This document provides recommendations for Bob the "Mechanic" to integrate social media marketing. It analyzes the current marketing techniques of attending networking events and handing out business cards. It recommends creating a Facebook and LinkedIn page to promote the business, provide customer feedback, and target their market. The benefits include increasing customer base and sales at a low cost. Risks like time consumption and negative reviews are addressed. It recommends a 3-month trial period to track results before fully adopting social media marketing.

1. Integrate Social Media
Marketing into Bob the
"Mechanic”
DELIVERED TO: ROBERT PICKARD
OWNER OF BOB THE “MECHANIC ”
JULY 8, 2014
EMILY BARNARD, MARKETING ANALYST
EBARNA2@LIVE.SPCOLLEGE.EDU
Bob the “Mechanic”
We Come to You

2. Introduction
•Bob the “Mechanic” is an automobile repair business
owned and run by Robert Pickard
•Benefit from social media marketing
(Facebook, 2014)

3. Overview
•Small businesses = Small budget
•Find ways to connect with other businesses and
customers
•Facebook
•LinkedIn

4. The Opportunity – Current Situation
Current marketing techniques include:
1. Business name and contact information listed on work
vehicle
2. Attends networking events
3. Hands out business cards
4. Word of mouth

5. The Opportunity - Key Success Factors
•Networking events
•Clermont is a small town
•Customers trust the word of small businesses- word of mouth
•“We Come to You”
•Bob is a mobile mechanic- Differentiation

6. The Opportunity - Analysis of
Alternatives
Taking the next step:
•Social media is effective and inexpensive- most useful (LaPointe, 2012)
•Compare to billboards and TV ads
•The power of “sharing”

7. The Opportunity - Strategic Option
Bob will create a business page on Facebook and LinkedIn
The business page will contain:
◦Business information
◦Promotional opportunities
◦Space for customer feedback

8. Benefits
Social Media
• Target Market (U.S. Government, 2014)
• Competitive
• Customer Base
• Increase Sales (Spidle, 2011)
• Meeting with Josh Franz
Update
Information
Leave/Read
Reviews
Modify Business
(Allan, 2014)

9. Risks
Concerns Bob may have with using social media for marketing
purposes
◦ Time consuming
◦ 10 minutes per day (Honigman, 2012)
◦ Negative Reviews
Act professional-Do not delete (Byers, 2012)
◦ Identity Theft
◦ Monitor (Gessler, 2014)
◦ Legal Issues
◦ Written contract (Ostro, Fehling, & Pribish, 2012)

10. Final Recommendation
•Run a 3 month trial period
•Record gains/loses (monetary and customer)
•Monitor sites everyday
•Conduct further research

11. References
Allan, S. Why do we use social media? Retrieved June 11, 2014 from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/10/
Byers, B. (2014, February 13). Why hiding Facebook posts can ruin your company’s reputation. Retrieved from Rocket Media:
http://rocketmedia.com/blog/article/hiding-facebook-posts#.U7U2e6PBolN
Facebook (2014). South Lake Business Leaders. Retrieved from
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=149830318368247&set=a.1498302750
34918.28046.149775411707071&type=3&theater
Gessler, S. (2014). Business identity theft resource guide. Retrieved from Colorado Secretary of State:
http://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/business/ProtectYourBusiness/BITresourceguide.html
Honigman, B. (2012, October 19). Five ways small businesses can make the most of Facebook.Huffington Post.
LaPointe, P. (2012). Measuring Facebook's Impact on Marketing. Journal of Advertising Research, 286-287.
Ostro, G., Fehling, M. M., & Pribish, M. (2012). Small business social media risks best practice guide. Merchants Information Solutions,
Inc.
Spidle, J. (2011). Does Facebook really help businesses? The Houston Chronicle, p. 1.
United States Government. (2014). Understand your market. Retrieved from The U.S. Small Business Administration:
http://www.sba.gov/content/do-your-market-research