EPISODE: 126 – Preparing for January’s Marketing
Ready to kick off the year with a marketing plan that keeps your bays full? Join Brian Walker and Caroline Legrand as they dive into easy, actionable strategies to help auto repair shops plan their marketing month-by-month. From practical ways to align your campaigns with community events to leveraging fun, nationally recognized days, you’ll learn how to make your marketing engaging and impactful.
Discover fresh ideas for social media, event hosting, and campaigns that’ll keep your shop top-of-mind all year. Whether it’s winter car care, “new year, new car” resolutions, or creative customer appreciation ideas, this episode is packed with ways to turn small efforts into big wins.
Don’t let January sneak up on you—start planning now!
Tune in to get the tools you need to make 2025 your best marketing year yet.
Thank you to RepairPal for sponsoring The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast. Learn more about RepairPal at https://repairpal.com/shops
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Timestamps
Introduction to the Episode (00:00:01)
Brian introduces the Auto Repair Marketing Podcast and guest Caroline Legrand.
January Marketing Planning (00:01:30)
Discussion on planning marketing strategies for January with insights from Caroline’s experience.
Importance of Planning (00:02:29)
Emphasizing the necessity of planning for effective marketing strategies.
Community Engagement (00:06:14)
Caroline highlights the importance of tying marketing to local community events.
Winter Car Care Tips (00:06:14)
Discussion on educating customers about winter car maintenance and safety.
New Year Resolutions (00:08:04)
Encouraging customers to make car care resolutions for the new year.
Monthly Marketing Topics (00:10:10)
Overview of key topics for January marketing, including national observances.
National Hobby Month (00:10:14)
Ideas for engaging customers through hobbies and community connections.
National Blood Donor Month (00:11:06)
Suggestions for hosting a blood drive to engage the community.
National Mentoring Month (00:12:14)
Celebrating mentorship within the shop and training opportunities for staff.
National Pizza Week (00:12:36)
Ideas for incorporating fun promotions around National Pizza Week into marketing.
National Pizza Week (00:14:18)
Discusses leveraging National Pizza Week for community engagement and supporting local businesses.
Hunt for Happiness Week (00:15:07)
Explores ideas for sharing happiness and resolutions during the first full week of January.
January National Days Overview (00:18:02)
Introduces various national days in January and their potential for marketing campaigns.
New Year’s Day (00:19:23)
Highlights New Year’s Day as an opportunity for marketing related to resolutions and new beginnings.
55 Mile Per Hour Speed Limit Day (00:19:58)
Suggests creative social media engagement ideas around the 55 mph speed limit day.
Show and Tell Day at Work (00:21:11)
Encourages sharing interesting repair stories or trivia on Show and Tell Day.
National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day (00:22:21)
Discusses ways to honor law enforcement with promotions and community appreciation events.
National Clean Off Your Desk Day (00:24:48)
Encourages fun engagement through sharing videos of desk clean-ups and interesting finds.
National Arkansas Day and Florida Day (00:26:20)
Suggests local marketing strategies tied to state-specific celebrations.
National Rubber Ducky Day (00:27:16)
Explores creative marketing ideas using rubber ducks to engage Jeep owners and promote services.
National Nothing Day (28:12)
Discussion about the humorous aspect of celebrating a day dedicated to doing nothing.
One Liners Day (28:28)
Ideas on sharing jokes in the shop to enhance workplace camaraderie.
International Reducing CO2 Emissions Day (30:11)
Educating customers about environmental efforts for certified green auto repair shops.
National Plan for Vacation Day (30:55)
Promoting pre-trip inspections to ensure vehicle readiness for vacations.
Yodel for Your Neighbors Day (31:24)
Encouraging fun and engaging social media content through yodeling challenges.
New Year, New Performance (32:51)
Campaign idea for a New Year’s performance checkup for vehicles.
Resolve Your Check Engine Light Campaign (33:36)
Encouraging customers to address check engine light issues as a New Year’s resolution.
Savings Passport Campaign (34:01)
Loyalty program idea rewarding customers for completing maintenance services throughout the year.
Tax Refund Campaign (35:42)
Marketing strategy encouraging customers to invest their tax refunds in vehicle maintenance.
Girl Scout Cookies Promotion (36:06)
Using Girl Scout cookies as a promotional tool to engage customers and boost sales.
Family Fleet Service Package (37:40)
Campaign to encourage servicing multiple family vehicles at the same shop.
Early Bird Specials (39:40)
Promoting early scheduling of maintenance services to fill January’s slower calendar.
Planning Ahead for Marketing (00:41:12)
Importance of setting aside time each month for effective marketing planning.
Community Engagement (00:42:08)
Discussion about the Auto Repair Marketing Mastermind group and its supportive community.
Setting SMART Goals (00:42:22)
Emphasis on creating specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely marketing goals.
Choosing Campaigns Wisely (00:43:02)
Advice on selecting manageable marketing campaigns to avoid overwhelm.
Exploring National Days (00:43:39)
Encouragement to utilize national observances for additional marketing ideas.
Podcast Promotion and Sponsors (00:44:23)
Acknowledgment of sponsors and encouragement to listen to future episodes for more insights.
How To Get In Touch With the Guest
Caroline Legrand – https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-legrand-00568b285/
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 – podcast@shopmarketingpros.com
Lagniappe (Books, Links, Other Podcasts, etc)
- https://www.daysoftheyear.com/
https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/ – Topics for January - January Social Media Content Topics – https://shopmarketingpros.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/January-Social-Media-Content-Topics.pdf
