COVER STORY » Social Media time investment. “It is time consuming. It does take resources, either your own if you manage it yourself as I do, or money if you hire it out,” Eber says. But Kyle says benefits are trackable since they can see how many people they reach, including demographics. “We get weekly reports giving us feedback on our posts, pins and tweets,” she says. “I find the info very helpful for finding more content to post. For example, the bulk of the people who ‘Like’ us on Facebook are women, but on Pinterest our followers are men. Once we attach ‘coupon codes’ for social media specials, we’ll be able to see how much traffic it will drive through our door.”
Gen Y’s Job » Many shops put their younger office staff in charge of social media. “As long as parameters are established as to what can and cannot be posted to represent the business, that can work well,” Claypool says. But, he adds, owners still need to pay attention. “My company, Optima Automotive, provides these services as the shop’s outsourced partner, too. That’s another option.”
48
March 2013 | BodyShop Business
Dunkle points out there are individuals who live and breathe social media. “Many of them are efficient and effective. There are also vendors that provide turn-key solutions that don’t require the staffing and associated expenses. These options allow you to focus on the core of your business,” he says. If you do hire someone outside of your shop to do the job, be sure you get someone familiar with the industry. Eber says she handles social media herself to ensure it gets done well. “Initially, it would be easy to spend all day for several days to a couple of weeks getting things in order, depending on how accurate your information is portrayed already,” Eber says. Someone has to develop a system to manage it, too. “The few things that I have hired out, I’ve been very disappointed in the outcomes,” Eber states. “Providers have not fully grasped that ‘auto body’ is not ‘auto repair’ and the work has been sloppy.”
of social media that’s imperative to manage,” Dunkle says. Many shops have large advertising budgets and may use social media. “But if a poor online reputation exists, potential customers are lost,” he warns. “The marketing may have worked perfectly, but customers are lost due to a poor online reputation in the final stages. There’s no metric to prove how much business is lost at this stage. A positive online reputation eliminates this leak.” “Social media is a great resource and hugely underutilized,” VanAken says. The average person on Facebook has more than 200 friends, Claypool says. “If they participate in what the shop is posting, their friends often see this participation, giving the shop brand exposure, or impressions, that they wouldn’t have gotten otherwise,” Claypool says. “Loyalty with existing customers can be expected as well, when they’re actively following the shop’s Facebook page.” BSB
Brand Recognition » The key ben-
Curt Harler is a Cleveland-based freelancer specializing in the auto, technology and environmental areas. He can be reached at curt@curtharler.com.
efit from social media use is brand recognition. “Online reputation is a segment
Circle 48 for Reader Service