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Marketing Plan for a second location, Thoughts?


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For those of you members that have multi locations or have thought of opening other stores I'd like to open up a discussion on a proper marketing plan. Getting a new location off the ground can be challenging and it can also be what makes or breaks you. Here are some of my thoughts. To preface, these ideas are for opening an additional location under the same brand/banner.

 

 

1. Website. Piggy backing off your current website would be ideal. Make sure your SEO is top notch.

 

2. Direct Mail. Sending out campaigns 3 months prior to opening the doors. This can be expensive however exposure to greatest number of people in the short period of time is important.

 

3. Sending out an e-mail blast your current customers. It is in my opinion it is always a good idea to show customers how prosperous you are. By opening a second location it is a clear cut message that you are here to stay. Depending on how far your additional location is, you can offer some sort of special offer to new customers exclusive to your current customers. Also some sort of incentive to spread the news.

 

4. Signage and banners. Depending on how busy your location is in regards to foot and car traffic, it may make sense to hang a sign and/or banner to indicate you are coming to the neighborhood.

 

5. Get involved in community events early. Making your presence known in the immediate community can pay dividends for your brand awareness.

 

 

 

Feel free to expand or add new ideas!

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Just an idea, how about having a radio show live at your new location? Might be able to combine that with some sort of charity fund raiser?

 

I believe getting on the radio is very expensive where I am. Maybe a podcast or a vlog of some sort. Not sure how distribution would be handled though. Getting people involved would be a challenge

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

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      I recently spoke with a friend of mine who owns a large general repair shop in the Midwest. His father founded the business in 1975. He was telling me that although he’s busy, he’s also very frustrated. When I probed him more about his frustrations, he said that it’s hard to find qualified technicians. My friend employs four technicians and is looking to hire two more. I then asked him, “How long does a technician last working for you.” He looked puzzled and replied, “I never really thought about that, but I can tell that except for one tech, most technicians don’t last working for me longer than a few years.”
      Judging from personal experience as a shop owner and from what I know about the auto repair industry, I can tell you that other than a few exceptions, the turnover rate for technicians in our industry is too high. This makes me think, do we have a technician shortage or a retention problem? Have we done the best we can over the decades to provide great pay plans, benefits packages, great work environments, and the right culture to ensure that the techs we have stay with us?
      Finding and hiring qualified automotive technicians is not a new phenomenon. This problem has been around for as long as I can remember. While we do need to attract people to our industry and provide the necessary training and mentorship, we also need to focus on retention. Having a revolving door and needing to hire techs every few years or so costs your company money. Big money! And that revolving door may be a sign of an even bigger issue: poor leadership, and poor employee management skills.
      Here’s one more thing to consider, for the most part, technicians don’t leave one job to start a new career, they leave one shop as a technician to become a technician at another shop. The reasons why they leave can be debated, but there is one fact that we cannot deny, people don’t quit the company they work for, they usually leave because of the boss or manager they work for.
      Put yourselves in the shoes of your employees. Do you have a workplace that communicates, “We appreciate you and want you to stay!”
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