Summer sun is on the horizon and automobile repair activity is bound to increase. According to AutoInc.'s most recent "How's Your Business" survey, 70 percent of mechanical shops reported that the majority of their business occurs during the summer season. How's Your Business also pointed to Monday as the busiest day of the week, according to 51 percent of responding shops. Friday came in second, with shops greeting 21 percent of their customer base on Fridays.

With that in mind, advertising and increasing business makes money and sense. Media Targeting 2000, a survey conducted by Arbitron, a national market research company, reported that 54 percent of individuals seeking professional service for their cars listen to the radio one hour prior to making a decision of where to take their automobile for maintenance and quality service.

Outdoor advertising such as billboards and signs are noticed by 29 percent of drivers prior to taking their automobiles in for maintenance and repair. Twenty percent caught a glimpse of television prior to selecting a service shop.

Media Targeting 2000 also found that 85 percent of those summer shop customers listen to the radio for an average of 30 minutes when driving to their professional service shop.

This information should come in handy when building an advertising campaign that increases your customer base and reminds your current clientele about regularly scheduled and seasonal maintenance. Although each service center is different, increasing revenue is a constant.

Stat Corner is written by Denise Caspersen, ASA's research management specialist. She can be reached at (800) 272-7467, ext. 236.

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