Ad Spend, Explained

Where your ad dollars go — and what they bring back.

Ad budget isn't the same as our fee. It's money you set aside to put your shop in front of nearby customers, and it stays in your own account. Here's exactly how it turns into booked jobs, in numbers you can check yourself.

01 The simple version

Budget in. Cars out.

At a recommended $50/day, here's roughly what a month looks like. Every step is an estimate you can hold us to.

Monthly ad budget
$1,520
you fund this
New leads (calls & bookings)
~50
people who reach out
Booked jobs
~15
cars in the bay

Not every lead books, and that's normal — the goal is that each booked job costs far less than it's worth.

02 Pick a starting point

Three budgets to choose from.

Tap one to load it into the calculator below. Notice the cost per booked job stays about the same — a bigger budget mostly buys more customers, not pricier ones.

Lean
$25/day
≈ $760/mo
Leads ~25
Booked jobs ~8
Cost / job ~$100
Recommended
$50/day
≈ $1,520/mo
Leads ~50
Booked jobs ~15
Cost / job ~$100
Aggressive
$100/day
≈ $3,040/mo
Leads ~101
Booked jobs ~30
Cost / job ~$100

We suggest starting at $50/day on one focused offer, then scaling up once it's profitable.

03 Run your own numbers

Your shop, your math.

Slide the budget and drop in your own numbers. Everything updates live.

$50$1,520 / mo
Avg. job value ($)
Cost per lead ($)
Leads that book (%)
Leads / month
50
Booked jobs
15
Cost per customer
$100
Est. revenue
$5,250
3.5x
For every $1 in ad spend, an estimated $3.50 comes back in first-visit revenue — before any repeat business.
04 The part most shops miss

A customer is worth more than one visit.

That cost-per-customer number only counts the first job. A driver who trusts your shop comes back for the next oil change, the next brake job, the next repair — and tells friends. Paying ~$100 to earn a customer who spends hundreds a year, for years, is how the math really works in your favor.

05 Honest assumptions

These are estimates, not promises. Real results depend on your offer, your area, your reviews, and the season.
The first 2–4 weeks are a warm-up. Ad platforms need time to learn who responds, so early numbers run higher and settle as we optimize.
One focused offer beats five thin ones. We put your budget behind a single strong promotion at a time, then rotate — spreading it across every service at once wastes money.
Defaults shown: $30 cost per lead, 30% of leads book, $350 average job. Adjust the calculator to match your shop — body work and collision jobs run far higher.

Let's set the right budget for your shop.

We'll look at your area and services together and pick a starting number that pays for itself.

Plan My Ad Budget
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