Social Media Marketing for Repair Shops That Actually Works

Most repair shop owners know they should be on social media. Most of them also hate doing it. The good news is that repair shops have a natural advantage on social media — before-and-after content is inherently interesting, and people love watching broken things get fixed. The bad news is that posting randomly with no strategy wastes time. This guide gives you a realistic plan.

Why Social Media Works for Repair Shops

Repair is visual. A destroyed power tool brought back to life, a cracked screen replaced flawlessly, a lawn mower engine rebuilt from parts — this is content that stops people mid-scroll.

• Local discovery. Instagram and Facebook show your posts to people near you. A well-tagged post reaches potential customers in your area who never knew you existed.
• Trust building. When a potential customer sees your work on social media, they arrive at your shop already trusting your skills. The sale is easier.
• Referral amplification. Happy customers share your posts and tag friends. One good before-and-after post can reach hundreds of local homeowners and contractors.
• Google signals. Active social profiles with consistent NAP (name, address, phone) information support your local SEO.

Pick Your Platforms

You do not need to be on every platform. Pick one or two and do them well.

Instagram (Best for Most Shops)

Visual-first platform. Perfect for before-and-after photos, Reels showing repairs in progress, and Stories with daily shop life. Best for reaching homeowners and general consumers.

Facebook (Best for Local Reach)

Still the dominant platform for local businesses. Facebook Groups, Marketplace, and local business pages reach an older demographic — which is often your core customer base. Best for community engagement.

TikTok (Best for Viral Reach)

Short-form video platform. Repair content performs exceptionally well on TikTok — satisfying disassembly, cleaning, and reassembly videos regularly get hundreds of thousands of views. Best for brand awareness and reaching a younger audience.

What to Skip

• X/Twitter. Low local discovery, poor for visual content, minimal ROI for local businesses.
• LinkedIn. Only useful if you sell B2B repair services to large companies.
• Pinterest. Not relevant for repair services.

Content That Works

Before-and-After Posts

The bread and butter of repair shop social media. Take a photo of the item when it arrives (dirty, broken, damaged) and another after the repair (clean, working, restored). These posts consistently outperform everything else.

Tips:

• Same angle, same lighting for both photos
• Clean the item before the "after" photo — presentation matters
• Include the brand and model in the caption for search discoverability

Repair Process Videos

30-60 second videos showing the actual repair. Disassembly, part replacement, reassembly, testing. You do not need fancy editing — a phone on a tripod and natural shop lighting is enough.

What performs well:

• Oddly satisfying cleaning and restoration
• Diagnosing a tricky problem and finding the root cause
• Carbon brush replacement (the sparking always gets views)
• Side-by-side old vs. new parts

Educational Content

Position yourself as the expert. Short posts or videos that teach something:

• "3 signs your drill motor is failing"
• "Why your mower will not start after winter storage"
• "Should you repair or replace? The 50% rule"
• "How to maintain your [tool] between professional services"

This content builds trust and attracts customers searching for help.

Behind-the-Scenes

Show the human side of your shop:

• Team introductions
• Shop upgrades or new equipment
• Busy day time-lapses
• Customer pickup reactions (with permission)

The Minimum Viable Posting Schedule

You do not need to post daily. Consistency matters more than frequency.

Realistic Schedule

• 3 posts per week is the sweet spot for most shops
• Monday: Before-and-after of a recent repair
• Wednesday: Educational tip or repair process video
• Friday: Behind-the-scenes or customer story

Batching Content

Dedicate 30 minutes on Monday to plan the week's content. Take photos during repairs throughout the week — do not try to create content after the fact. When a photogenic repair comes through, grab your phone. This is the only sustainable approach.

Use Your Repair Photos

If you are already taking photos at intake and after repair (you should be), you already have content. The same photos that protect you legally double as social media content.

Captions and Hashtags

Captions

Keep them short and conversational. What was wrong, what you did, how it turned out. Do not write essays.

Good caption: "This DeWalt DCD791 came in dead — turned out to be a fried switch, not a motor issue. Saved the customer $200 vs. replacement. 45 minutes on the bench. #powertoolrepair"

Hashtags

Use 5-10 relevant hashtags. Mix broad and local:

• Broad: #powertoolrepair #toolrepair #fixit #repairnotreplace #repairshop
• Local: #[yourcity]repair #[yourcity]tools #[yourstate]smallbusiness
• Brand-specific: #dewalt #milwaukee #makita #stihl

Location Tags

Always tag your location. This is how Instagram and Facebook show your content to nearby users. Tag your shop address, your city, and your neighborhood.

Engaging With Your Community

Posting is half the work. Engagement is the other half.

• Respond to every comment. Even a simple "Thanks!" shows you are active and approachable.
• Reply to DMs quickly. People who DM you about a repair are hot leads. Respond within an hour during business hours.
• Follow local businesses. Contractors, hardware stores, other trade businesses. Engage with their content. They will engage with yours.
• Join local Facebook Groups. Your city's neighborhood group, local contractor groups, buy/sell/trade groups. When someone asks "anyone know a good place to get my drill fixed?" you want to be there.

What Not to Do

• Do not buy followers. Fake followers destroy your engagement rate and make your account look suspicious.
• Do not post stock photos. Authenticity is everything. Your shop, your work, your team.
• Do not be salesy in every post. Follow the 80/20 rule — 80% value (repairs, tips, behind-the-scenes) and 20% promotional (special offers, new services).
• Do not ignore negative comments. Address them professionally and take the conversation offline.
• Do not overthink production quality. A slightly shaky phone video of a real repair outperforms a polished ad every time.

Measuring Results

Track these monthly:

• Follower growth. Are you gaining local followers? Quality over quantity.
• Engagement rate. Likes, comments, shares, and saves. Instagram averages 1-3% for local businesses. Above 3% means your content is resonating.
• DMs and inquiries. How many people are reaching out through social media?
• "How did you hear about us?" Ask every new customer. Track how many say social media.

How Bench Supports Your Social Media

You are already creating content during your repair workflow — you just need to use it:

• Repair photos. Photos taken during intake and throughout the repair are stored with each repair record. Use them for before-and-after posts.
• Completed repairs feed. Your completed repairs list is a content calendar. Every completed repair is a potential post.
• Google Review automation. A strong Google review profile reinforces your social media presence. Bench automates review requests after every pickup.

Start This Week

Pick one platform. Take before-and-after photos of your next three repairs. Post them with short captions and location tags. That is your first week of content. Do it consistently for 90 days and you will see a measurable increase in new customers who found you through social media. It is not complicated — it just requires showing up.