What is actually being sold People do not choose a shop by the price of an oil change. They choose someone they can trust with the car and who will not invent extra work. So all advertising here comes down to one thing: showing that you are clear and honest. Hence the tools: transparent prices, a diagnostic with an explanation, a video from the bay where the mechanic shows what is wrong. # Three types of customers ## Urgent It will not start, it knocks, a light came on. They search right now, on maps and in search, and call down the list. What decides it: do you pick up, can you take them today, will you give an approximate figure. ## Planned Oil, brakes, seasonal prep, inspection. The decision gets postponed, so reminders and social work. ## Referrals The most loyal. Advertising cannot buy them, but you can avoid losing them: reviews, careful work, staying in touch after the visit. # The first visit A new customer needs an inexpensive, clear reason to come in. Usually a diagnostic or a basic service at a fair price with a clear outcome. Important: do not turn the first visit into bait followed by upselling. Word travels fast in this business, and everybody reads reviews. # What to show - Short videos: a mechanic holding a part and explaining what happened to it. - Prices for basic work right on the site. - Photos of the shop: clean, equipment visible, people visible. - Reviews that mention the specific job and the make of car. Generic lines about experience and quality do nothing: everyone writes them. # What to count Calls are not a result. Count visits and average ticket. Useful numbers: 1. How many calls became appointments. 2. How many appointments showed up. 3. Average ticket on the first visit and on later ones. 4. How many customers returned within a year. The last one matters most. If a solid share returns, you can afford expensive advertising. If nobody returns, the problem is not the ads, it is the service. # Reminders A simple thing almost nobody does: message a customer six months later that an oil change is due and offer a time. It costs nothing and brings back part of your base. For that you need a list of customers with the date of their visit and the car. A spreadsheet is enough. # Geography and maps People rarely take a car far unless you are a narrow specialist. A radius around the shop and the maps profile carry the main flow. Essentials: accurate hours, phone, photos, replies to reviews. Answer the bad ones too, calmly and factually: future customers read them. # Where to start 1. Publish prices for basic work. 2. Shoot five short videos explaining typical faults. 3. Update the maps profile and ask regulars for reviews. 4. Keep a customer list with visit dates so you can remind them. 5. Run ads on a tight radius with a clear first visit offer. On a review call we work out what a first visit costs in your city and when it pays back once repeat visits are counted.
