Past Articles

{These are tough economic times for our beloved automotive industry.  Do you remember when the auto business was fun?

Seems to be the running joke right now. We will persevere, but we do have to start thinking of a better way to earn

additional cash flow for your shop. I have 25 years in the automotive industry and have seen times change that's for

sure. Even the internet rules have changed for us.



One of the most powerful tools today is ARTICLE MARKETING. As the consumer knows 90% of what they want; they still

want to kick the tires or search for better pricing. They read articles on how to service their vehicles and what

they think should be a ball park price. We can still use fancy part names but they can still look up what you did

and was it needed. They are better educated! You don't even need to pay for a website anymore - you can build one

for free! My suggestion is a blog to build trust and loyalty. But you can still have a website. If nothing else

you would need a website just to put on your business cards. That is an article for another day. You connect your

articles and post them to different directories which moves you up the search engines. Key words are also the

most important!



Article Marketing will educate your customer! People are searching for information and you need to provide it. There

are probably ten shops within five miles of you so what is going to make you stick out? The way article marketing

works is people scan the internet in Google "auto shop in Mt Pleasant" and Google will bring up thousands - most not

even in your local area! They do this through pay programs or article marketing. Articles will let you educate the

internet surfer and at the end of the article let them know who you are and how you can service their vehicle. I

know I would go to the helpful shop before someone I can't even find on the net. Write an article about the

importance of an oil change every three thousand miles or even better if the customer went OVER the suggested

mileage and you let them know it's not too late. There's so many article topics that you could write about to

get the customers attention.



Do you have to be a pro at writing? No. Today's programs can help clean up the work. You just have to know what you

are talking about. Your other goal is to let the customer know that you are a professional shop with all

the tech's trained to service their vehicle. What services do you have that others do not have? Do you have a customer

loyalty program? Coupons? This is very important to the reader and will separate you from Billy down the street.

I would be glad to help.