Resources

Our Blog

Subscribe

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Healthcare

Best Med Spa Software You Should Grab for 2024

Read More

You’re ready to open your med spa. You’ve decided on your name and branding, picked out a location, found the perfect building and got your décor ready. The only thing left is to find the best med spa software to inject your spa with streamlined marketing, booking and business management services. 

Fortunately, searching for the most effective med spa software to meet your needs doesn’t need to cause frown lines.

Our picks for the best med spa software of 2024!

We took a fresh look at some of the leading med spa software on the market, so you don’t have to. Here are our top picks for the med spa software that will help you put your best face forward with clients. 

UPshow — Best med spa on-premise marketing software

Any med spa worth its sea salt needs digital signage. With UPshow Health, you gain that and versatile on-premise marketing strategies that help you engage customers with customized marketing messages and promotions that lead to repeat business.

Our robust content library includes over 500 entertainment channels, educational content intended to reassure patients, as well as customizable health-related quizzes. UPshow Health also allows you to use QR codes to send patient experience surveys and consent forms directly to clients’ mobile devices. 

You can also rely on UPshow SHIFT for Healthcare to boost engagement among your employees. Instead of messages on bulletin boards that employees often ignore, share your messages over back-office screens. 

Aesthetics Pro — Best med spa management software

AestheticsPro is an easy-to-use med spa management platform, even for employees without a background in technology. This secure, HIPAA-compliant cloud-based software enables you to manage timesheets, as well as payroll and commissions from a single platform. It’s easy to avoid overbooking by managing scheduling through individual staff calendars.

While AestheticsPro offers excellent back-end med spa management, it lacks more comprehensive marketing features or digital signage. It’s worthwhile for the way it makes day-to-day practice management easier, but you may want to consider finding a more flexible and dynamic way of engaging customers.

Pabau — Next best med spa management software

Pabau offers an all-in-one med spa management platform that can save your team upwards of 12 hours a week. Known for robust CRM software that follows customers at every stage of their journey, Pabau automates aspects of marketing to make it easier. Pabau also provides resources for monitoring employee performance to ensure that customers stay satisfied. 

Though Pabau allows you to easily perform multiple aspects of practice management from one platform and keep your calendar booked and busy, it doesn’t quite do everything. Some customers have found issues with the software updates and wish the CRM was even more powerful. Pabau also lacks digital signage capabilities, something your business needs. 

Fresha — Most affordable med spa booking software

Fresha makes med spa booking incredibly affordable. Billed as the only free platform for salons and spas, Fresha only charges you for optional paid features like payments, marketplace bookings and communications—and you can cancel at any time.

While Fresha offers a highly affordable med spa booking and scheduling platform, its general capabilities aren’t as expansive as other options. It lacks many features that a med spa needs, meaning you’ll likely need to invest in other software to run your med spa right.

What you need to know about med spa software

Serving clients in a med spa is hands-on work, but managing the nitty-gritty of the day-to-day in your med spa doesn’t have to be. The best med spa software will make running your practice as smooth as your clients’ complexions. 

What is med spa software?

Med spa software enables med spa owners to manage key business operations from appointment booking, marketing and patient journeys, payments, inventory and employee engagement. 

What are some common features of medical spa software?

The best med spa software comes equipped with features that will make for smoother, more polished operations in your practice:

  1. Appointment scheduling
  2. Inventory and product management
  3. Communications and marketing
  4. Employee engagement and tracking
  5. Client information and forms
  6. Payments and point-of-sale

Besides EMR, what software does a med spa need?

Software that works with electronic medical records is a key aspect of any medical practice, including med spas. However, med spas also require software that can manage the day-to-day aspects of running a practice. Your med spa will need software that helps with appointments, inventory, marketing, payment and employee engagement. 

Med spas are in the business of helping people look and feel their best, so why not help give your med spa its best, boldest look with med spa marketing software that connects to customers at every stage of their journey? With UPshow Health, you get digital signage that turns the waiting room into a prime marketing opportunity. 

UPshow—the best med spa software for on-premise marketing

Using UPshow Health, you’ll get a powerful platform that provides the digital signage you need while offering extensive on-premise marketing features to turn first-time clients into longtime customers.

UPshow Health allows you to customize your on-premise marketing based on actual, real-time customer data. Your customers’ relationships with you start the moment they walk through your front doors, so make it count with UPshow Health. Schedule your demo today!

Healthcare

On-Premise Med Spa Marketing Strategies That Actually Work

Read More

One of the more satisfying parts of being a med spa practitioner involves developing relationships with customers over time. Once upon a time, building those interpersonal connections began once a customer was on the table; with sophisticated on-premise marketing, though, med spa owners can start connecting with patients much earlier.

The minutes patients spend in your waiting room are opportunities to engage with them directly by promoting new services, encouraging them to take surveys, having them join loyalty programs and entertaining them. Med spa marketing strategies should involve on-premises strategies that have been proven effective. 

8 med spa marketing strategies to get more patients and keep them

There are as many ways to reach patients as there are ways to feel beautiful. However, several med spa marketing strategies can help you engage existing customers. If you’re new to med spa marketing, you may want to check out our comprehensive guide first!

Engaging educational content and cosmetic quizzes

With on-premises digital signage, you can share information about the kinds of procedures you offer at your med spa. Patients gain deeper knowledge about the procedures they’re already booked for while gaining fresh ideas about new services to ask their practitioners about once they’re in the back.

The UPshow Health digital engagement platform comes with a robust content library that includes educational content designed to reassure patients, along with customizable health-related quizzes that also spark patient interest and make wait times fun. 

QR codes to distribute outreach forms and surveys

Showing patients that you care about them is a cornerstone of any business. But it’s especially important in the wellness and beauty industry, where services are more intimate and personal by nature.

Using UPshow Health simplifies the process of gathering customer feedback and conducting outreach. You can rely on QR integrations in the UPshow Health platform to send patient experience surveys and other forms directly to patients, making the experience of offering feedback easier and more convenient. Tracking capabilities in UPshow Health also allow you to gather actionable data from survey responses. 

Create digital displays that show off your strengths

Med spa practitioners are in the business of beauty, but talents wielding a micro-needle don’t always translate into original graphic design skills. Fortunately, the integration between UPshow Health and Canva enables you to easily create visually attractive digital displays that can do everything from promoting your newest services, celebrating your staff members and sharing patient testimonials. With fixed and multi-panel displays, you enjoy the ability to diversify content across your waiting area. 

Promote your social media in the waiting room

Many patients use their time in the waiting room to scroll through social media, so why not make sure they’re seeing your content? With digital signage through UPshow Health, you can set up display screens in high-traffic areas to pull in posts from your social media channels. 

Practice non-invasive upselling through your screens

Patients often visit med spas hoping for a relaxing and restorative environment—which doesn’t entail having staff members aggressively push various sales and promotions. The digital signage offered through UPshow Health allows you to showcase your services in an organic way that patients can engage with at their convenience.

Sending QR codes through UPshow Health also lets you discreetly share information about your products and procedures, effectively upselling those services without overwhelming patients or making them feel pressured. 

Curate the patient experience with relaxing audio

Gone are the days of Muzak and other bland elevator music for med spa waiting rooms. Your waiting area can have a hit playlist of popular, commercial-free music. Through UPshow Premium Audio, you can access a library of over 50 stations within the Music Choice selection, curating the music based on your brand and clientele. 

Retain patients with an effective loyalty program

Satisfied patients are some of your biggest brand ambassadors and a reliable group of returning customers. Getting them to sign up for a loyalty program can get them eager to book a new treatment or refer a friend. With UPshow Health, you have several ways of encouraging customers to enroll in your loyalty program, such as sending links through a QR code or advertising the perks of joining over a fixed or multi-panel display in a high-traffic area. 

Empower your patients to engage with your med spa

Making people feel healthy and beautiful is deeply personal work that requires a personal approach to marketing. Using QR codes to send surveys or share information about a loyalty program encourages customers to feel personally invited to engage with your brand. 

The ability to entertain and inform patients with over 500 channels and 50 music stations, visually dynamic promotional displays, educational content and quizzes sets your med spa apart from your competitors—and makes UPshow Health a core part of a med spa marketing strategy. 

Put your med spa marketing strategies out there with UPshow

Don’t hesitate to give your marketing a bold new look. Effective location-based marketing can help you turn curious customers into your most loyal brand ambassadors. Invest in a med spa marketing strategy that features on-premise digital signage through UPshow Health to connect with patients the moment they set foot inside your spa. 

Try out UPshow with a demo to get started!

Healthcare

A Ground-up Guide to Building a Med Spa Marketing Plan

Read More

Self-care is more than just a buzzword. As increasing numbers of people rely on med spas to look and feel more youthful, rejuvenated and healthy, self-care translates into revenue.

Research suggests that medical spa sales could surge by 40% in the coming year—an encouraging environment for med spa owners and marketers to find receptive audiences for their messages. With our ground-up guide, you can create a med spa marketing plan that shows the same care and attention to detail that makes you a good practitioner. 

The key elements of a medical spa marketing plan

An effective med spa marketing plan will be strategic and well-planned while remaining creative and versatile enough to respond to patients’ interests. If you’re new to med spa marketing, check out our comprehensive guide!

Clear, realistic marketing goals and objectives

Successful med spa practitioners are adept at guiding clients to healthy, realistic expectations for treatment. The same skills are useful when creating a marketing plan that includes clear, actionable goals relevant to business needs.

Med spa marketing plans may focus on some of the following objectives:

  1. Annual and/or quarterly goals
  2. In-house marketing goals
  3. Paid marketing goals
  4. Expectations around social media campaigns
  5. Individual product and service launches

You should also make lists of short and long-term goals for marketing. If you need some help brainstorming those goals (and a head massager isn’t around), look into S.M.A.R.T. goals. 

Well-researched target audience and patient personas

Understanding your customers should go beyond skin deep. Conducting market research into who your patients are and what they want empowers med spa owners to tailor marketing messages specifically to the people who will benefit most from their services. 

With marketing research, you can develop useful patient personas, which will include some of the following elements:

  1. Demographic data such as age, gender, and income
  2. Interests and hobbies
  3. Motivators toward seeking services
  4. Likes and dislikes
  5. Personal challenges 
  6. Pain points in reaching them 

The right marketing strategies to meet your goals

Just as every treatment isn’t right for every patient, marketing strategies for med spas aren’t one-size-fits-all. Equipped with market research and accurate customer personas, you can better determine which marketing approaches better suit your clients. 

There are multiple ways of connecting to customers with relevant messaging, including on-premises marketing that engages patients with entertaining and informative content while they’re in your waiting room.

Marketing budget that accommodates what you need

While a marketing budget should accommodate the full range of goals and strategies in your med spa marketing plan, you should be prepared to pivot and direct additional resources toward approaches that prove successful. 

Your search for cost-effective customer outreach also doesn’t have to take you further than your waiting area. With UPshow Health, you gain digital signage and an on-premises marketing solution that allows you to engage customers and promote key products and services within your business. 

Defined KPIs and a timeline to meet them

Having well-defined key performance indicators (KPIs) for each of your marketing channels, whether it’s an increase in followers across your social media channels or a spike in revenue attributable to a particular campaign, helps you gauge the success of those channels. 

When establishing your KPIs to measure success, you should determine that they reflect goals you can achieve within a specific timeframe. 

Supplement your med spa marketing plan with these strategies

Putting your best face forward with clients is essential to med spa marketing. Using UPshow Health as an on-premise marketing solution allows you to build relationships with patients through entertaining and informative digital experiences. UPshow Health gives you the flexibility to adapt messaging toward new campaigns, services, and products while encouraging customers to feel more connected to your business. 

Improve patient experience with on-premise marketing technology

UPshow Health offers more than 500 on-screen entertainment options, in addition to educational content and customizable trivia related to health and wellness. Through integrations with Canva, you can develop your own bespoke content promoting new or popular products and services. Digital signage with UPshow Health also enables you to share customer testimonials and spotlight individual practitioners. 

Employ QR codes to distribute surveys and loyalty programs

Part of building the relationships that can turn a first-time visitor into a long-time customer—and preferably a brand ambassador who will bring friends and family through your doors—is getting customer feedback.

QR code integrations in UPshow Health make it easy to send patient experience surveys right to their mobile devices, offering convenience that makes them more likely to respond. You can also use QR capabilities to help enroll patients in loyalty programs that will get them excited about the latest updates and special promotions. 

Measure patient engagement to see what strategies work

Smart med spa practitioners know that they must stay up to date with fresh new looks and beauty trends. Med spa marketing also involves research and study—specifically, understanding which promotions and campaigns are bringing the brightest smiles to patients’ faces. Fortunately, UPshow Health takes the guesswork out of analytics.

Through robust data and analytics capabilities, UPshow Health allows you to set up end-to-end tracking that can help determine if your approach to on-premise mobile engagement is working. UPshow Health also provides clear, actionable insights into customer engagement with the content on your digital signage.  

With a data-driven understanding of customer preferences, you can quickly adjust content to reflect more compelling topics, promotions and messaging.

Increase med spa growth and profitability with UPshow Health

Patients come to med spas seeking even more than a pathway to the Fountain of Youth: they’re also looking for exciting and engaging customer experiences. You can entertain patients using digital signage from UPshow Health while reaching them with marketing content that aligns with their interests. 

UPshow Health offers powerful analytics and tracking, and easy content creation capabilities that even allow team members without formal design or marketing backgrounds to act swiftly on what customers want to see. Want to see for yourself? Get a demo of UPshow today!

Healthcare

Fill Your Waiting Room With These Medical Spa Marketing Ideas

Read More

Are you on the hunt to drum up new business for your medical spa in ways that sail past the competition? What if the solution lies in your waiting room?

According to last year’s Medical Spa State of the Industry Report, over 65% of all med-spa patients are repeat clients. The best spa marketing ideas involve creating a positive on-premise experience to earn their loyalty—starting with their time waiting for treatment.

To personalize your patients’ med spa experience the way they want, however, you’ll need customized marketing strategies and an on-premise digital marketing solution to execute them.

Why is a medical spa waiting room so important?

Your waiting room is the first customer touchpoint in your medical spa. Whether they wait for five minutes or forty-five, the waiting room sets the tone for their patient experience. The more tranquil, inviting and engaging you make it, the more rewarding and memorable they’ll find their visit from the get-go. 

Creates a positive patient experience

A visit to your med spa isn’t like a fast-food restaurant where the customer enters, receives a service and then leaves. Instead, your facility is fertile ground for creating a positive, holistic patient experience that engages your patients on multiple levels—physically, mentally and emotionally.

By leveraging critical touchpoints on-premise, you can create a positive patient experience. The question becomes, how? For today’s med spa patients, a digital patient experience is the answer.

UPshow Health is a digital signage solution and patient engagement marketing platform that powers your med spa’s digital screens. With its intuitive content creation tools, entertainment channels, insightful analytics and more, you’ll give your patients the ultimate med spa experience every time.

Relaxes visitors with ambiance and helpful information 

From lip injections, chemical peels, dermal fillers and more, any number of treatments can induce anxiety in your customers. After all, they’re there because they want to look and feel their best, and they’re hoping your team can give them the results they’re looking for—preferably for the long term.

Quell their pre-treatment anxiety by transforming your waiting room into a calming yet educational space to put their minds at ease. To create this kind of waiting room, appeal to your patients’ senses by:

  1. Choosing soothing, neutral colors for your walls and furniture
  2. Ensuring your furniture is comfortable and well-spaced for privacy
  3. Populating the space with plants, flowers and other natural elements
  4. Luminating your waiting room with soft lighting or natural light if possible
  5. Playing calming music, such as soft instrumentals or nature scapes
  6. Replacing talk shows or the news with med spa educational videos
  7. Using your digital screens to spotlight pre and post-care info

Offers opportunities for engagement and upselling

Your waiting room is a living, breathing marketing opportunity ripe for building patient loyalty. Today’s med spa patients expect a personalized, engaging experience, starting in the waiting room.

The digital screens in your waiting room can do the heavy lifting. Picture, for example, showing an educational video about body contouring and recommendations for post-treatment care. 

Some patients may not know it’s best to use an anti-inflammatory, arnica-based moisturizing cream to expedite their healing—a product you already sell on-site. UPshow Health allows you to display an updated menu of your product inventory directly on your screens, encouraging a sale as they check out.

9 medical spa marketing ideas for your waiting room

Every medical spa requires a customized approach to on-site marketing because every patient population is diverse. Our comprehensive guide to med spa marketing contains everything you need to reach new patients locally and keep your current patient roster full. With UPshow Health, medical spa marketing has never been easier, especially in your waiting room.

Make check-in simple with QR code technology

Your staff is busy enough every day, so when patients enter your med spa, why not make check-in as seamless as possible for them and your patients? 

Use UPshow Health’s QR Code technology to keep a QR code static on your digital screens at the entrance for easy access. Assuming your patients don’t need to speak with a staff member, they can use their devices to scan the QR code and check-in for the treatment before heading into the waiting room.

Create engaging med spa content

Visual appeal is at the heart of the med spa experience in more ways than one. One of the best ways to give your patients a fulfilling patient experience is to create engaging content and make it available in your waiting room, such as:

  1. Showing treatment-focused educational videos and shorts
  2. Offering product-centered materials they can easily access
  3. Spotlighting before-and-after shots of treatment success
  4. Displaying bios of your medical team to build trust/reassurance
  5. Hosting live demos of products available on-site
  6. Displaying digital menus of your entire range of treatments and products

UPshow’s Canva integration makes content creation simple and customizable, especially with its medical-themed content templates and library of royalty-free images and videos. You can construct content playlists in advance and schedule their air dates on a screen-by-screen and even location-by-location basis. 

Support your patients with relaxing music

In many settings, music can set the mood. From bird calls to waterfalls, you can use relaxing music in your med spa to calm your patients before their appointments. Research shows that playing soothing music in your waiting room can positively affect pre-appointment anxiety. 

UPshow Premium Audio includes an extensive library of over 50 commercial-free stations curated from Music Choice, including nature sounds, instrumentals and more.

Show off your social media on digital displays

Are you leveraging social media channels to engage with existing and potential patients? Better yet, do your patients even know your Instagram, Facebook or TikTok channels exist? 

Use your digital screens to link patients to your social media accounts. By connecting patients via UPshow’s on-screen QR Code technology, they can use their devices to access:

  • Live aesthetic product demos
  • “Meet the Staff” content
  • The latest treatments available
  • Med spa discounts and offers
  • Med spa community support
  • Loyalty program sign-up forms
  • Testimonials and reviews

Easily distribute surveys or feedback forms

Paper surveys and feedback forms are obsolete for med spas—and, frankly, most businesses. Also, with patients coming and going, you want to secure their post-visit feedback as efficiently as possible.

By using UPshow’s QR Code technology, you can display a QR code on your digital screens, linking your patients directly to surveys and feedback forms. You can incentivize your patients to complete the forms while their visit is still fresh in their minds.

Promote your loyalty program

Rewarding your med spa clients for their patronage is a simple way to keep you at the front of their minds when they need another treatment or procedure.

UPshow’s fixed panel and multipanel displays allow you to promote your loyalty program on-screen for as long as you wish while displaying other educational and engaging content. With the sign-up details to your loyalty program on-screen, you can also offer program sign-up incentives, such as free product samples or a free treatment after X number of visits.

Give your patients something to interact with

We all have our preferred way of relaxing. Some patients want to zone out before their appointment, while others may prefer interactive content. UPshow’s entertainment channels, including curated healthcare channel packs, are sure to appeal to every waiting-room denizen.

For an even more interactive learning experience, you can build and display customized medical spa trivia across your screens. While they wait, test their treatment and post-care knowledge in a fun, memorable way.

Encourage revenue-driving behaviors

On average, med spa patients spend $536 per visit. This figure comes from a combination of treatment and product sales. 

Before or after treatment, you can leverage your digital screens to expose your patients to the products and follow-up treatments that benefit their current healing and future aesthetic goals. This also maximizes the revenue per visit, which helps your bottom line. Just make sure you’re upselling in an ethical manner!

Track how successful engagement has been

You'll need access to engagement metrics to know if your med spa marketing ideas are working for your patients. UPshow Health’s insights and analytics grant you a clear view of what your patients interact with and what they don’t. These insights are critical at the beginning of your med spa marketing strategy and throughout its trajectory as your patient population grows.

UPshow is the on-premise marketing solution your med spa needs

Anticipating your patients’ current and future aesthetic needs is at the heart of giving them a positive experience in your medical spa. With UPshow Health, you can implement some of the most effective, revenue-driving spa marketing ideas in your waiting room.

Book a risk-free demo with our team and discover how you can deliver the ultimate patient experience they’ll remember.

Healthcare

A Comprehensive Guide to Med Spa Marketing

Read More

People of all ages and genders are on the hunt to look and feel their best—one could call it a modern quest for the Fountain of Youth. Research shows this commitment to regular self-care, indicating that medical spa sales will increase more than 40% this year.

Your medical spa could benefit from this increase in demand, but you’ll need a med spa marketing plan to reach patients and earn their loyalty. Traditional marketing isn’t going to cut it; instead, you’ll need revolutionary on-premise digital marketing technology. It’s time to maximize your marketing outreach—just what the doctor ordered! 

The basics of medical spa marketing

Marketing for medical spas involves reaching new clients and retaining existing ones for their future treatments. For either of these to be a reality, you’ll need to understand the basics of on-premise marketing practices. Let’s cover a few foundational marketing principles before getting into the specifics of med spa marketing.

Understanding basic marketing principles

Marketing principles are the fundamental building blocks behind every successful med spa. Knowing how to reach your target customer—and earn their loyalty—begins with an in-depth grasp of their needs, yet that’s only one factor in the equation. You must understand the unique value you bring to the table and the most effective ways to communicate that.

Let’s allow the following marketing principles to inform the early phases of our med spa marketing strategy.

Products & services

  • Determine demand according to specific customer demographics
  • Focus on demographic-relevant features to highlight in marketing 
  • Consider how your products and services rival your competitors

Target customers

  • Identify all customer demographics and their purchasing behavior
  • Assess how customers learn about your med spa (referrals, website, etc.)

Physical evidence, customer interaction & brand awareness

  • Use consistent branding across website and social media channels
  • Engage customers at every touch point in your med spa facility

Purchasing process & the customer experience

  • Provide access to educational materials to make informed decisions
  • Make your purchase process user-friendly and accessible

Digital promotion & marketing outreach

  • Identify your current strategies for promoting your brand
  • Take advantage of on-premise digital promotion of your services

How does marketing fit into the med spa industry?

Simply running your med spa and relying on word-of-mouth referrals won’t bring new clients through the door. Similarly, not engaging your customers while in your facility won’t inspire them to return for future treatment. You need to know how to market your med spa on and offsite for better customer acquisition and retention rates.

When it comes to on-premise marketing, cutting-edge digital signage technology could be the best solution. Using your screens, you can engage your waiting room, educate customers about treatment options and expose them to other products and procedures they could benefit from. The best way to market to med spa patients is while they’re already through the door.

As for off-premise marketing, you’ll want a great website and at least a few social media channels. Using these, you can keep the public updated on the latest news and any new services you’re offering. 

Whether on or off-premise, displaying client testimonials and before-and-after shots (with their consent) is a fantastic method of fortifying brand ethos. In a sense, you’re saying, “Here’s what we can do, and our clients say we do it well.”

How do HIPAA and ethics affect med spa marketing?

Unlike leisure spas or beauty salons, med spas must take care to protect patient privacy under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Safeguarding personally identifiable information (PII) and health records may seem straightforward, but some digital marketing practices introduce a few gray areas.

It’s easier than you think to violate HIPAA through your marketing channels, and the consequences are clear. You could be left with hefty fines and even sanctions per violation at the federal and sometimes state level. Avoid the following practices on your blog, social media channels and online reviews:

  • Avoid responding publicly to comments from your patients
  • Refrain from addressing negative business reviews across the internet
  • Never tag or otherwise publicly acknowledge a patient

Of course, you can link your customers to patient feedback surveys via a confidential med spa patient portal—some digital signage solutions allow you to present QR codes through on-premise screens. Gathering reviews while the iron is hot—and in the privacy of your facility—provides immediate, honest feedback while their experience is still fresh in their mind.

Is marketing important for med spas?

The benefits of med spa marketing include reinforced patient loyalty, fortified ethos and more. Let’s explore why med spa marketing is important.

Increase patient acquisition

With the rapid post-pandemic growth of the global med spa market, it’s likely to surpass more than a $47 billion valuation by 2030. More and more patients want to partner with a med spa that will give them desired results. 

Digital marketing is the best way to connect with these potential patients and show them they’ll be in capable hands.

Patient acquisition becomes difficult when there are multiple med spas competing for local customers. There are particular marketing strategies best suited for this, especially local SEO. For instance, ensuring your website’s content is engaging, accurate, up-to-date and populated with geo-targeted keywords is a simple and affordable way to connect with potential leads in your backyard. Also, make sure you’ve created a Google Business Profile to appear in local searches.

Build your medical spa’s credibility

Consider the factors that make a patient comfortable enough to seek your services. To assess your authenticity and efficacy, they’ll probably scour your website, blog, social media accounts, patient testimonials, before-and-after images of patient treatments and more to determine if you’re capable of giving them the look and feel they want.

The credibility of your med spa hinges on more than the backgrounds and years of experience your team brings to the table. Potential patients want to see results, and they want assurance that you’re the best. 

Here are ways you can build credibility with marketing:

  • Using professional branding that’s recognizable and consistent across your on-premise and off-premise marketing channels
  • Offering medical insights, product recommendations and weighing in on industry trends
  • Scheduling live Q&A sessions about in-demand treatments and products to promote transparency and awareness
  • Opening your doors to virtual walk-throughs and “meet-the-team” events to promote transparency

Improve patient awareness of procedures

When new patients enter your medical spa, they may have little-to-no knowledge about the treatment process or risks involved. The extent of their knowledge may be a few images they found on Google or an influencer’s flawless results. However, they probably don’t know much about the treatment process or the healing phases it takes to achieve the final results.

Fostering patient education, especially in your on-premise med spa marketing, will benefit everyone. Patient education can improve their health literacy and outcomes, empowering them to follow the proper protocols in their pre and post-treatment care. These resources could be made available online, too, to dispel misinformation floating around and boost your own credibility.

Also, by giving your patients access to engaging resources about what their procedure will entail, you can help reduce any procedure-related anxiety.

Reduce reliance on staff for upselling

Upselling in med spas is a tricky subject. As much as you want to maximize your revenue, it can erode the credibility of your spa quickly. No doubt your staff dreads having to upsell to their patients, too.

By taking advantage of on-premise marketing, though, you can reduce the need for direct upselling. Promoting your retail products, offering exclusive in-store treatment packages and more takes the pressure off your busy staff. Since patients are already on-site, they’ll be more willing to opt for a treatment upgrade or an extra product they didn’t know would give them the results they’re seeking.

Wondering how this might work on a practical level? Digital signage technology is the easiest and most affordable way to present information to patients in an effective manner. Here are a few ways to upsell with digital signage:

  • Display an in-store discount code available for new customers only
  • Announce buy-one-get-one (BOGO) deals on products
  • Offer a free post-treatment recovery product with any procedure
  • Display a link to your digital storefront for your full range of products

How to build a marketing plan for your med spa

Piecing together a medical spa marketing plan will take some work. To set you off on the right foot, we’ve broken down each step you’ll want to take.

Step 1: Determine your business goals

Are you hoping to boost customer retention by 25% next year? You may wish to ease the pressure and workload of your staff by getting the most out of an on-premise medical spa digital technology. Articulating what you hope to achieve in concrete terms should tailor your marketing plan so your efforts are in sync with your goals. The more specific you are, the better. 

Step 2: Identify your patient personas

Med spa marketing is all about establishing connections with patients and ensuring those connections last. Consider the diversity of patients who seek treatment from your medical spa. What are they looking for when they walk in the door? What solutions do you have for them?

Identifying your patient personas helps direct your marketing content so it connects with these patients in your community. The right content can inspire them to seek treatments and products from your med spa rather than your competitors.

Step 3: Outline your marketing needs

Beauty and wellness trends are ever-evolving. With the rise in demand for anti-aging solutions and non-invasive beauty procedures, you’ll need to hold up a magnifying glass to local demand. In particular, determine the marketing needs of your patient personas. What “problems” are existing patients reporting? Likewise, how can your med spa provide them with a solution? 

Step 4: Define your marketing budget

As the saying goes, you have to spend money to make money. As you begin outlining your marketing strategies, set budget estimates as you go along with an upper threshold you can’t go over. If you’re just starting out or your budget is on the lower end, you’ll want to prioritize the most effective marketing strategies and pursue those that will yield the highest ROI for your business.

Use the following budget-saving tips on your marketing journey:

  • Invest in customer retention more than lead generation efforts
  • Choose digital signage software with on-premise marketing solutions
  • Use free aspects of social media marketing rather than PPC ads
  • Offer a patient referral program with rewards to promote word-of-mouth

Step 5: Understand how you’ll track marketing success

With your med spa marketing plan in place, you’ll need to nail down key performance indicators (KPIs) to determine which marketing efforts are working and those you’ll need to reevaluate. 

Some of the metrics you’ll want to track and measure along your marketing journey include:

  • New patient acquisition rate
  • Patient retention rate
  • Duration of each treatment and procedure
  • Average revenue per patient
  • Staff productivity rate
  • Consultation-to-treatment rate
  • Return on investment from marketing

Med spa marketing strategies that really work

How you connect with the patients in your medical spa can make or break whether they’ll return for their next treatment. The most effective way to earn their loyalty, while also engaging them and improving their health literacy, is through the power of a digital signage solution.

UPshow Health is a top-tier on-premise marketing cloud designed to power your med spa’s digital screens into engaging digital experiences for your patients.

Customize content toward health aspirations of your patients

Your med spa undoubtedly offers a wide range of services: microneedling, dermal fillers, body contouring, Botox, chemical peels and more. However, how much do your patients really know about what each procedure entails or what they should do for post-procedural care? 

Use your digital screens to showcase treatment-related content, wellness materials and more. UPshow’s Canva integration makes content creation easy, giving you access to health and wellness-themed templates and royalty-free graphics that will engage your patients.

You can also schedule marketing content via Playlists that will play on screens of your choice—any location, any time. Organize your Playlists however you like, too. One playlist could compile a list of FAQs and common misconceptions about aesthetic procedures. Another playlist could gear up for warm weather by promoting procedures like laser hair removal.

Use on-premise marketing to upsell instead of staff

How many patients have come in for one procedure and left without partaking in others that would give them the results they want? Fortunately, by presenting other treatments and products through on-premise marketing, this could occur less frequently.

One of the best med spa marketing strategies is to upsell using digital signage rather than staff—as we mentioned earlier. With UPshow’s QR code technology, you can even connect patients to your product inventory and provide relevant information on associated procedures. Making this information as available as you can increases the chance of maximizing revenue per patient.

Use a referral program to increase patient acquisition

Your med spa patients are your best brand ambassadors. Instead of simply hoping they’ll leave a positive review or testimonial, incentivize them to bring new patients into your facility via a patient referral program. QR codes can be implemented yet again to distribute sign-up forms.

You can advertise your referral program on any (or all) of your digital screens at the same time you display other engagement content with UPshow’s fixed panel and multi-panel displays. With this feature, you can display important announcements without the risk of some patients missing them. 

This is one of the several ways to transform a medical spa waiting room into a marketing epicenter that benefits both your business and your patients. 

Monitor patient engagement and satisfaction wherever possible

To know if your on-premise marketing efforts are appealing to new and existing patients (and reaping your med spa a positive ROI), you’ll need to monitor patient engagement. In addition to real-time insights and analytics, UPshow also allows you to engage with and gather feedback from your patients by:

  • Displaying scannable links them to patient experience surveys
  • Track patient engagement with the content on your displays
  • Quickly adjust your on-screen content based on customer preferences

Medical spa marketing frequently asked questions

Building a medical spa marketing strategy is a trial-and-error process, so you’re bound to have questions along the way. Here are some questions other medical spa proprietors have had on their marketing journey.

I’m opening a med spa. How should I handle marketing?

If you’re just starting out, check out our checklist for opening a medical spa. 

To handle med spa marketing in the beginning, you’ll want to create a marketing strategy that covers your business goals, sets a budget and more. Also, don’t overcomplicate the process with a ton of different tools. By choosing a digital signage software solution like UPshow, you’ll simplify your med spa marketing journey at every turn.

How do I build a strong brand identity for my med spa?

Your brand identity can’t be built with gimmicks if you really want to stand out in a crowded med spa market. Instead, take an organic approach by building your identity and ethos with the best services and results possible. Encourage happy patients to leave testimonials that you can highlight on your screens and online channels.

How do I ensure my med spa advertising is ethical?

HIPAA and other regulations hold medical professionals and facilities to a high standard when it comes to protecting patient privacy. There are some gray areas with med spa advertising, so always err on the side of caution.

Ethical med spa advertising is a complex subject, but some quick tips include:

  • Share patient success stories without naming the individual
  • Don’t address patients directly in marketing and online channels
  • Always frame marketing in terms of body positivity (never body shame)
  • Don’t promote prescription-only medicines (POM) online
  • Never distribute misinformation in ads (or any content really)

Should I promote my med spa on social media?

Today’s med spa patients are turning to social media to learn about what your business offers, hear from past patients and see what health influencers have to say about your treatments. Social proof is a powerful marketing tool, so promoting your business on social media is an effective way to cultivate patient acquisition/retention and spread the word about your med spa.

What’s the best med spa marketing software?

UPshow Health is the best med spa software on the market because despite offering digital signage, which you’ll need anyway, there are many patient engagement solutions to aid your marketing efforts. Retain more patients, engage them on-site and create the ideal med spa experience.

UPshow: your on-premise med spa marketing solution

With our comprehensive guide to med spa marketing at your fingertips, you can reach new patients like never before and give each an engaging on-site experience. Let UPshow’s cutting-edge, on-premise digital marketing platform fuel your way toward a well-informed and loyal patient population.

Schedule a custom demo with UPshow today and execute your on-premise marketing plan with laser-like precision.

Automotive

Creating an Auto Repair Shop Marketing Plan: A Practical Guide

Read More

What does it take for your auto repair shop to thrive? Access to the latest auto-diagnostic technology? A steady stream of new and repeat customers?

According to recent automotive market research from IMR, 31.8% of independent auto repair shops say their most significant challenge is bringing back repeat customers and offering incentives to do it.

You need a solid auto repair shop marketing plan to drive customer retention and new customer acquisition. But what does this entail? Knowing your customer base, a bit of planning and cutting-edge digital technology will give them the ultimate customer experience every visit.

How to get started making a marketing plan for an auto repair shop

To save time and money, your auto repair shop marketing plan will require some pre-planning. Kick off that process with our ultimate guide on how to market an auto repair shop, a comprehensive marketing guide loaded with in-depth auto repair marketing strategies and more.

Answer some key questions

The first step toward generating a revenue-driving auto repair marketing strategy is to know your business and your customers inside and out. Tapping into what services and products your target market wants, how often they’ll need them and how your business can deliver what they need will aid in tailoring your marketing plan.

To customize your auto repair marketing plan, consider the following questions:

  • What makes your business stand out from the competition?
  • What specific services do you offer?
  • Who are your target customers?
  • Which services does your customer base want from you?
  • Could you implement an automotive loyalty program to spearhead customer retention?
  • How can you give your customers the best customer experience in your shop?

Set your current benchmarks

You need an eagle-eyed view of where your business stands today so that you can see whether your marketing efforts will yield results tomorrow. Setting clear benchmarks from the beginning will give you a point of comparison to measure future marketing success—and areas that need improvement. 

Some common benchmarks you could set include:

  • Percentage of sales from return customers
  • Your current quote capture rate
  • Rate of new customer acquisition (monthly, quarterly, annually, etc.)
  • Customer engagement and rate of positive customer experience
  • Overall product sales
  • Current proficiency rate

Define some clear marketing objectives

When you envision what you want your business to achieve over the next year, what do you see? A 25% quarterly increase in new customers? A slew of positive customer reviews? A waiting room outfitted with the latest digital technology, keeping your customers engaged day in and day out?

By defining your objectives, you’ll tailor your marketing efforts from the beginning—saving you time and money down the road. Your objectives may change as time passes, though, so remain flexible.

Outline your marketing budget

Often, we have to spend money to make money. Your auto shop marketing budget will look different than your competitors. That’s because multiple, unique factors will factor into how you decide what to spend, such as:

  • Your specific marketing objectives
  • What you can reasonably, consistently spend and still see a positive return with
  • Timing (e.g., spending more in the winter months because of seasonal repairs)
  • What marketing measures you’re implementing (e.g., a loyalty program)

Start allocating the right resources

No doubt you’ve seen competitors circulate expensive-looking PPC ads and eye-catching roadside billboards. Unfortunately, those auto repair marketing strategies are a little behind the times as far as what today’s customers want. Additionally, they’re very expensive ways to boost customer retention and new customer acquisition.

You need the right resources in your marketing toolbox that will attract the modern customer and won’t break your budget’s back. UPshow CONNECT is a best-in-class on-premise digital signage solution, allowing you to power your digital screens with engaging content to give your customers the ultimate customer experience. UPshow can also assist with your marketing initiatives, promotions and more.

Auto shop marketing ideas your marketing plan should include

With UPshow CONNECT, your auto repair shop marketing plan will become affordable and sustainable. You’ll be able to pre-plan your marketing content, measure its performance and even make instant changes on a screen-by-screen basis. 

Focus on marketing on-premise

What better place to improve customer retention than right in your shop? Focus on on-premise marketing that will appeal to your customers and make their customer experience like nothing your competitors have ever given them.

For example, with UPshow’s QR code technology, you can connect your customers directly to the following right from their own devices: 

  • Your auto shop digital storefront
  • Loyalty program platform
  • Customer feedback forms
  • In-shop or online shop digital promo codes
  • Your auto shop website and social media channels
  • Referral challenge page

In addition to educational and entertainment content, you can utilize the fixed panel and multipanel display features to post announcements about new operating hours, open houses or other customer loyalty events and limited-time offers, such as BOGO deals or “act-now” maintenance offers.

There are many places to practice on-premise marketing, but we suggest focusing on your auto shop waiting room since that’s where most customers spend the majority of their time. 

Try to optimize your website for local SEO

Did you know that 77% of auto-shop customers use the internet to look for or conduct research on a local auto repair shop? Today’s auto shops can’t just rely on word-of-mouth marketing efforts to zero in on new customer leads. Instead, you need a website optimized for local search engine optimization (SEO).

Never heard of local SEO, much less how it can benefit your auto repair shop? Local SEO is when you optimize your auto shop website and online content so that it ranks high on search engine results for geographic keywords and generates local business. 

Say, for instance, a potential lead five miles away needs a tune-up ASAP. They might search “auto shops near me” or “auto shops in Ann Arbor.” Local SEO optimization will help your website show up in those search results. If anything, you should definitely ensure your Google Business Profile is correct (which is completely free).

Start building your owned media

Besides building a user-friendly auto-repair shop website and social media channels, you’ll also need engaging auto-related content to display to your customers on-site.

UPshow CONNECT gives you easy-to-use tools to create striking media and other marketing content that will give your customers the best customer experience in town. For instance, with the Canva integration and its library of royalty-free images and videos, you can develop product and service spotlights, digitized promotional materials, auto-educational infographics and countless other types of content. The best part? You own all of it!

What’s more, you can get ahead by creating and scheduling your marketing content via playlists specific to each screen across all of your locations. Of course, you’ll need to know if your content is connecting with customers the way you want it to. UPshow’s real-time insights and analytics break down how your auto repair marketing strategies are performing so you can adjust your marketing plan as time goes by.

UPshow: a solution your auto repair shop marketing plan needs

Now that you have a solid strategy for an auto repair shop marketing plan, the next step is to hit the marketing road in the easiest, most affordable way. UPshow CONNECT will put you in the driver’s seat, and on the path to a positive marketing ROI. With UPshow, you’re not just getting digital signage—you’re getting an advanced on-premise marketing platform.

Schedule a custom demo with UPshow today, and start your journey toward a revolutionized auto shop marketing plan!

Automotive

How to Build Successful Automotive Loyalty Programs for Your Repair Shop

Read More

A driver with a glaring check engine light has pulled into your auto repair shop. They tell you they chose you because you’re “the most trustworthy shop in town.” They hand over their keys and take a seat in your waiting room. A few hours later, you’ve resolved the issue, and they seem satisfied before driving away.

The question is… will they return?

Over 80% of Americans are members of one or more customer loyalty programs, so shops like yours are building successful automotive loyalty programs to improve customer retention, drive referrals and so much more.

What are automotive customer loyalty programs?

Automotive customer loyalty programs are reward-based initiatives designed to keep your patrons driving back again and again for all of their car service and repair needs.

Before we launch into what makes a good loyalty program in this industry, it’s essential to map out your shop’s “marketing” vision, goals and the direction you want to take to meet them. In our ultimate guide to marketing your auto repair shop, you’ll learn about these steps and how an automotive customer loyalty program fits into your marketing equation.

How does a loyalty program work for auto shops?

Customer loyalty programs come in all shapes and sizes. Many of us carry scannable loyalty cards on our key chains or QR codes on our phones to rack up points toward a future reward.

The most successful loyalty programs for auto shops offer patrons incentives and rewards in exchange for their loyalty. The end goal is simple—reward your customers for continuing to rely on your services (or spreading the word via referrals to potential customers).

How much does a loyalty program cost?

To determine how much your auto shop loyalty program costs, you’ll need to calculate:

  • Operational and administrative costs
  • Advertising costs
  • Tech-related costs, such as apps or software used to run the program
  • The total cost of rewards and incentives

Total cost doesn’t tell you if the program is effective, so you’ll want to calculate your automotive loyalty program’s return on investment (ROI).

Let’s say your net profit is $520,000, and your total cost/investment into the loyalty program is $76,000. Let’s plug these figures into the formula:

$520,000 (-) $76,000 (/) $76,000 equals = $5.84 in net profit.

In other words, for every dollar your auto shop spends on the loyalty program, you see an ROI of $5.84 back in your pocket.

How much do loyalty programs increase sales?

The worldwide customer loyalty management market will surpass a $24 billion valuation by 2029

Automotive loyalty programs can boost the value and frequency of sales and increase your customer lifetime value (CLV) by extending the longevity of your relationships with customers. This means you’ll experience more frequent customer transactions, leading to a positive ROI.

Building a successful automotive loyalty program

In the same way that no two auto shops are the same, every automotive loyalty program is different. Regardless of the loyalty rewards or referral bonuses you may offer, several indicators make some automotive loyalty programs more successful than others—starting with creating, advertising and tracking its success across your auto shop’s digital screens with UPshow CONNECT.

Set some loyalty program KPIs

Creating a successful automotive shop loyalty program requires more than offering discounts and stamping a loyal-patron card. You need to know that your investment and maintenance in the program will appeal to your customers and raise a positive ROI for your business.

To determine if your loyalty program is effective over time, set KPIs that track loyal customer engagement, such as:

  • Customer sign-ups and acquisition
  • Loyalty program churn rate (who’s opting out?)
  • Loyal customer retention rate
  • Purchase/service frequency and value
  • Customer lifetime value

Establish your loyalty program

Thinking about offering your customers a points-based loyalty program or a tier-based system? What will you name the program? What rewards will you offer? Will you host the program on a specific platform? These are all questions you’ll need to answer as you establish your loyalty program.

If you want to produce materials to advertise your program, it’s easy to create content with UPshow CONNECT’s in-app Canva integration. Here, you’ll have access to thousands of royalty-free images, music, videos and more to make the program eye-catching (and accessible).

It’s important to create deeper meaning, as customers might just see this as a ploy to get them to spend more—and they’re partially right. You need to make your program shine to get their attention, but you’ll need substance to keep it.

Offer an easy QR code signup process

Signing up for your automotive loyalty program shouldn’t be a hassle. Simplify the sign-up process by leveraging UPshow CONNECT’s QR code technology. The QR code you make can link your customers directly to the sign-up page, which they can access from their devices while they’re on the premises.

Keep your loyalty program QR code on your customer-facing digital screens at all times via fixed-panel and multi-panel displays. That way, you don’t need to worry that some customers didn’t see or have the opportunity to sign up because you were displaying alternative content. 

Make sure your offers are enticing

To make your loyalty program worth their while, you’ll need to ensure that your customers will actually want the offers and rewards on the table.

On a practical level, some of these exclusive offers and rewards might include:

  • A tiered points system where customers unlock more coveted rewards the more points they accumulate
  • Free car maintenance supplies (oil, coolant, etc.)
  • A discount on annual car maintenance
  • Free tire rotation and fluids check with every annual check-up
  • Discount offers after a certain number of referrals.

Advertise your loyalty program in your waiting room

Most of your customers will wait on the premises while your team services or repairs their vehicle. Make the wait worth their while by incentivizing them to sign up for your loyalty program. To get their attention, advertise it across all of the digital screens in your waiting room (or throughout the premises) with UPshow CONNECT.

You can also display loyalty program spotlights that outline the rewards your customers can expect if they remain loyal to your shop. The key is to get them to sign up while they’re there instead of crossing your fingers that they’ll do it after they get home. To sweeten the deal, offer a limited-time sign-up incentive.

Promote your automotive loyalty program with UPshow

Behind the most successful customer loyalty programs is an iron-clad promotion strategy. The last place you want to be is asleep behind the marketing wheel. 

With a plan in place, give your customers easier access to your automotive loyalty program by powering your digital screens with UPshow CONNECT. From there, they can use their devices to access the ins and outs of the program, including sign-up perks, rewards they’ll reap and more. 

Revolutionize your loyalty program by scheduling a custom demo with UPshow today.

Automotive

Use These Auto Shop Waiting Room Ideas To Make Services More Enjoyable

Read More

It’s noon, and your auto shop waiting room is at max capacity with professionals and families. Everyone appears disengaged and annoyed. As for their waiting-room experience? Not so positive. They’re ready for their car—and some lunch. 

A report from Forrester tells us that 66% of customers claim that the best way a company can deliver a positive customer experience is by valuing the customer’s time. 

Making your waiting room engaging and entertaining is only part of the equation. Knowing which auto shop waiting room ideas to use so that you can deliver the best customer experience possible is another story.

The importance of the auto shop waiting room

Your waiting room is the epicenter of the customer experience, and it’s one of the most powerful marketing opportunities for your auto repair shop—driving sales and increasing customer loyalty.

Improves the customer experience

For some customers, it doesn’t make sense to drop off their car for an unknown period and Uber around town running errands. Spending time in your waiting room is the simplest solution, especially if unexpected car issues arise.

Since most patrons will stay in your auto shop waiting room, their time there can take a toll on customer satisfaction. Although a positive customer experience can mean something different to everyone, there are simple steps you can take to heighten their experience. 

Let’s boil down what your waiting room should be in three words: inviting, comfortable and engaging.

Provides helpful information to visitors

Last year’s celebrity gossip magazines or an anxiety-inducing news channel blaring from your TV aren’t going to please, much less entertain, your patrons. Instead, populate your waiting room with helpful information to make their visit as smooth as possible.

The question is, what might your customers find beneficial to know in the waiting room? Consider incorporating these additions into your auto shop waiting room:

  • A digital display showing current and average wait times
  • An updated pricing list of all products and services
  • Details about your auto shop loyalty program and referral rewards
  • Easily digestible tutorials and clips on basic car repair and maintenance

Offers opportunities to engage and upsell

Your auto shop waiting room doesn’t need to just be for waiting. With digital signage and other solutions, you have the chance to connect with your customers on a deeper level. This can mean educational content, interactive quizzes, entertainment and more.

Plus, why not take this opportunity to promote other products and services they can add to their regular car maintenance that day? Upselling through your physical space relieves that task from your staff and is a non-invasive way to increase revenue per visit.

Auto shop waiting room ideas you should be using

Your auto shop layout will say a lot about your business, and that starts with your waiting room. Before we dive in, ask yourself this question: what type of waiting room would my customers like to see?

Ensure the waiting room is comfortable

No doubt, on any given day, you’re back in the admin offices, behind the counter or seeking updates from the repair bays. How much time have you spent sitting in the customer waiting room? Is there ample space for everyone? Is the seating comfortable, especially if they spend hours there? 

To transform your waiting room into a comfortable space, consider adding these additions:

  • Choose cushioned seating and family-friendly sofas
  • Create a refreshment station with a variety of snacks and beverages
  • Make WiFi free for customers who need to work while they wait
  • Incorporate plants and neutral colors to make the space inviting
  • Use music and digital displays to complement a comforting experience 

Make full use of your digital signage

To give your customers the best customer experience possible, you’ll need to call for reinforcements—UPshow CONNECT. It’s the leading on-premise performance marketing cloud, designed to transform your auto shop’s digital screens into a positive, engaging customer platform.

To make full use of your digital screens, consider first what you hope your customers will take away from spending time in your waiting room. For instance, do you want them to brush up on basic, seasonal car care? How about displaying a video tutorial or infographic on how to spot wear on their tires—or even how to change a tire? The possibilities are endless.

Other ways you can use the digital signage in your auto shop waiting room include:

  • Displaying exclusive discounts and offers
  • Play short videos on how to spot common safety issues
  • Create and display auto-related trivia geared toward common car safety and maintenance facts all drivers should know
  • Use your screens to upsell products and services
  • Roll out your new loyalty or referral program

Create an audio-visual experience

Topping the list of auto shop waiting room ideas is creating an inviting audio-visual experience for your customers. With UPshow CONNECT’s Canva integration, you’ll have access to thousands of royalty-free pictures and videos to make the educational and marketing content you generate, really stand out.

Take advantage of UPshow Premium’s 50+ ad-free audio channels to play anxiety-reducing music or background tunes for customers who need to work while they’re there.

Offer educational or entertainment opportunities

Did you know that 35.3% of US drivers ignore tires that are out of alignment, while another 26.4% will keep driving with their check engine light illuminated? Educating today’s drivers in automotive basics is necessary for their safety. Your auto shop waiting room isn’t simply a holding cell for drivers. Instead, think of it as an institute of car maintenance education.

Start by keeping short video tutorials or demos about safety and mechanical issues on your digital screens to show them how to spot minor or serious mechanical issues. 

And if keeping your customers entertained is your priority, UPshow CONNECT comes with 500+ entertainment channels, including hyperlocal and live stream content.

Provide QR code discounts on services

Instead of your customers flipping through a paper catalog of your products and services, link them to your virtual storefront via UPshow’s QR code campaign creator. While you display other engaging content, your customers can scan the QR code on the screen with their devices and access your products, list of services, exclusive discounts and more.

UPshow: Your auto shop waiting room solution!

Think of your waiting room as a place where you can connect with your customers with the goal of winning their loyalty. Not all of these auto shop waiting room ideas will work for your business, but most of them will, especially with the leading digital signage solution by your side.

With UPshow CONNECT, you can take the reigns in developing and steering the ultimate customer experience in your auto shop waiting room. 

Schedule a custom demo of UPshow and give your auto-shop customers the ultimate in-shop customer experience.

Automotive

Why Do People Put Off Car Maintenance?

Read More

With the rising cost of living, Americans are buckling up their wallets and only opening them for necessary bills and expenses. Auto repairs and maintenance aren’t on the list of necessities for most households either. U.S. drivers are putting off routine car maintenance and repairs, totaling $24.9 billion annually. 

Why do drivers put off car maintenance, especially when it could lead to a safety hazard or more expensive problems down the road? The list includes busy lifestyles, strained finances and a lack of knowledge about vehicle repair and safety precautions. 

Fortunately, auto repair shops can cut through the fog by delivering accessible on-premise auto-repair education and more with cutting-edge technology.

Diagnosing the issue: why do people put off car maintenance?

First off, if you haven’t already, check out our ultimate guide to marketing your auto repair shop. We discuss in detail how to reach your customers in the most effective way. But if you’re looking to reach customers who put off maintenance, you’ve come to the right place.

On the surface, it seems counterintuitive for any driver to put off car maintenance and repairs (especially with the safety risks involved). However, there are many reasons drivers do this, starting with a lack of auto-education and awareness. 

Common reasons car maintenance is delayed

What’s another 1,000 miles to an oil change that’s past due? Or a road trip on a set of tires that should’ve been changed six months ago? These are some of the questions drivers may be asking themselves to avoid coming into your auto shop. 

Auto Inc. tells us that 54.3% of drivers are too busy to take their vehicle in for a service or repair, with another 52.2% of drivers citing financial difficulties fueling their delay. Their reasons don’t end there.

Lack of awareness and auto-education

It’s no secret that the vast majority of public schools in the U.S. don’t require classes in practical life skills like filing taxes or car maintenance. This lack of auto-education shows up in the statistics, too. For example, more than 60% of US drivers don’t know how to change a flat tire.

While some people may not worry until the check-engine light comes on, over 61% of drivers admit someone else notices their car issues before they do. 

Financial concerns

Most families are living paycheck to paycheck. When prices soar, consumers tighten up their spending by only budgeting for the essentials. Compared to groceries, housing and utilities bills, car maintenance doesn’t top the list of priorities. A recent report shows that delayed car maintenance and repairs will set back drivers an extra $1,200 over the lifespan of their vehicle.

That’s the irony, isn’t it? Instead of shelling out a fraction of the money for routine maintenance or a repair right away, any delay will only lead to a bigger bill with potentially more issues to fix later.

Procrastination or a busy lifestyle

Today’s drivers are more on the go than ever. From juggling work and family responsibilities to personal appointments, financial affairs and a social life, there are only so many hours in a day to do everything we need to do. 

Unfortunately, more than 87% of drivers procrastinate on car maintenance. Some cite simply not having enough time, while others claim they can’t afford to sit in an auto shop waiting room for half the day.

Infrequent car usage (and other justifications)

It’s easy to think that when you don’t drive a vehicle, that its maintenance doesn’t need to be a top priority. What many drivers may not know is that when cars aren’t driven, tire pressure deflates, car batteries can lose their charge, keeping a near-empty fuel tank can draw moisture and so on.

The justifications don’t end there. Drivers will also avoid a car repair when they think it isn’t an emergency or when they don’t have a mechanic they can trust.

What are the benefits of maintaining your vehicle?

You probably already know the benefits of car maintenance, and the following are things you can inform your customers about whenever and wherever possible.

Ensure car is safe and reliable

Drivers need to know routine vehicle maintenance will keep their cars in better working order. Driver and passenger safety top the list of benefits. Whereas, when a car owner neglects regular maintenance, they could experience a malfunction when driving, an accident or a breakdown. With precious cargo on board, keeping on top of car maintenance is a non-negotiable for their safety and their peace of mind, 

Prevent costly repairs

We like to think of putting off car maintenance as similar to avoiding dental checkups. If drivers put off either, they’re more likely to find major, more cost-heavy issues down the road. What could begin as an easily-fixable alignment issue could end up with the driver needing a full set of tires in the end.

Extend the lifespan of a vehicle

According to a recent report from SP&P Global Mobility, the average lifespan of a vehicle has increased to 12.2 years. Regular maintenance under the hood and on the exterior will give them a stronger chance at getting as many years out of their vehicle as possible.

How can you get customers in for necessary maintenance?

Accessible auto-education, regular reminders and offering incentives are all effective ways to get your customers in for routine maintenance. You can use UPshow CONNECT to power your on-premise digital screens with all of this and more—creating an elevated customer experience they’ll drive back for.

Strategies to get people in for car maintenance

With driver safety (and finances) on the line, you need a clear game plan to show your customers why it’s vital to keep up with car maintenance and timely repairs. UPshow CONNECT for the automotive industry will outfit your screens with the logistical, educational and entertaining content drivers need to grasp how their personal safety ties to car upkeep. Plus, you’ll get some fantastic marketing opportunities out of it.

Remind them while they’re already waiting for repairs

Has a client rolled in with a flat tire? If they aren’t due for full-service maintenance for another two months, your best bet is to remind them while they’re there. This is best done in the waiting room, as this is the main point of contact customers will have with your shop.

You can use UPshow’s fixed panel and multipanel displays to keep critical announcements and reminders on-screen, while also playing educational and entertaining content such as:

  • Short videos on easy DIY car upkeep
  • Step-by-step car maintenance guides via Canva integration
  • Announcements about on-site discounts for customers who schedule their next car maintenance
  • Seasonal car-care reminders, such as winter tire requirements
  • Car maintenance trivia to engage and educate customers while they wait
  • Sales displays for common car maintenance products they can purchase on site, like oil and coolant

Provide an annual car maintenance checklist

You can use your digital screens to display vehicle maintenance and safety information your customers can benefit from while they wait. Keeping an annual car maintenance checklist accessible on-screen can make them more aware of what their vehicles need to run safely for as long as possible.

With UPshow CONNECT’s content creation and campaign management tools, it’s easy to generate educational content focused on car maintenance and more. It’s up to you how long you want to display this content on a screen-by-screen basis.

Offer a discount on car maintenance through a QR code

In today’s economy, your customers will appreciate a discount on their next car maintenance. By doing this, you’re incentivizing their safety and showing them that you’re willing to reduce your fees to ensure their safety.

Easily link your customers to a car maintenance discount they can access on their devices via QR-code technology. You’ll enjoy insights and analytics that track their engagement to determine if you’ll need to adjust your offer, and more.

Your customers need a mechanic who cares. UPshow CONNECT can help show that

A well-maintained vehicle is a safer vehicle that has a better chance at a longer life span. Reminding and educating your customers about regular car maintenance are just a few ways UPshow CONNECT will help you prioritize their safety.

Contact UPshow for a custom demo and show customers that your auto shop is the one they can trust.

Automotive

Auto Shop Layout Ideas to Keep Customers Engaged

Read More

Auto shop layouts are about more than the number of car-repair bays or parts storage areas you have. Would you say your auto shop has instant curb appeal? Is it set up in a way that will deliver the ultimate on-premise customer experience

Customer wait times may range from a few minutes to several hours or even the entire day. The last thing your customers want is to sit in a cramped waiting room sipping bad coffee while daytime TV blares in the background. 

Today’s car service owners prioritize customer engagement—letting that steer their auto shop layouts to give their patrons an ideal customer experience.

What’s the importance of auto repair shop layouts?

The Automobile Association reports that a full-service car appointment can take up to three hours. Of course, repairs can take even longer depending on their severity, staffing and more. With most drivers waiting on-premise until their car is ready, auto shop layouts should have customer engagement and comfort at the heart of their design. 

In our ultimate guide to marketing your auto repair shop, we cover everything you need to make your auto shop as inviting as possible for new and existing customers. Why is it important to have the right layout, though?

Increases the efficiency of repairs

Take an inventory of your premises. Are you using every inch of functional space available? Can your mechanics easily access tools and parts? Do you have enough repair bays to accommodate every appointment? Auto shop layouts should be as functional for repairs and maintenance as they are comfortable for your customers. In fact, the two go hand in hand.

When your auto repair building design is efficient, and your team has access to the supplies they need to do the job, they’ll also work more efficiently. Their efficiency can equate to a shorter waiting time for your customers.

Improves the customer experience

Consider each of your customer touchpoints. From the waiting room to private consultation areas and restroom facilities, would you want to spend a lot of time in any of these places? Are they comfortable? More importantly, do they have the modern customer experience in mind?

To achieve an appealing mechanic shop layout, take into account the following factors:

  • Is there ample space for working professionals or families?
  • How comfortable is the seating and lighting?
  • Is free WiFi available, and how is the connection speed?
  • Is there a designated child area with toys, games, and digital screens playing kid-friendly entertainment channels?
  • Can I create a refreshment station with various drinks and snacks?
  • Am I using my digital screens to enhance customer auto-education, engagement and more?

UPshow CONNECT is enhancing auto shop layouts worldwide by centering the customer experience above all else. It is the leading on-premise performance marketing cloud designed to revolutionize your digital screens into an educational, engaging and entertaining experience for the modern auto-shop customer.

Helps prioritize safety for employees and customers

Your team and customers have a legal right to be safe on your premises. While there’s no doubt you follow safety regulations, such as OSHA auto-shop compliance guidelines, here are some other ways to make your mechanic shop layout extra safe:

  • Adequate lighting in all work areas and customer touchpoints
  • Safety barriers or partitions to keep customers safe if they visit the repair bays
  • Keeping spare parts or other non-kid-friendly supplies out of reach
  • Clear pathways throughout the shop and repair zone
  • Warning signs that are visible around dangerous areas
  • Shop-specific safety guidelines on your digital displays at all times with UPshow’s fixed panel and multipanel display features

Automotive shop layout ideas that keep customers happy

As an auto shop owner, your mission is twofold. First, you want to achieve the ideal mechanic shop layout that will make your customers comfortable and happy. Second, you want to keep customers driving back for all of their automotive-repair needs.

Divide your shop into functional zones

Does the thought of creating (or revamping) your auto repair building design leave you feeling lost? There’s no need for a shop overhaul all at once. Instead, start small by dividing your premises into functional zones to make the customer experience positive.

For easier accessibility, consider designating some of the following zones in your mechanic shop layout:

  • Reception area
  • Waiting room area
  • Repair bays
  • Diagnostic area
  • Parts storage
  • Auto supply storefront
  • Employee break room

Ensure you have clear pathways between areas

Not all customer consultations will take place in the waiting room. Sometimes, your customers want to see the mechanic’s progress in the repair zone. For their safety, you’ll want to maintain clear pathways through all areas where a customer might venture. Not only will they feel safer navigating the premises, but their safety is also less of an insurance liability for you.

As an extra safety precaution, use UPshow CONNECT to digitally display a map of your premises to make navigation easier. You could also display QR codes linking your customers to an interactive map and safety precautions on their personal devices.

Improve your waiting room with digital signage

Your waiting room receives more customer traffic than any other area in your mechanic shop layout. Since customers spend the most time here, you have an opportunity to enhance their experience with UPshow CONNECT for the automotive industry.

Whether your waiting room is a 16x16 feet space lined with a dozen chairs or an entire floor glassed in with repair bay views, you can leverage UPshow CONNECT to power your digital screens and give your customers the on-premise experience they deserve by:

Start engaging your customers in the waiting room with UPshow CONNECT

Engaging your customers begins in the epicenter of your auto shop layout: the waiting room. With UPshow CONNECT powering your digital screens, you can deliver the ultimate customer experience anywhere on your premises.

Contact our team today for a free custom demo of UPshow CONNECT. Let us show you how to revolutionize your mechanic shop layout and customers’ on-site experience with digital signage.

Automotive

How to Market Your Auto Repair Shop: The Ultimate Guide

Read More

Have you ever stepped into your auto-repair shop’s waiting room and felt the tension? Customers look up from their magazines, hoping the news you’re about to deliver is good—especially for their wallets. 

Adding to this, almost 92% of drivers report they’ve stalled on getting a car repair or service they needed. The reason? Many fear the financial fallout, potential waiting time for the repair and more.

Visiting your shop when an issue arises is ideal for your clients’ safety and budgets. Their on-premise experience should be as stress-free as possible, too. To retain your clients long-term, you need to know how to market an auto repair shop the right way. Let’s put you in the driver’s seat of your marketing journey with our ultimate guide to auto repair marketing, headlighting the way toward success.

Do auto shops need a marketing strategy? 

Word-of-mouth marketing, handing out business cards or roadside billboards are no longer the go-to ways for auto repair shops to drum up new business. In today’s digital climate, these methods, while not jalopies in marketing, shouldn’t be the cornerstone of a modern, revenue-driving marketing strategy either.

Today’s auto-repair businesses are tapping into digital marketing strategies to secure new clients and earn their loyalty. From social media campaigns and email marketing to maintaining an SEO-optimized website and on-premise auto signage, think of your auto repair marketing strategy as a game plan meant to:

  • Reach prospective clients
  • Retain client loyalty
  • Convey your business’s value proposition
  • Promote your products and services
  • Advertise seasonal specials (snow tires, coolant system checks and more)
  • Upsell your products and services
  • Rival your local competition

Establish a loyal customer base

It’s one thing to drive in new customers, but it’s another to put on the breaks and keep them with you long-term. When it comes to digital marketing for auto repair shops, channeling your efforts into building a loyal customer base is easier and even more cost-effective than new customer acquisition.

What’s driving this? Two words: established trust. Returning customers already have a positive experience with your auto shop. If they’ve returned, then they trust the services you’ve delivered.  

New customers, though, are starting with a clean slate. You’d naturally spend more time and resources building a rapport with them so they’ll return for their next service. 

AAA reports that over 75 million drivers don’t have a go-to auto shop they can trust. Your loyal customers are your best brand ambassadors to direct this traffic into your shop. If family or friends ask them for a recommendation, you’ll likely be referred to.

The benefits don’t end there. When you keep your loyal customers comfortable and in-the-know on your premises, you’ll also: 

  • Fuel word of mouth about the quality of your products and services
  • Inspire referrals that will establish your auto shop as a trusted service provider in the community
  • Boost profits and scale your business

Improve your shop’s reputation

How would you describe your auto shop’s reputation? Dependable? Transparent? Trustworthy? All of the above? Yet AAA tells us that two out of three drivers in the U.S. don’t trust auto shops

The reasons range from less-than-stellar past repair experiences to unexpected overcharges, unnecessary service recommendations and more. 

Collecting customer reviews is vital to auto shop marketing, especially for building trust later with potential clients. To begin, comb through your current reviews. What have your customers said about your services? How do the reviews compare on your website versus Google, Yelp or elsewhere? 

Take a complete inventory of what these reviews say. Notice any patterns or trends throughout them. For example, have several customers complained about long wait times or unexpected charges?

You can first strengthen your auto shop’s reputation by addressing any issues stated in those past reviews. Then, take a proactive approach and put the pedal to the metal by:

  • Encouraging your customers to leave reviews on popular online review sites, such as Google, Mechanic Advisor and more
  • Creating a feedback form on your website for customers to complete on-premise
  • Developing a referral program with coveted perks, such as discounts for them and their referral
  • Offering incentives, such as free add-on services or products, if clients leave a review on-site or within 24 hours of their service.

Auto shop marketing strategies that focus on customer retention

Today’s customers are busy and on the go. Gone are the days of waiting in an auto shop waiting room half the day while the local news plays. They likely need to return to work or their families,

The J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Customer Service Index (CSI) Study reveals an overall decline in customer service satisfaction throughout the auto-repair industry. Customers point to longer appointment waiting times, ineffective communication with their auto shops and more as the root cause of their dissatisfaction.

Topping the list of auto repair shop marketing strategies is customer retention. One of the most effective ways to keep your customers returning to your business is by creating a positive customer experience while in your auto shop. Digital solutions for the auto industry are giving auto shop owners innovative ways to engage, entertain and communicate with their customers.

Improve the customer experience in your shop

Sometimes, long customer wait times in your auto shop are inevitable. Maybe your client’s repair plan requires importing a rare part from another shop. Perhaps their vehicle needs extensive work on multiple systems. That means they’ll need to be comfortable in your premises.

Focus on the physical layout of the shop

Your auto shop should run like a well-oiled machine. The physical layout of your premises can inhibit the efficiency of your team and the comfort of your customers.

Consider giving these touchpoints in your auto shop a facelift:

  • Expand the number of car bays so your crew can work on more than a few cars simultaneously
  • Increase your storage of spare parts to cut back on customer waiting time
  • Are there an adequate number of family-friendly restroom facilities on the premises?
  • For customer convenience, consider bulking up your supply of in-demand auto products

Make sure the waiting room is comfortable

No customer wants to wait hours in a waiting room sitting on a plastic chair without access to WiFi, adequate entertainment or other basic comforts. Besides making your waiting room comfortable with quality seating and drinks or snacks, think of this space as an opportunity to educate and engage your customers.

How often has your team witnessed a customer bring in their vehicle too late? They would have had a cheaper repair bill if they had brought it in earlier when the leak or tire damage was minor. A recent study finds that putting off vehicle maintenance will set back the average U.S. driver close to $1,200 over their vehicle’s lifetime.

Incorporating educational resources that will also engage your clients is a surefire way to make their wait time rewarding and show them your team invests in their safety.

Implement digital signage to engage customers

Car mechanic magazines or leaflets about how to check your tire tread or why regular oil changes are essential won’t entertain today’s auto shop customers. Instead, auto shop owners are using digital auto signage to create an inviting and engaging waiting room experience. 

With UPshow CONNECT, you can power your auto shop’s digital screens with countless educational and entertainment opportunities, such as:

  • Display your range of in-store auto products for sale
  • Link your customers to a feedback survey via QR-code technology
  • Showcase current or expected wait times alongside other educational content with fixed-panel displays
  • Create a playlist of practical auto-repair tutorials
  • Keep your current service and repair specials on-screen
  • Advertise your customer loyalty program and incentivize on-premise sign-ups

Create and advertise a loyalty program

Your auto shop customers will continue returning to you based on the quality of your repair work (and their experience). Sweetening the deal with a loyalty program will enhance the customer experience and keep them coming back for more.

What is an auto shop loyalty program?

An auto shop loyalty program is a rewards-based system for your most tried-and-true customers. The more often they return to your shop for a service or product top-up, the more reward points they’ll accumulate. Whether you choose punch cards or a tiered-points system, you want to make their participation worthwhile.

What are the best loyalty rewards to offer?

The driving force behind the success of any auto shop loyalty program is the reward at the end of the road. Unsure what to offer your loyal patrons? Consider giving them one or more of the following rewards based on the number of visits, the scope of services they come in for or how long they’ve been a customer:

  • For every X number of services, offer them a free oil change.
  • If they fill their loyalty punch card, give them a discount on their next set of tires.
  • Celebrate their loyalty milestones with a free annual inspection.
  • For your most loyal customers, dole out “shop dollars” valid to use on any product or service.
  • Offer a percentage off for a service of their choice.
  • Plan an auto-shop family-friendly event with display cars, service demonstrations, food, and more.

How to get customers to sign up for your loyalty program

The best way to get the word out about your loyalty program is by advertising it on your on-premise digital screens. You can display and track your loyalty program in several ways with UPshow’s auto digital signage solution.

First, you can use UPshow’s multi-panel display feature to spotlight your loyalty program alongside other relevant content, such as in-shop product specials or car maintenance tutorials. 

You could put your customers in the driver’s seat by using the QR code campaign creator to link them to your loyalty program sign-up page and social media channels. This way, they can access the ins and outs of the program from their own devices. 

A loyalty program isn’t a one-way street that only benefits your customers. To prove effective for them and your bottom line, you’ll need access to detailed insights and analytics to:

  • View your clients' mobile engagement with your loyalty program
  • Observe real-time engagement and other performance data by location 
  • Enjoy end-to-end tracking to determine if their mobile engagement is effective
  • Export your engagement data to analyze what’s working (or isn’t)

Educate your customers 

Did you know that over 31% of US drivers keep driving knowing their oil change is past due? The same research shows that 27.3% of drivers continue operating their vehicles with worn-out or bald tires. Talk about a clear safety hazard for your customers and likely an (unnecessarily) expensive repair down the line. 

While people put off car maintenance for many reasons, lacking basic auto knowledge is fueling some of it. Research shows that 36% of American drivers can’t even change a flat tire

Making your customers aware of the safety risks associated with delayed maintenance and mechanical errors can motivate them to act on routine, preventative upkeep—bringing them into your shop sooner and more regularly. 

Plus, by investing in customer education and safety, you’re showing them that your shop is trustworthy and stands for more than just growing your business. They need reassurance that they and their passengers will be safe whenever they get behind the wheel.

Tips for creating engaging educational content for your customers

To get the most out of your auto shop’s digital screens, you’ll want to generate accessible educational content that engages and informs drivers (or passengers) of all ages.

Let’s explore some top tips for creating engaging educational content for your auto shop:

  • Opt for short, easy-to-understand video tutorials or demos about car maintenance do’s and don’ts
  • Use detailed visuals that break down common DIY auto servicing, such as oil changes or how to change windshield wiper blades
  • Use QR-code technology to link them to a customized car maintenance plan to help them keep on top of it
  • Spotlight year-round or seasonal service sales to remind (and incentivize) them
  • Play entertaining automotive content from UPshow’s curated channel packs
  • Design and display automotive trivia across your screens to test their auto-knowledge
  • Broadcast your auto shop’s social media feeds, client photos and testimonials

Improve your client communication strategies 

The last thing you want is for your customers to dread coming into your shop, so it’s vital to ensure their on-premise experience is as positive and rewarding as possible. Well, who better to tell you what would give them a positive experience in your shop than your customers?

Start by leveling up the way you communicate with your clients. Using digital client feedback forms and post-visit surveys will create a two-way avenue of communication. Your clients will feel heard, and their input will give you a clear idea of what would improve their experience. 

When you inventory what’s working for them and what isn’t, you can make customer-centric changes throughout your auto shop. Above all, show them you’re listening and serious about giving them the best customer experience possible.

Getting your customers to fill out feedback forms and surveys

You can lead your auto shop customers to your feedback forms, but can you make them fill them out? The short answer is yes if you make your feedback forms clear and easily accessible.

With UPshow’s QR Code campaign creator, you can generate a unique QR code for your feedback forms or surveys and display them on your front-of-house screens. When you do, visitors can access them from their phones or other devices, capturing feedback faster. Plus, when you capture feedback immediately, their experience is still fresh in their mind, leaving you with more accurate feedback.

You’ll want to keep these tips in mind for capturing and analyzing customer feedback:

  • Keep your survey questions brief and intentional
  • Link them to your feedback form as they’re checking out
  • Offer 10% off their service if they fill in the feedback form before leaving
  • Spotlight past client feedback and testimonials across all of your screens
  • Take action on their feedback by prioritizing pressing or frequently cited issues

How to market your auto repair shop to a new customer base

As of this year, 281,434 auto repair shops are operating in the U.S. New customers have many options about where to go for auto services. Knowing how to market an auto repair shop the right way to reach those customers will take planning and an ironclad strategy.

Create referral programs 

When your existing clients have a good experience in your shop, they can be your best auto ambassadors. Create a customer referral program that encourages and rewards them for bringing new clients to your garage.

Build your client referral program by keeping these tips in mind:

  • Determine the incentives. Use discounts, free products/services and more to motivate referrals
  • Simplify the process using UPshow’s Canva integration to create an eye-catching referral program template
  • Advertise referral specials and deals for first-time customers on your website, social media accounts and on-premise screens
  • Digitize your client referral program by linking your customers to it via QR-code technology

Grow your online presence

Whether you run a mom-and-pop auto shop in a small town or a three-story auto-repair establishment in a major city, you need an online presence to expand your reach.

To drive in new customers, you’ll want to:

  • Leverage the power of Google Business Profile and social media to make your presence known
  • Advertise new-customer deals they can’t refuse
  • Improve your online testimonials and reviews to make an immediate impression on potential customers
  • Ask existing customers to share reviews, photos and more; then, display them on your digital screens
  • Start an auto blog and keep your website updated to increase visibility

Run paid marketing campaigns

Unleashing a paid digital marketing campaign is an effective way to target new customers. From email marketing, social media marketing and pay-per-click (PPC) ads, you can use any or all of the above to drive new business and revenue. With any of these types of campaigns, the goal is to encourage clicks and engagement to maximize your ROI.

To do this, consider the following factors to make the auto-marketing process seamless:

  • Decide your advertising budget and which type of marketing campaign you want to try
  • Target your potential customer base and locations to optimize your campaigns better
  • Your ad content should be concise and encourage the viewer to take action
  • Monitor the performance of your marketing campaign compared to your marketing budget. Are the ads performing well enough to justify the cost?

Tips for maintaining your marketing strategy 

Once you have a solid auto-repair marketing strategy in place, you’ll need to maintain it for the long haul. The key is to remain open to change so you can pivot when necessary to accommodate the diverse needs of your auto shop customers.

Armed with client feedback and UPshow’s robust insights and analytics tools, you’ll be able to:

  • Continue making your content accessible and engaging with UPshow’s Canva integration
  • Study which content your clients engage with so you can amend or delete as necessary
  • Analyze customer engagement and performance by location and screen-by-screen
  • Assess the screen time for your product or service promotions and how long it took for your customers to engage and make a purchase
  • Use real-time customer engagement data to optimize the content you show
  • Leverage end-to-end tracking to evaluate their mobile engagement with your feedback forms, product sales and more
  • Sort and export your engagement data to conduct a more in-depth analysis

Cost-effective auto shop marketing starts with the tools you have in-house 

There’s no best way to approach auto repair marketing; however, now that you know how to market an auto repair shop from A to Z, the key is to focus on creating the most engaging on-premise experience for your customers. 

With UPshow CONNECT powering your screens, you’ll keep your customers entertained, engaged and driving back for more. Put the pedal to the metal by signing up for a risk-free, custom demo of UPshow CONNECT today.

Healthcare

How to Create a Stress-Free Immunization Center

Read More

Patients of all ages experience stress and anxiety about receiving vaccinations. Their needle anxiety can culminate into vaccination hesitancy or even an Immunization Stress-Related Response (ISSR).

Research has shown that stress can negatively impact the immune system’s response to a vaccine. Making your immunization center as stress-free as possible can help patients relax before and during their appointment—leaving them better prepared to reap the benefits of their vaccinations. That way, they’re more inclined to return for their next dose.

Important considerations for eliminating stress in vaccination centers

Keeping stacks of pop-culture magazines on your waiting room tables while the local news channel plays won’t create the stress-free immunization center that today’s patients need. 

Digital technology solutions are making stress-free patient experiences more accessible and simple to create. With UPshow Health, you can transform your waiting room into a stress-free space for patients to prioritize their health.

Crafting a calming environment

When patients enter your immunization center, they may feel on edge for any number of reasons–fear of needles, anxiety about potential side effects from a vaccine and more.

Research shows that playing certain forms of media in your clinic, such as nature sounds and classical music, can reduce stress and positively impact the patient-provider experience. UPshow Health can power your screens with stress-reducing content to help quell patient anxiety. 

To get started, here are some of the most effective ways to make your immunization clinic a more tranquil and inviting space for patients:

  • With Canva integration, you can display mindfulness tips or breathing exercises.
  • Display calming nature scapes, like forests and beach scenes.
  • Play distracting and calming entertainment, such as cooking or gardening shows.
  • Use UPshow Premium Audio to play stress-reducing music or nature sounds.

Entertainment that eliminates nerves and makes waiting less painful

Unlike other medical specialties, your immunization center likely sees patients from all age groups. Choosing the right entertainment that will please everyone may seem difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. UPshow Health comes with over 500 entertainment channels to choose from, including hyperlocal channels and sports. 

For your immunization clinic, you can choose from curated entertainment channel packs focused on health and wellness themes, or a range of other entertainment options. Giving your patients access to on-demand entertainment options can help them pass the time and reduce stress at the same time. 

Although studies show that the length of time patients spend in the waiting room is a strong predictor of patient dissatisfaction, you can improve their waiting room experience (and perceived wait time) with UPshow Health by:

  • Posting updated wait times.
  • Sharing interactive trivia games to pass the time.
  • Displaying mindfulness tips and other content to help nervous patients manage stress.

Keep patients in the know

Medical misinformation is a growing problem, and today’s patients may not know which information to trust. Patients may not have access to credible resources to help them understand the importance of vaccinations or how to handle side effects from their immunizations.

You can use UPshow Health to give them access to patient-friendly educational resources and help patients gain more control over their health journeys. Studies reveal that patient education is an acknowledged predictor of high patient engagement and positive treatment outcomes. To give your patients the best chance at experiencing those same benefits, take full advantage of what UPshow has to offer by:

  • Creating customized patient education content playlists that you can schedule in advance.
  • Explain the immunization process, including potential side effects, to calm stress and anxiety.
  • Link patients to valuable resources such as your patient portal or social media via the QR-code campaign creator.
  • Spotlight new clinical staff or operating hours, so patients can plan and feel comfortable with a new staff member.

Staff support is critical in any successful clinic 

Healthcare clinics like yours can’t function well without engaged clinical staff. Recent studies reveal a positive correlation between staff engagement and patient safety. Utilizing UPshow SHIFT to improve employee communication and make continuing education opportunities accessible will keep your immunization center running smoothly and efficiently.

Make training and staff education easy 

As the COVID pandemic unfolded, government guidance and regulations governing protocols were continuously changing as medical researchers and scientists learned more about how it was spreading and how best to treat patients. This moment revealed the importance of continued training and education in all fields of medicine. 

To keep your clinical staff up to date about the latest guidance, research and training opportunities, UPshow SHIFT makes it possible to display live updates and other critical announcements on your clinic screens.

If your staff work in shifts, you can utilize the fixed panel and multipanel displays to leave vital information on the screens at all times while also rotating out content to ensure all staff, regardless of their shift, stays in the loop.

Combat workplace stress with digital content

Whether you operate a 24-hour immunization center in a major city or a small clinic with limited hours in a small town, your healthcare staff experiences occupational stress. They may carry extra shift duties due to staff shortages, handle difficult patients or internal communication barriers on any given shift.

Research tells us that workplace stress can negatively affect your healthcare staff’s mental and physical well-being and quality of life, but the negative impact doesn’t end there. 

Another study reveals that in addition to staff facing patient-related trauma and an increased risk of suicide, their occupational stress adversely affects their patients by inhibiting the quality of care they can perform.

To fight occupational stress, you can use UPshow SHIFT to create content geared toward staff-tailored interventions customized for their unique needs. UPshow’s in-app Canva integration can make generating staff-tailored digital interventions easier.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the most effective strategies you can use to create displays that help staff members manage stress and increase resilience in your immunization center:

  • Promote healthy stress-management techniques by creating content playlists customized for each shift.
  • Display personal safety and self-care tips alongside other content with fixed panels and multi-panel displays.
  • Encourage after-hour voluntary small group discussions to unwind and brainstorm ways to relieve stress.
  • Feature on-screen announcements about mental health community support groups and resources.
  • Inspire staff-wide collaboration and support by displaying QR codes that link to their health and wellness social media groups.

Create open lines of communication without overwhelming staff 

Internal communication among your clinical staff should be as fluid as possible to avoid medical errors and to ensure that staff have the right information to treat patients effectively. UPshow SHIFT can make staff-to-staff and staff-to-patient communication smoother and simpler by:

  • Allowing you to display patient feedback forms to show you value the patient experience.
  • Displaying vaccination FAQs for patients so they don’t overwhelm staff with basic or common questions.
  • Showing post-immunization educational videos about potential side effects to look out for and the procedure patients should follow if they encounter them.
  • Encourage mobile communication and resource access by linking staff to announcements via the QR code Campaign Creator
  • Share links to wellness portals that are accessible on mobile devices via a QR code.
  • Sharing SMART Goals to boost employee engagement and foster collaboration.

Build an efficient and stress-free vaccination center with UPshow 

Making your immunization center as stress-free as possible will benefit your patients and clinical staff. With UPshow’s digital signage software solution, you can improve the patient experience one screen at a time.

Sign up for a free demo of UPshow and discover how easy it is to make your clinic stress-free.

Cookie Consent

By clicking “Accept”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. View our Privacy Policy for more information.

Cookie preferences