So, you want to get more cars in your shop to increase your revenues is that correct? Auto repair marketing via the internet is a great way to get more local customers into your shop! Online marketing has grown leaps and bounds in the last few years, and with phone books and Yellow Pages fast becoming obsolete, internet marketing is where the real profits are for auto shops. Here I want to share with you 5 auto repair advertising ideas that you can implement into your business to drastically improve the number of cars you service on a monthly basis!
1. You must have a website, and it needs to be designed using the WordPress platform. Most websites are basically just “flyers,” but with WordPress you can create great looking websites, integrate a business blog, install a form that automatically acquires leads for you, and integrate your website with Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, and other online marketing channels. Sounds pretty cool huh? The sad part is that typically an automotive repair shop will hire a web designer, and he will design a website as cheaply as possible and charge a large sum for the work. The web designer is not a marketing consultant, so instead of designing a marketing machine based on tested internet marketing principles, he simply designs a static site that is not conducive to internet marketing. I see it all of the time when I am look at people who are pushing auto repair marketing services.
2. One of the best auto repair advertising ideas revolves around social media. Websites such as Twitter and Facebook are really taking off, and smart auto shops are using these auto repair marketing platforms to promote their business and acquire new customers. The obvious question is “how can an auto repair shop benefit from Twitter and Facebook marketing?” Those sites are for kids right? Wrong! Facebook has millions of adults logging in on a daily basis, as does Twitter. By being on these sites, you are instantly in front of a large portion of your local or regional audience. Guess what happens when Sally needs a new transmission, brakes, etc. and she sees your businesses profile on Facebook? You have a new customer! Do a good job repairing her vehicle, and she comes back time and time again. This one person seeing your business profile on Facebook or Twitter could easily be worth thousands of dollars to your business!
3. Your website needs to appear in local search results on Google. It is not easy to get listed on the first page of Google and Yahoo, but with some good marketing it can be done. For instance, I am an independent marketing consultant in Atlanta, and I rank #1 on Google for the term “Atlanta independent marketing consultant.” In addition to this, I rank #2 on Yahoo for “Atlanta marketing consultant.” Trust me, having your website ranking highly for local keyword phrases can bring you a ton of new business! This is auto repair marketing at its finest! I have beat out over 2,000 websites to get those rankings, so don’t you think I could help your auto repair shop marketing efforts?
4. Another great auto repair marketing idea is writing information articles and press releases. I imagine you do not have the time to write articles, and certainly do not have the time to put together a well written press release. The good news is that you can get marketing firms to do this for you at a very reasonable price. I have written hundreds of articles promoting by marketing consulting business, and I can tell you it is an impactful and very affordable method to market your auto repair shop online.
These are just a few auto repair advertising ideas that you can add to your auto repair marketing arsenal. The best thing is to hire a professional marketing consultant who can come in and show you step by step exactly what you need to do to turn your internet marketing efforts into a cash generating machine for your automotive repair business!
Archive for October, 2011
Auto Repair Marketing – 4 Auto Repair Advertising Ideas
Revealed – The 3 Best Spray Painting Techniques You Can Use – Automotive Paint Spray
Once you have decided that you are going to repaint your vehicle then you are going to need to learn the techniques involved in getting a long lasting finish. Of course, the product you are going to need is car spray paint. This comes in a variety of forms, but each one has its own unique way of applying it.
You will find the most common type of car spray paint utilizes compressed gas. Then compressed air is used to provide the ability to spray it. There are also a variety of spray guns on the market specifically designed for this type of painting chores.
If you are doing just touchup or a small job then you should find the regular canned spray paint adequate. These are aerosol cans of car spray paint that are highly pressurized. To apply you keep your arm moving as you quickly apply a light coat of the paint to the desired area. Do not hesitate in moving the can as you will end up with runs.
Then you have to the option of using the large spray guns. In this case, the spray gun will combine the paint with the air to acquire the needed pressure. Again, you will only want to apply a light coat and again keep your arm moving. If you don’t keep an even sweep of the paint, you will end up with an inconsistent finish. There is a lot of over spray with this method as about 1/3 will go to the object while 2/3rds goes into the air.
Another type of technique you can use is with a High Volume Low Pressure sprayer. It is very similar to the conventional spray gun except the gun requires less pressure. In this case, though a higher volume of air is needed. This method if you use it properly will mean reduced over spray so more car spray paint will reach the target area. In this case 2/3 rds of the paint will be utilized with 1/3 going into the air. Opinions differ as to whether one like using the HVLP techniques.
For hard to reach areas you can use the electrostatic spray painting. Once again, this method is more efficient for the amount of car spray paint that hit’s the target area.
There are several other methods that are very similar. In regards to techniques it primarily depends on the type of equipment you are using. Most of the equipment used for car spray paint will come with instructions and suggestions. In almost every case though it will recommend several light coats as opposed to one or two heavy ones. The basic techniques of keeping the paint moving will most likely be instructed.
If possible, you may want to practice a little with whatever equipment you decide on. Better to make your mistakes on another object besides your car. If you don’t you could end up with a lot more work than you bargained for.
Automotive Engineering Jobs
Knowledge Requirements
Automotive engineering encompasses mechanical and structural engineering and requires those working within the field to apply the principles of several scientific disciplines. These include physics, structural design, and materials analysis. Automotive engineering jobs also require a strong understanding of manufacturing principles and mechanical system design and operation methods.
These engineers may also need to be knowledgeable in several other areas of engineering, including safety, power, electronics, and software. Many engineers working in the automotive field will specialize in a particular area, allowing them to become experts in their realm. This often results in higher pay and better job security.
Project Leaders
Some of the most well educated, experiences, and skilled automotive engineers are those who are able to oversee projects in new business or product development. These automotive engineering jobs are responsible to leading a design, engineering and manufacturing team that take new products from conceptualization through production. Such engineering roles are highly compensated in the marketplace and also require candidates to have strong “soft” skills in addition to technical know-how.
Communication and leadership are among the soft skills necessary for engineers to be successful in overseeing team-based automotive engineering development projects. While the job market is jam packed with highly skilled technical engineers, it is a wide open playing field for those with a more well-rounded skill set.
Specialties in the Field
There are a number of specialized automotive engineering jobs to be found in the field. These positions may focus on a particular kind of system, structure or function of vehicles, or it may be a certain subset of vehicles.
For example, an automotive engineer may specialize in the design of vehicle bodies, in which case he or she would be required to possess superior knowledge of structural design principles. Or, the engineer may specialize in the development of guidance or navigation systems, in which case he or she would need to be quite knowledgeable in computer science and software applications.
Those engineering jobs that specialize in vehicle subsets may include the design, development, and manufacture of passenger or commercial, land-based transportation vehicles. The engineer may be an expert on passenger or transportation trains, motorcycles, school or public transit buses, passenger cars, or military transport vehicles.
Regardless of the area in which the engineer specializes, he or she may also be an expert within that particular subsector of the automotive engineering field. This means that there are highly knowledgeable engineers who are able to design and develop new components, structures and systems for a specific kind of vehicle. For example, there are automotive engineering jobs that work only with the guidance systems found in military transport vehicles.