Promoting Business: Facebook

[Hoytman]

One of the things Mike Phillips so often recommends when starting either a full-time or part-time detailing business is to start a Facebook page. I can certainly see where that could be of benefit.

However, I am currently not a Facebook user mainly because I don't want/need drama in my life and there seems to be lots of drama on there from what I hear. You know...gossip...people telling every single event of their life, good and bad, relatives bad mouthing each other, friends stabbing other friends and family in the back...all things I want to avoid. Life is full of negativity without all the unnecessary drama people bring upon themselves and others.

Is there a way(besides creating a normal webpage) to avoid all this on a Facebook page for your business?

If not, are their other alternatives/avenues for getting your name 'out there' while avoiding similar issues besides simply hustling and working hard and waiting on 'word of mouth' to travel?

[House of Wax]

There's only drama if you allow there to be drama.

[TFTADetail]

You can always block those who you don't want to deal with. Your business page & personal page are different entities. You choose who sees the page & who can post to it.

I'm in the same boat as you with the drama, but I choose to not "follow" certain drama queens.

You can take a look at my Facebook page through my website to see how my business page is displayed.

[Hoytman]

There's only drama if you allow there to be drama.

Not being a Facebook user I'm not sure what you mean.

Do you mean you can moderate it like AG does this site?

People on this forum if they chose to, could pick a person, any person, and really cause an uproar whether it's true or not. That can also happen in everyday life...people can accuse you of something and whether you like it or not you could wind up in court paying out your hard earned money trying to defend your name and integrity.

I suppose I should be a bit more specific.

I'm not saying I'd want to hide a negative review, rather, I'd like to prevent people from posting non-related car/detailing comments that would be negative, unnecessary, and not relative to the business page in any way.

[TFTADetail]

Not being a Facebook user I'm not sure what you mean.

Do you mean you can moderate it like AG does this site?

People on this forum if they chose to, could pick a person, any person, and really cause an uproar whether it's true or not. That can also happen in everyday life...people can accuse you of something and whether you like it or not you could wind up in court paying out your hard earned money trying to defend your name and integrity.

I suppose I should be a bit more specific.

I'm not saying I'd want to hide a negative review, rather, I'd like to prevent people from posting non-related car/detailing comments that would be negative, unnecessary, and not relative to the business page in any way.

You can control who and what posts/is posted on your site with your approval/disapproval.

[House of Wax]

You can control who and what posts/is posted on your site with your approval/disapproval.
This. You have full control over everything on your page.

I should have been more specific. My feeling is that more often than not, people that have drama issues on Facebook tend to cause their own issues or at least feed into it

[LSNAutoDetailing]

One of the things Mike Phillips so often recommends when starting either a full-time or part-time detailing business is to start a Facebook page. I can certainly see where that could be of benefit.

Here is a good one, took my wife's car to get the usual maintenance on it. The service tech opened the engine and told the shop manager that the car was immaculate and the engine was the cleanest he's ever seen that wasn't new. I got talking with the manager, and booked an appointment for his truck.

However, I am currently not a Facebook user mainly because I don't want/need drama in my life and there seems to be lots of drama on there from what I hear. You know...gossip...people telling every single event of their life, good and bad, relatives bad mouthing each other, friends stabbing other friends and family in the back...all things I want to avoid. Life is full of negativity without all the unnecessary drama people bring upon themselves and others.

Is there a way(besides creating a normal webpage) to avoid all this on a Facebook page for your business?

If not, are their other alternatives/avenues for getting your name 'out there' while avoiding similar issues besides simply hustling and working hard and waiting on 'word of mouth' to travel?

:iagree: 100% Look, I'm no marketing expert... and starting a business and getting clientele is hard, I'll say that. It's old-school, getting out and talking to people. I use my garage queen as a conversation piece and I always make sure my own cars are always detailed. Heck I had some folks from the local church come around passing out flyers today, so I gave them a sales pitch right back at them! Collect names, numbers & email addresses of folks you take the time to talk to. That way you can ping them in a week.

I am not on FB, Twitter, Instagram, Myspace, Linked In, nothing! And I plan on keeping that way. I see all the drivel and on my wife's FB account. I can't believe the time people spend posting nonsense. While I'm out working, or enjoying a long ride on my road-bicycle, I'm always wearing my shirt with the big logo and website on the back. I'm always selling the business, the old school way. I talk to people, pass out cards. If I'm on a bike ride and see an nice car in the lot, I'll put a business card under the windshield.

The small business owners I know that are on FB (with hundreds of friends) get 0% business from FB. Here is a tip my brother (a successful small business owner) gave me. Do business with the people YOU do business with. I stopped in my local electricians place after they did a job for me and gave them a quote on six of their vans. Small family restaurants I eat at all the time, they know what I do. I'm always wearing my shirts.... Even print shop that does my shirts, I did their cars. If you patronize a place, (I'm talking small business, not big box store chain...) make sure you get to know the owner.

There is no magic bullet and FB isn't magic at all.... It's more like, tragic.

[Hoytman]

... getting out and talking to people. I use my garage queen as a conversation piece and I always make sure my own cars are always detailed. Heck I had some folks from the local church come around passing out flyers today, so I gave them a sales pitch right back at them! Collect names, numbers & email addresses of folks you take the time to talk to. That way you can ping them in a week.

I am not on FB, Twitter, Instagram, Myspace, Linked In, nothing! And I plan on keeping that way. I see all the drivel and on my wife's FB account. I can't believe the time people spend posting nonsense. While I'm out working, or enjoying a long ride on my road-bicycle, I'm always wearing my shirt with the big logo and website on the back. I'm always selling the business, the old school way. I talk to people, pass out cards. If I'm on a bike ride and see an nice car in the lot, I'll put a business card under the windshield.

The small business owners I know that are on FB (with hundreds of friends) get 0% business from FB. Here is a tip my brother (a successful small business owner) gave me. Do business with the people YOU do business with. I stopped in my local electricians place after they did a job for me and gave them a quote on six of their vans. Small family restaurants I eat at all the time, they know what I do. I'm always wearing my shirts.... Even print shop that does my shirts, I did their cars. If you patronize a place, (I'm talking small business, not big box store chain...) make sure you get to know the owner.

There is no magic bullet and FB isn't magic at all.... It's more like, tragic.

Man...what a wonderful post. I like the way you think. I really don't want to get involved with Facebook, Twitter, etc., either because everywhere you look there's a warning about being careful what you post. I always do my best to comment in a professional manner, always trying to be courteous to folks and if someone has misunderstood or misinterpreted what I've written I again try very hard to be courteous and professional even thought I don't detail for a living...not yet anyway.

However, our world is changing with regard to how we conduct our lives and especially business and I'm not so sure it's wise to completely disregard those changes. I mean this forum is so helpful to so many that actually do detailing for a living and as Mike Phillips so often says (paraphrasing of course) these full-time and part-time detailers are way ahead of the curve.

I do like your comments on doing it old school though and there are plenty of people still doing business the old fashioned way which the older generations understand and can relate to.

Great post, Paul.

[Rod73]

There's only drama if you allow there to be drama.


:iagree:

[FinishingTouchA]

I'll be honest, unless you spend a ton of money on facebook advertising, you're not going to see any results. I get (maybe) 1% of my customers through Facebook. Word of mouth and just going around to businesses and introducing yourself will get you much more business. And if you've got a marketing budget maybe sit down with a local Public Relations person and find out what they can do for you. I spent $600 on a press release and got featured in 2 local papers. I promise you that was the best money I've ever spent on advertising because it comes out in the paper as a natural article rather than an ad in the section nobody reads.

[Rod73]

One of the things Mike Phillips so often recommends when starting either a full-time or part-time detailing business is to start a Facebook page. I can certainly see where that could be of benefit.

However, I am currently not a Facebook user mainly because I don't want/need drama in my life and there seems to be lots of drama on there from what I hear. You know...gossip...people telling every single event of their life, good and bad, relatives bad mouthing each other, friends stabbing other friends and family in the back...all things I want to avoid. Life is full of negativity without all the unnecessary drama people bring upon themselves and others.

Is there a way(besides creating a normal webpage) to avoid all this on a Facebook page for your business?

If not, are their other alternatives/avenues for getting your name 'out there' while avoiding similar issues besides simply hustling and working hard and waiting on 'word of mouth' to travel?
There are a variety of paths to success. I don't there is one right or wrong way and some marketing tools aren't for everyone.

But I think the drama that concerns you on FB that noise can be kind of similar via all forms of social media and word of mouth that's got to dealt with or gracefully ignored lol. And I'm assuming many detailers have specific resources to deal with each kind of b.s. lol. My point is if you think FB can really help you, I encourage you to go for it.

Me I'm just starting out dipping my toe in the water. So hopefully I don't eat my own words :/ .

[Hoytman]

Me I'm just starting out dipping my toe in the water. So hopefully I don't eat my own words :/ .

:laughing:

[MI Mike]

Man...what a wonderful post. I like the way you think. I really don't want to get involved with Facebook, Twitter, etc., either because everywhere you look there's a warning about being careful what you post. I always do my best to comment in a professional manner, always trying to be courteous to folks and if someone has misunderstood or misinterpreted what I've written I again try very hard to be courteous and professional even thought I don't detail for a living...not yet anyway.
Great post, Paul.
Edited......
I agree. Not everyone is on Twitter or Facebook. You can spend alot of valuable time responding to individuals, that are only making inquiries. Alot will create a simple web site with what they have to offer. Another is what is your market that you are trying to reach, the numbers, etc. Is the county or township, etc. that large ????

[Hoytman]

No...and it's all basically a farming community.

Interestingly enough...just a few minutes ago I was reading Renny Doyles detailing book, the first few pages of chapter one, and he had some interesting things to say about using technology to your advantage in promoting business, but he also mentioned a good amount about pure hustle...aka...the old school way that's been mentioned here in this thread.

[rockstardetail]

Facebook is what you make it I get business from Facebook. I use it just like any other marketing tool. I post before and afters I give customers $5 discount to share their vehicle to their Facebook and tag us in it. Use your customers to get referrals. It also allows people to rate you which has worked to my advantage as well. For me Facebook reaches the younger demographic 20's and 30's they still have money to spend as well.