Try NextDoor.com for good results

[CJPrecisionAutomotive]

When I opened my shop many years ago I used NextDoor.com to place some free ads and within the first month had 8 new clients, the following months provided similar results but then I had previous clients referring friends and family. By the time I shut my doors during Covid I had 125 regular customers throughout the year and a large number of one-time services.
Unfortunately, the banks and landlord couldn't wait for covid to end and my business to come back. I now work as a lead detailer at a Chevy dealership making very good money plus I do exclusive private details so at 51 it could be much worse!

 

[Jacksonv]

Free ads on NextDoor? If I was looking for a detailer, I might do a search on NextDoor and see if anything comes up.

 

[CJPrecisionAutomotive]

I used NextDoor exclusively for a long time with great results.
I just posted in the classifieds section. I eventually switched to paid ads because I felt guilty that I got so much free business.
I like Nextdoor because I reached those in my direct community and there was no competition at first.

 

[Armadillo auto spa]

I don't think Next door is what it was during its "glory days" I recently posted an add and it cost me 100 dollars for a month. I got very little views and zero customers. The app itself feels very clunky and I realized the other day that I had messages from months ago that I was never notified about. I feel like its not as saturated with detailers as something like Facebook so it might be a good place to get some customers but I guess I haven't figured it out yet. I've now had a next door page for my business for about a year I post fairly often about once a week and my dashboard shows zero visits but somehow I've received messages at some point. I'm not sure how someone could send me a message without visiting my page.

 

[CJPrecisionAutomotive]

Very sorry to hear that. My local nextdoor area is a thriving community and still has viability. I guess it depends on your chosen area. I know a few detailers using it outside my area with great success, but I have seen they are less tolerant now than before of businesses using it without using paid ads. It's a shame because I had tremendous success when I started using it but again that was years ago.

 

[Armadillo auto spa]

Very sorry to hear that. My local nextdoor area is a thriving community and still has viability. I guess it depends on your chosen area. I know a few detailers using it outside my area with great success, but I have seen they are less tolerant now than before of businesses using it without using paid ads. It's a shame because I had tremendous success when I started using it but again that was years ago.

It’s funny I saw this today. Just this week I reached out to Next door customer service concerning the lack of drive to my page. I mentioned that my dashboard shows zero views even though I’ve paid for ads and been fairly active. They confirmed there was something wrong with my page and there I.T. Department got involved. Almost instantly, like within a few days I started to see a dramatic uptick in traffic and messages from potential clients. Thanks for mentioning your success with Next door I was about to give up on them.

 

[CJPrecisionAutomotive]

I'm glad you resolved the problem. It's always good to stay on top of the views. You did the right thing staying proactive. I wish you nothing but success. Stay positive and make a plan early on how to stay busy year-round. For me I was able to secure a few used car lots and the local police department to carry me through the winter here in PA.
I invite you to check out my columns in Auto Detailing News. Fall 2023, Winter 2023, Spring 2024 and Summer 2024.