Boosting Customer Experience Through Location Marketing for Automotive Industry

A strategic approach paying off

In March 2020, Mekonomen Company started using PinMeTo in cooperation with their agency, MediaCom/GroupM. The two companies set a strategy to optimize local search, and then used the PinMeTo platform to implement the new location marketing for automotive industry tactics. Since the launch, Mekonomen together with MediaCom/GroupM has achieved amazing results, generating increased foot traffic and visits to location pages. But maybe more important than the actual numbers, the company has most probably made life easier for car owners in Sweden. By making sure that car owners in need of service, tools or products can easily find where to go, no matter where in the country they are.

location-marketing-for-automotive-industry

Mekonomen Company

Brands: Mekonomen, MECA and Mekopartner
Number of Locations: 1000+

Mekonomen Company is the Nordic region's leading car parts chain with its own wholesale operations, shops, and workshops. The company owns the brands Mekonomen, MECA, and MekoPartner, which means that Mekonomen Company and its affiliated brands have the best coverage of car parts stores and car repair shops in Sweden.

MediaCom/GroupM

MediaCom unleashes brands’ growth by helping them see the bigger picture. This means that the company applies our unique ‘Systems Thinking’ philosophy and technology to all marketing levers: media, message, and data. As a result, MediaCom designs communication strategies that deliver short-term results and help brands build for the future.

As part of WPP, the world's largest marketing communications services group, and GroupM, WPP’s consolidated media investment management arm, the company has access to the richest data, most robust benchmarks, and most advanced capabilities in the market. This helps us provide comprehensive solutions to all marketing challenges.

The value of PinMeTo local SEO software for Mekonomen

Improving their customer journey via automation and scale of location management

Most people who have had problems with their car can probably agree on one thing; malfunctioning cars or car parts always come at an inconvenient time. A car owner who learns that their car is not working properly is probably very prone to find a solution that is both smooth and reliable. With that said, it is necessary for a company like Mekonomen to be prominent in local searches like “workshop near me”. By being close at hand in searches and with the right information, Mekonomen makes it easier for the car owner, regardless of what problem they encounter.

Mekonomen’s customer service has also leveraged PinMeTo local SEO software to monitor and respond to their customer review at speed. Having a long-term approach to answering and managing customer reviews not only enables the company to create a reliable brand impression online but also support all franchise owners in providing the best experience for their customers. Which of course is very important to car owners looking for a car workshop.

Centrally support location owners in amplifying automotive local SEO

Mekonomen Company and its brands have over 1000 locations around Sweden. These 1000+ locations are either car part stores or car repair shops that are managed by local actors. Making sure that all of these locations have the correct information available for searches is of course very important. However, the probability that the management of the locations is handled optimally is small if each of the 1000+ locations would update this themselves.

Through Mekonomen Company's collaboration with MediaCom/GroupM, the company can ensure that it collects the information that needs to be updated and then centrally updates the information through PinMeTo. This means that you let the shops and workshops focus on what they do best: providing outstanding car service and spare parts. While Mekonomen Company's communications department and MediaCom/GroupM take care of the technical part of creating uniformity and maximizing the company's local SEO for the automotive industry.

Proofreading before publishing

When suggestions for changes can come from different parts of the organization, it is necessary to have a node that ensures that all information is correct, and follows the company's strategy. Mekonomen Company and MediaCom/GroupM used PinMeTo to review all location data before publishing it to different search engines and social networks.

What MediaCom/GroupM did to achieve this

MediaCom/GroupM supported Mekonomen Company by establishing and developing Mekonomen Company's location marketing for the automotive industry strategic roadmap with the focus on Location management, Local search, Data & insights, leading to better customer digital experience and visibility on search engines and maps.

“It’s been a great opportunity for us to leverage our capabilities and partnership with PinMeTo to drive efficiency and results for the client on the operational side but also following through their long-term strategic roadmap, and therefore grow with our clients and partners.” - Zahra Alikahi, Head of Owned Media CX & Tech at MediaCom/GroupM

Björn Handell, Head of Customer Success, replied:

From PinMeTo’s perspective, it is great to see the impact of an agency working with PinMeTo on the customers' behalf. MediaCom/GroupM are experts on topics that are directly related to PinMeTo’s capabilities as well as a lot of things that go beyond what we as a software company provide.

I think the results speak for themselves. While we can proudly take credit for parts of it, I think that MediaCom/GroupM’s effort has had an important impact on the great results. They provide a layer of customer/project-related planning, data analysis, project management, and a large value stream that goes beyond what PinMeTo as a SaaS company can do.