The car in the lot is the billboard

Most trades have to describe the result. This one can point at it: a finished car in the lot is the clearest ad a shop has, and most park or photograph it wrong.

Module 3 of the Castells Media academy for contractors: Brand and identity.

The work is visible in a way most trades envy

Five places, one spelling

The photo is part of the brand, not an afterthought

Watermark it, politely

The shop vehicle, if you have one

The five-places count. Anything under five spellings matching means some customers are one search away from not finding you again, or leaving a review under a name that does not match what shows up in a map search.

Do this next: Take one finished car outside this week, in daylight, and shoot it the same way you plan to shoot every car after it. That one photo sets the standard for the whole portfolio.

Written by Castells Media, a marketing agency at 1298 Antelope Creek Drive, Roseville, California, working with home service businesses across the US.

Castells Media Inc, 1298 Antelope Creek Drive, Roseville, California