Skip to main content
EVENT TRACKER
Keep track of rescheduled, canceled industry events with our COVID-affected event tracker - Powered by Snap Finance
Close
Sister Publication Links
  • Rubber & Plastics News
  • European Rubber Journal
tb-logo
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • OPINION
    • CORONAVIRUS
    • AUTO INDUSTRY
    • BUSINESS/FINANCIAL
    • COMMERCIAL TIRE
    • FACTORY FIXES
    • GOVERNMENT & LAW
    • INTERNATIONAL
    • MOTOR SPORTS
    • NEW PRODUCTS
    • RETAIL TIRES
    • SERVICE ZONE
    • SEMA/AAPEX
    • SMALL BUSINESS
    • TIRE MAKERS
    • SPONSORED CONTENT
    • New round of Paycheck Protection Program funding opens
      Vaccine may usher sense of normalcy
      Cover-up: More retailers requiring face masks to curb COVID
      USW alleges COVID-19 violations at Kumho plant
    • GM banking on 'BrightDrop' EV to build commercial van business
      Stengel promoted to president of NAPA parent Genuine Parts Co.
      Former auto exec Tyrone Jordan joins Cooper board of directors
      Bridgestone crafts virtual city to showcase sustainable-mobility initiatives
    • U.K. race series extends contract with Goodyear through 2026
      New round of Paycheck Protection Program funding opens
      H&H broadens precure OTR business with Continuum mold acquisition
      Apollo to raise prices of Vredestein brand, effective March 1
    • Evolving delivery trends good for CV tire sector — Cooper exec
      Conti adding light-duty products to General Tire OTR tire lineup
      GM banking on 'BrightDrop' EV to build commercial van business
      Gary Price to head Love's Truck Care operations
    • New stimulus package fixes PPP loan confusion
      USW opposes Taiwan tire makers' dumping counterproposal
      New round of Paycheck Protection Program funding opens
      Taiwan tire makers propose settlement of import duties case
    • Evolving delivery trends good for CV tire sector — Cooper exec
      U.K. race series extends contract with Goodyear through 2026
      Sentury Tire hires Martin Winter as global OE technical director
      USW opposes Taiwan tire makers' dumping counterproposal
    • U.K. race series extends contract with Goodyear through 2026
      Goodyear Racing staying on track
      General Tire Canada renews sponsorship deal with Raceline Network
      Indy Autonomous Challenge: High-speed, head-to-head, no drivers
    • Hankook doubles size range of Ventus V2 all-season UHP line
      Conti adding light-duty products to General Tire OTR tire lineup
      Goodyear-brand belts back on the market under licensing arangement
      Kumho launches commercial LT, performance tire lines
    • Hankook doubles size range of Ventus V2 all-season UHP line
      New stimulus package fixes PPP loan confusion
      Goodyear-brand belts back on the market under licensing arangement
      WTC hosting webinar Jan. 20 on load-capacity standards
    • AMRA to host 5 educational webinars in Feb., March
      Shocks/struts maker KYB unveils video training series
      Bauer Built completes expansion at Neb. facility
      Marinucci: Basic steps to email efficiency
    • WTC hosting webinar Jan. 20 on load-capacity standards
      Denver's Brian Sump named AAPEX Shop Owner of the Year
      DUB, TIS Wheels founder Myles Kovacs is SEMA Person of the Year
      AAPEX: Using social media to promote your business
    • New stimulus package fixes PPP loan confusion
      Vaccine may usher sense of normalcy
      2020 Review: PPP loans give boost to small businesses
      Latest COVID relief bill includes $325B in small-business support
    • Papadimitriou to leave position with Pirelli after six months on job
      SRNA increasing prices on Dunlop motorcycle tires
      Sentury Tire hires Martin Winter as global OE technical director
      USW opposes Taiwan tire makers' dumping counterproposal
    • Sponsored By Yokohama Tire Company
      7 questions to ask consumers when they need tires for a crossover SUV
      Sponsored By Yokohama Tire Company
      Stocking Tires for Crossover SUVs
  • SHOP FLOOR
    • BALANCING
    • DEMOUNTING
    • SAFETY
    • TIRE REPAIR
    • TPMS
    • TRAINING
    • VEHICLE LIFTING
    • WHEEL TORQUE
    • Video: Balancing Tire
      Choosing the right balancing equipment
      Safety tips for wheel balancing
      An introduction to wheel balancing
    • Video: Demounting
      Demounting Equipment
      Making rims ready for a tight seal
      Tire changer types, tips and trends
    • Video: Safety
      Making friends with OSHA
      Ergonomics on the shop floor
      Customers
    • Video: Tire Repair
      Tire repair: Shining a light on visual inspections
      Staying safe when repairing a tire
      Essential tools, materials and equipment for tire repair
    • Video: TMPS Service
      Decoding sensor data for TPMS diagnosis
      Replacement TPMS sensor overview
      The life-saving work of TPMS
    • Video: Training
      Advantages of apprentice program partnerships
      Options and resources for CE tech training
      Internship ideas to attract tech talent
    • Video:Vehicle Lifting
      All types of lifts for all types of work
      Tips and recommendations for lifting safety
      The gravity of proper lift points
    • Video: Wheel Torque
      Using torque sticks to speed service times
      The danger of too much, too little torque
      The importance of torque specifications
  • Multimedia
    • VIDEOS
    • PHOTOS
    • PODCASTS
  • Events
    • ASK THE EXPERT
    • LIVESTREAMS
    • WEBINARS
    • SEMA LIVESTREAMS
  • Data
    • DATA STORE
  • Resources
    • DIRECTORY
    • CLASSIFIEDS
  • ADVERTISE
  • DIGITAL EDITION
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Blog
Blog
March 16, 2015 02:00 AM

BLOG: Checking in on social media while doing good

Jennifer Karpus, Tire Business staff
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print

    AKRON — Sometimes, I like to highlight social media sites and sometimes I like to highlight the ways we can use them as a business. In this blog post, I am doing a little bit of both.

    We all know that word-of-mouth advertising is still an important way to spread brand awareness about your business. We also know there are a significant amount of potential customers on Facebook. Additionally, many Facebook users reach out to their friends for advice on where to shop or get services done.

    Consumers also respond well to businesses that give back to their communities.

    Check-In Angels combines all of these elements by creating a platform where consumers can Check-in to a business on Facebook for a good cause. (Note, the company said it is working on the platform for Instagram and possibly down the road, for Yelp.)

    “Facebook is still the thing that drives the most purchase decisions,” said Matt Sharp, founder of Check-In Angels.

    As stated on its website, Check-In Angels' “promise is simple: each time a customer checks in at your business, a great cause receives a donation. Yup, it rocks.”

    As soon as I came across this, I “Checked-in” with Matt to get more information on this and how it can be used by independent tire dealers.

    He said the whole idea started at some gyms he owns in the Lexington, Ky., area because they were looking for a way for customers to have an incentive to “Check-In” to the business on Facebook.

    “We had wasted a lot of money on traditional marketing,” Matt said. “The only thing that had really worked for us was referrals, but we felt like the referral process wasn't nearly as robust as it could be.”

    Matt Sharp, founder of Check-In Angels

    The Check-In Angels concept — originally called Sweat Angels — was launched in January 2013.

    With word-of-mouth advertising, a business could expect a customer to tell about five to 10 people. When they do that, the company hopes they relay the value propositions of your business, Matt said, but sometimes that message can get a little watered down.

    Using this Check-in process through social media means the customer can connect right to a business through this referral. If a customer is Checking into a business on Facebook, it pulls up the company's Facebook page and connects it to that post. Matt said they did some research and while Facebook Check-in takes only a few seconds for a person to do, they would easily reach up to 600 people instead of just the handful of people a customer may tell verbally.

    “Literally all they have to do is click and they are on that business' Facebook page and now they are talking to that business directly,” he said.

    When starting out, Matt said they also wanted a way to use this to give back to the community. In the first month, the company decided to promote for every Facebook Check-in, a child received a meal.

    “Our community just went nuts over it,” Matt said.

    The business went from 30 Check-ins a month — the average it had for three years — to 1,600 Check-ins that first month.

    Not only were customers Checking in, they were doing it with praise of the business as well, he said.

    Adding the charity aspect to Check-in created an incentive for customers to share or post about the company, which was something that wasn't there before.

    When other local businesses saw this platform, they wanted in. Although initially reluctant, Matt said his team decided to take on the challenge and worked with about 35 business owners for about a year to get a program together that could be used by various industries. The program was built it into a turnkey way for businesses to support a different cause each month with Facebook Check-in.

    “We handle everything,” Matt said. “We build all of the Facebook posts for them, we create videos for them to share, we create promotional kits that go up in the business.... Most owners spend about 10 minutes a month on this program.”

    This is a completely different marketing platform than say a billboard on a freeway, because they aren't cold leads. These are potential customers hearing about a business from their friends.

    “Nothing else lets you target the friends of members like this,” Matt said.

    “It's how I buy things, it's how you buy things, it's how everybody makes purchases. Their friends say, ‘This thing is awesome,' and then you say, ‘I got to check that out.' That's how things happen, much more so than traditional marketing.”

    (Photo credit: Check-In Angels)

    Jeff Wyler Kings Nissan, located in Cincinnati, started using Check-In Angels and saw the difference.

    The program is now being used by more than 650 businesses, including auto dealerships, auto repair shops, coffee shops and more, he said.

    It's a really good tool for an owner that doesn't have a lot of time to either hire a social media person, Matt said, adding that even if the company does have a social media person or team it would complement their efforts on social media.

    “When you do something good, it changes behavior in the fact that people want to support businesses that do good,” he said.

    If a business supports a cause and that is it's only differentiator from a competitor, Matt said that most people will go to the business that supports a cause.

    Matt said Check-In Angels has determined that 30 days is the best time to switch charities. A company can remind customers that it has this program by explaining how many coats were donated to children last month, etc. and then to promote the new charity for next month.

    “That's when the excitement stays the highest if you can switch the cause every 30 days,” he said.

    ______________________________________________

     Does this seem like a platform your business wants to get involved with? Visit www.check-in-angels.com/automotive or contact Matt Sharp at 844-ANGEL-11 or [email protected] for more information.

    Related Articles
    BLOG: Build it visually, and they will come
    BLOG: Titan Auto & Tire spotlight
    BLOG: Checking in on your social media strategy
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Tire Business would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor Don Detore at [email protected].

    SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Newsletter Center

    Staying current is easy with Tire Business delivered straight to your inbox.

    SUBSCRIBE TODAY

    Subscribe to Tire Business

    SUBSCRIBE
    Connect with Us
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Tire Business is an award-winning publication dedicated to providing the latest news, data and insights into the tire and automotive service industries.

    tb-logo
    Reader Services
    • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • Site Map
    • Industry Sites
    • Order Reprints
    • Customer Service: 877-320-1716
    Partner Sites
    • Rubber & Plastics News
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Automotive News
    • Plastics News
    • Plastics News China
    • Urethanes Technology
    RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    • Terms of Service
    • Media Guide
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Classified Rates
    • List Rental
    • Digital Edition
    • Careers
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    Copyright © 1996-2021. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • OPINION
      • CORONAVIRUS
      • AUTO INDUSTRY
      • BUSINESS/FINANCIAL
      • COMMERCIAL TIRE
      • FACTORY FIXES
      • GOVERNMENT & LAW
      • INTERNATIONAL
      • MOTOR SPORTS
      • NEW PRODUCTS
      • RETAIL TIRES
      • SERVICE ZONE
      • SEMA/AAPEX
      • SMALL BUSINESS
      • TIRE MAKERS
      • SPONSORED CONTENT
    • SHOP FLOOR
      • BALANCING
      • DEMOUNTING
      • SAFETY
      • TIRE REPAIR
      • TPMS
      • TRAINING
      • VEHICLE LIFTING
      • WHEEL TORQUE
    • Multimedia
      • VIDEOS
      • PHOTOS
      • PODCASTS
    • Events
      • ASK THE EXPERT
      • LIVESTREAMS
      • WEBINARS
      • SEMA LIVESTREAMS
    • Data
      • DATA STORE
    • Resources
      • DIRECTORY
      • CLASSIFIEDS
    • ADVERTISE
    • DIGITAL EDITION