With more and more consumers searching for body shops’ information online, it has become increasingly important for shops to clean up their digital presence.
That's one of the reasons why Phoenix Solutions Group (PSG) recently announced its new Digital Presence Management product. One purpose of its new product is to monitor and help shops revise incorrect listings about their site across all the listing sources that Google values the most.
PSG President Nick Schoolcraft developed a system that cleans up online listings and generates first-party reviews that drive digital and voice search optimization---the method that is now used for performing over 50 percent of search queries, according to Comscore. Delivered on a single platform, PSG’s system provides a shop with the first 360-degree view of its presence in both traditional and online interactions.
The numbers tell the story: 86 percent of all businesses have either missing or inconsistent company name information across all listing sources; 72 percent have either missing or incorrect information; and 71 percent have missing or incorrect phone numbers.
In a recent product demonstration of PSG’s new Digital Presence Management product, Schoolcraft discussed how the company’s new collision customer research drove them to develop this product.
“What we have found is that on average, the majority of a body shop's organic search traffic comes from customers searching some form of the body shop's name," he said. "So if that basic information is not accurate and customers can't find you easily, they may end up going elsewhere. If your phone number or address is wrong, they could abandon the search and contact the next shop on their list, for example."
Schoolcraft also discussed how these types of searches, known as branded keyword searches, are not driven by any type of search engine optimization (SEO) programs.
“Think about it: If people are typing in the shop's name online, then you'd have to assume that they are already aware of the shop," he said. "They're not really searching for you, but simply finding you online, so you've already done the heavy lifting, and SEO is really not playing a role. Your name is in the front of their minds, so it's important not to drop the ball at that point, and wrong information can do exactly that."
Schoolcraft also discussed how these statistics align with body shop customers’ traditional buying behavior.
"Shopping for a body shop is not like shopping for a restaurant," he said. "Restaurants have a sense of desire and interest, but unfortunately, shopping for a body shop is the exact opposite. In most cases, collision customers are already in the late stages of the buying cycle when they go online. They've consulted with people they trust about where to go and typically use the Internet to validate the relevant facts about the shop---its address, phone number, hours, etc.---and perhaps check out a couple of reviews, but mostly they go directly to the shop's website."
These industry-specific insights, along with his previous digital experience with Accenture, a global consulting firm specializing in digital transformation, helped PSG develop a digital marketing solution that was built specifically for the collision industry while incorporating relevant future digital trends. PSG's Digital Presence Management product features 17 distinct solutions built to help body shops market themselves online more effectively, including the ability to generate first-party reviews through SMS or email and optimize their website for both voice and local search. The product also features a full suite of digital analytics, Schoolcraft explained.
"We are so excited about this new product," he said. "Using the help of artificial intelligence, we are finally able to marry our traditional collision customer research with a shop’s online sentiment to provide a shop everything it requires to manage its customer experience and online reputation all in one place. We want to help shops realize that they don't have to spend a significant amount of money to drive traffic to their website, especially since the majority of people already know who they are. With our new Digital Presence Management program, we have eliminated all of the guesswork and can now help a shop optimize its online presence while gaining a better understanding of how to market its business to ensure the highest level of ROI."
Ed Attanasio