Why Social Media Marketing is Essential for Parking Operations
4 min read
Published on Parking Industry Insights
Now more than ever, businesses are adapting their marketing strategies to keep pace with society's imminent digitization. Social media marketing has grown in significance as consumers continue to make their buying decisions online— and parking is no different.
Capitalizing on social media marketing can help you get your parking facility in front of where your customers spend their time—online. This is why social media has become an integral part of parking management strategies.
Below are three reasons why social media marketing is essential for parking revenue and why it plays an integral role in the customer journey.
1. Allows you to sell the social experience surrounding your parking facility.
Social media allows you to tell the story of your parking experience. We are far past the point where putting up a sign that lists your parking rates is effective. Instead, customers want to know that they can entrust you to provide them with a safe and convenient parking experience.
Social media provides you with a platform to communicate how you have achieved that and allows you to show customers what they can expect when visiting your location. For example, promoting nearby restaurants or nightlife is an effective way to connect with customers online, rather than simply promoting your parking location and rates.
2. It helps you boost your location's search engine rank position on Google.
When promoting a parking facility online, it's important to link the social media post to a web page that outlines the details of your parking facility, such as the exact location, rates and photos of your parking lot. This goes back to the idea of enticing customers to park at your facility by showing them what they can expect.
However, it is vital to ensure that the web page featuring your parking information also ranks high on search engines such as Google to capture customers actively searching for parking on the web. One of the ways you can do this is by driving online traffic to the web page—which social media posts assist with.
3. Creates a direct communication channel with your customers.
Social media is the place where offline conversations go online. It can provide you with the tools necessary to showcase your facility using diverse forms of content—including images, videos, and even paid ads!
However, like most digital marketing tactics, social media often opens up the floor for questions and concerns that can be made public. So you'll want to make sure that they're being dealt with and communication escalation matrixes are in place to protect your online reputation—this is something your parking management provider should develop with you.
Social media is no longer just a place to post a photo. It is now a destination that allows you to build relationships with current and future customers. Social media and digital marketing have proven to play an integral role in the success of organizations and their facilities.
When investing in parking management services, it's important to ensure that the vendors you shortlist have extensive knowledge in digital marketing and the resources to carry out the expertise. To evaluate if this is the case, you can ask them: who are you going to target? How will you target them? What kind of content do you plan to promote? Will the social media strategy consist of organic and paid ads? Ensure they have established a clear plan to effectively engage with your customers in the places they spend their time.
Download How to Maximize Your Parking Revenue with Digital Marketing to learn more about successful social media and digital marketing strategies for parking operations.
References
Carchesio, C. (2022, March 18). 5 ways to maximize your parking revenue and location search visibility. Parking Industry. Retrieved May 30, 2022, from https://www.parkingindustry.ca/parking-management/5-ways-to-maximize-your-parking-revenue-and-location-search-visibility?rq=marketing
Lato, M. (2020, September 9). 92% of People Find Parking Online. Retrieved May 30, 2022, from https://www.parkingindustry.ca/parking-management/92-percent-of-people-find-parking-online
Director, Marketing & Communications, Precise ParkLink