Google+ vs. Facebook: which social network is better for collision repair marketing?

At Stratosphere Studio, we’ve run across a number of auto body shops in which the owner is wearing multiple hats: performing customer service, repairing vehicles, handling financial paperwork, and so much more.  On top of all that, you are likely the solo marketing department for your shop, which leaves you with very little time to accomplish much.  Therefore, you’re probably looking for ways to maximize your time.  One of the ways that you can increase your efficiency is to eliminate any unnecessary or dysfunctional areas in your marketing plan.  For plenty of body shops, their social media choices come into question during the busiest times of the year.  Some shops are spread too thin, trying to participate on every social network available.  Some are only on Facebook, but wonder if their time could be better spent elsewhere.

If you’re currently debating between two of the top choices for body shops—Google+ and Facebook, here is what you should keep in mind: 

Facebook is still the king (in terms of numbers).
At present, there is still a significant difference in the number of users on each network.  Facebook is at over 1.15 billion monthly users, while Google+ is at 343 million.  Now, the number of Google+ users is certainly considerable and something to pay attention to, but it doesn’t yet compare to Facebook’s powerful rankings.

Google+ is growing steadily.
Before you begin to favor Facebook simply because it has more users, don’t forget that Google+ is growing.  Many social networking experts are predicting that Google+ has the potential to catch up to Facebook in the next few years, so clearly the network is gaining more interest among on the web.

Google+ is essential to your SEO.
Because Google is the number one search engine, its accompanying social network deserves a little extra respect.  With Google Plus, your content has the opportunity to earn higher search rankings, develop greater authority, and remain a constant presence on the web (unlike posts on other platforms).

Facebook wants you to pay for your presence.
Because Facebook has changed the algorithm for the visibility of status updates to make it less viable for businesses to show up in news feeds, your best chance of getting noticed is to buy ad space.

So, which network is the winner?
The truth is that both networks are important to any collision repair marketing plan.  Yes, Google+ has a number of added advantages for businesses, it still doesn’t have quite as much interaction as Facebook does.  Because the majority of your customers are still primarily on Facebook, you’ll need to be there, ready to engage with them.  Just be sure to maintain your presence on Google+ and take advantage of the SEO benefits. Let’s watch how the network grows in popularity as 2015 approaches—we might all be pleasantly surprised!

Do you have questions about social networking and your collision repair marketing?
At Stratosphere Studio, we would be happy to answer any questions you might have.  We can help you determine which social networks are best for your particular shop and how you can increase your followers quickly.