Quantcast
Jump to content









Marketing Auto Repair to College Students [E069] - The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast


Recommended Posts

In this episode of the Auto Repair Marketing Podcast, host Kim Walker discusses the topic of attracting college students as customers for automotive repair shops. She shares her conversation with Lucas Underwood, owner of L&N Automotive, who plans to send direct mail to college students offering a free oil change every other oil change they pay for. Kim emphasizes the importance of building trust with both students and their parents, and suggests conducting audience research to understand their preferences and expectations. Kim also offers strategies such as hosting car care clinics, creating digital business cards, and engaging with students through social media and events.

Thank you to our friends at RepairPal for this episode. RepairPal will introduce your shop to new customers through repairpal.com, the largest site for auto repair. Learn more at

RepairPal.com/shops.

Show Notes with Timestamps

  • Attracting College Students (00:01:16) Discussion on how a shop owner is reaching out to college students through direct mail and building relationships with them and their parents.
  • Understanding the College Student Audience (00:03:51) Exploration of the college student population in the speaker's town and the potential research and survey methods to understand their preferences and expectations.
  • Connecting with College Students (00:06:18) Suggestions on how to connect with college students, including finding out their interests, clubs, and organizations, and understanding their automotive knowledge and preferences.
  • Teaching College Students Car Care (00:09:12) Discussion on the importance of teaching college students basic car care skills and ways to effectively educate them.
  • Engaging College Students with Food and Coffee (00:10:26) Exploring the idea of using food and coffee as incentives to engage college students and hosting Q&A or mechanic tech talk sessions.
  • Connecting College Students to the Local Community (00:15:08) Suggesting ways to partner with local businesses and organizations to help college students become familiar with and connect to their local community.
  • Building Loyalty with Students (00:16:36) Creating an app-based oil change club and offering a buy one, get one free oil change to build relationships and loyalty with students.
  • Creating a Digital Business Card (00:17:40) Using a QR code to create a digital business card that students can easily add to their contacts, making it convenient for them to reach out for automotive services.
  • Engaging Students through Workshops and Social Media (00:19:50) Utilizing seminars, workshops, and a "what if" social media campaign to position the shop as experts and build trust with students.
  • Sponsoring Events to Reach College Students (00:25:04) Discussion on sponsoring pizza nights, coffee mornings, and pool parties at apartment complexes to get your name in front of college students.
  • Hosting Ladies Automotive Clinic (00:26:13) Exploring the idea of hosting a ladies automotive clinic for college students to learn more about vehicle and automotive care.
  • Expanding Your Audience to College Students (00:27:23) Encouragement to consider attracting college students as an audience and offering to answer marketing questions related to this demographic.

 

How To Get In Touch

 

Group - Auto Repair Marketing Mastermind

Website - shopmarketingpros.com 

Facebook - facebook.com/shopmarketingpros 

Get the Book - shopmarketingpros.com/book

Instagram - @shopmarketingpros 

Questions/Ideas - [email protected] 

 

Lagniappe (Books, Links, Other Podcasts, etc)

 

 

 

Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites










Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         5 comments
      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!”
  • Similar Topics

    • By Changing The Industry
      The Basics of Owning An Auto Repair Shop - Balancing GP per Hour and Productivity
    • By Joe Marconi

      Premium Member Content 

      This content is hidden to guests, one of the benefits of a paid membership. Please login or register to view this content.

    • By carmcapriotto
      Matt Fanslow covers strategies for engaging high school students, debunking industry myths, and the importance of talent over passion in choosing a career. The episode aims to inspire a new generation to explore the diverse and rewarding paths within auto repair.
      Show Notes
      Ideas for Engaging Students (00:01:19) Addressing Misconceptions (00:07:59)  Value of Skill and Talent (00:13:41)  Changing the value system (00:19:04)  Impact of artificial intelligence (00:21:21)  Future of Auto Repair Careers (00:22:40)   
      Thanks to our Partner, NAPA Autotech napaautotech.com
       
      Email Matt: [email protected]
      Diagnosing the Aftermarket A - Z YouTube Channel HERE
      Aftermarket Radio Network: https://aftermarketradionetwork.com/
       
      Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio
    • By carmcapriotto
      Thank you to our friends at RepairPal for providing you this episode. As shop owners we were part of RepairPal’s Certified network and you can learn more at RepairPal.com/shops.
      Show Notes
      Reasons Google will suspend your GBP Adding Keywords to Your Business Name Using PO boxes or virtual office addresses Using your home address for a service area business - mobile mechanics Making major changes to your information - name, address, phone number Adding Reviews - Talk about RV Masters Recent experience Spam Reviews Two businesses sharing an address - same with phone number A competitor reported you  Dandy Review Removal: Negative review removal using AI They had to rebrand from ReviewVio because of all the negative reviews and complaints that they received. They over charge and under deliver. It is a 12 month contract - not monthly Writer’s Hand: WriterHand.com's Review Generator AI employs state-of-the-art natural language processing algorithms to produce high-quality reviews in a matter of seconds. The tool is designed to cater to the needs of both individual writers and businesses seeking to enhance their online presence. By simply inputting a few key details about a product, service, or experience, users can obtain well-crafted reviews that reflect a genuine customer's perspective. Embed Social: Use AI tools to help you collect more reviews, reply to reviews faster and make your reviews widget designs. New AI Optimization services: Boost Ninja:  Speak on Accurate Automotive GBP Listing being suspended after adding this company to their listing - Supposed to be a Google Maps ranking system by boosting local rankings by targeting top keywords and AI Optimization to your Google listing Problem is when you talk to client’s who have hired companies like this and ask what they are actually doing - the answer is the same: “I have know idea”  
      How To Get In Touch
       
      Group - Auto Repair Marketing Mastermind
      Website - shopmarketingpros.com 
      Facebook - facebook.com/shopmarketingpros 
      Get the Book - shopmarketingpros.com/book
      Instagram - @shopmarketingpros 
      Questions/Ideas - [email protected]
      Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio
    • By Changing The Industry
      Defending Flat Rate #podcast #autorepairshop #autorepairbusiness #carrepair #automotiverepair


  • Our Sponsors



×
×
  • Create New...