Auto Repair and Maintenance

Having worked in the automotive repair business, I have seen some pretty outrageous repair bills. One of the hardest things to see is someone having financial trouble, blind sided by an unexpected car expense. It’s true the costs of automotive repair can be devastating, but with the help of auto repair financing, you can ease the strain on your wallet.

A car is most often the second largest purchase a person will make in their lifetime, the largest being their house. Just like a house, a car needs to be maintained in order to preserve it’s functionality. As we all know, the costs of maintaining a vehicle over the course of it’s lifetime, can sometimes add up to more than the original purchase price. It’s almost impossible to plan for every single repair expense, so auto repair financing can be a convenient option.

I first discovered car repair financing when I first started out in the repair business. Our economy was going through some tough times, and so we implemented a payment plan into our services. The idea was extremely successful, and helped out a lot of people who were in serious need of assistance. Eventually there would come a time when I took advantage of loans for automotive repair, and benefited greatly from them.

Loans for car repair allow you to take your mind off of your inevitable repair bills, and focus on the more important things in life. It’s always great to know that if you need help, someone or something is there to back you up. That’s exactly what car repair loans will do, they ease your mind and more importantly guarantee your vehicle is in proper working order. There is no point in spending all that money on your dream car, just to have it sit in the driveway because you can’t afford the repairs.

It should be known that auto repair financing is not the same thing as a vehicle warranty. A vehicle warranty is more like an insurance policy that you pay for up front. A loan for auto repair is much different, and in some cases better, because you don’t have to worry about covered repairs. As most of us know, insurance companies and warranty companies love to find any reason they can think of not to pay. Even with the best coverage, you might find that your repair might not be covered. With loans for auto repair, it doesn’t matter what the repair is, all that’s required is that you pay back the money based on the agreed terms.

As you can see, auto repair financing can be the perfect choice for those of us with mounting auto repair bills. Like with any loan, it’s best to do your research before entering into any type of agreement.

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!