Mechanic Advisor

5 Ways Mechanics Stay Busy During the Slow Season

Posted January 28, 2015 by Bobby Gaglini

When the slow season hits, you feel it. Here are five ways that a lot of mechanics stay busy during the slow season.

Even if you’re not the owner of a shop, or if you’re a freelance mechanic, many of these tips can help get you some more business.

 

Facebook

 

Why is this a good use of my time?: It’s easier to set up than a website, and still gets eyes on your business.

 

How do I make this happen?: Setting up your Facebook page shouldn’t take more than a half hour of your time. Here is an awesome 5-step tutorial on how to do it.

 

What will this ultimately do?: You’ll start gaining fans for your site, and start bringing online traffic in. It’s 2015! Embrace online…especially if you’re experiencing a slow down in customers.

 

Promotions

 

Why is this a good use of my time?: Having a promotion or general sale attracts customers looking to not spend a ton on repairs, and also urges them to come in soon instead of wait to get their repairs.

 

How do I make this happen?: If you have a website, Facebook page or directory listing, advertise coupons with the deal you’re running. If you don’t have those, purchase a vertical banner and fly it outside your shop.

 

What will this ultimately do?: The hope is that you’ll attract people who might be waiting to get their repairs done. If they see a 30% off routine maintenance coupon online, they’ll be more likely to come in right away.

Directories

 

Why is this a good use of my time?: You’ll be seen by people looking for mechanics on search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo. If you’re in one of these directories, people will easily find you.

 

How do I make this happen?: Services like Yelp and Mechanic Advisor help take your information, and make it accessible to people looking for specific mechanics in your city or town.

 

What will this ultimately do?: You’ll start getting phone calls from people finding your business through these search engines. There are over 3.5 billion searches made on Google each day. Start being one of the results!

 

Emails

 

Why is this a good use of my time?: This is a great way to gently remind your current customers that car maintenance is important, and that you’re there to help.

 

How do I make this happen?: Craft an email to your customer base talking about car maintenance and how you value them as customers. This kind of personal touch can go a long way. If you’re running a promotion, include that in the email as well.

 

What will this ultimately do?: The hope is that this will remind customers that you’re still there and open, and will also help urge them to come in sooner rather than later.

 

Media Outreach

 

Why is this a good use of my time?: This one might take a little out of the box thinking, but it can reach a much larger audience than anything else.

 

How do I make this happen?: If there are any media friendly topics (like heat waves, road trips, or snowstorms), contact them to let them know you have an idea for a story on how to keep your car running smoothly during that event.

 

What will this ultimately do?: While it may not work all of the time, when it does, you’ll have tens of thousands of eyes on you and your business. This is a potentially huge number of people that might soon be bringing their vehicles to you.

 

Got any other ideas? Let me know!

 

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