to keep track of social interactions and engagement so you can respond, share, or like content that your company is mentioned or engaged in.
Track the performance of your social media efforts using analytics tools provided by each platform using social metrics such as engagement, reach, and conversions to gauge the effectiveness of your content.
Use social media marketing software to evaluate and refine your marketing strategy accordingly. Find out what is working and what is not working, then experiment with different types of content and posting schedules to optimize your results over time.
How often should repair shops post content on social media?
Building a strong presence on social media requires consistency and persistence. Create a schedule using a social media calendar to organize your ideas, plan and schedule your posts in advance. Planning your content in advance and scheduling it ahead of time will ensure a steady stream of fresh content to keep your audience engaged. Plan on posting at least three times per week to start, and be sure to stay ahead of industry trends and adjust your strategy as needed to stay relevant and competitive.
Social media is no longer an option for auto repair shops, it is a vital tool to connect with customers, increase visibility, and drive business growth. By understanding your audience, choosing the right platforms, optimizing your profiles, creating compelling content, and engaging with your audience, you can establish a strong presence on social media that sets you apart from the competition.
Remember, social media success doesn’t happen overnight—it requires consistent effort, experimentation, and adaptation. By staying informed about industry trends and monitoring performance metrics, you can continuously refine your social media strategy to achieve your business objectives.
