Without a doubt, Elon Musk has changed the social media landscape. Since his takeover of Twitter, he has instituted policies that are being echoed across some social media platforms—paid verification, anyone?—from which we may never digress. And for years, marketing companies have been on the digital curbside like virtual street preachers warning business owners to turn from their sin of using social media sites as their primary vehicle of customer outreach.
At its best (and maybe purest), social media is a tool designed to engage customers to draw traffic from these platforms back to your website. They should work together in an ecosystem with your website as the hub and your other tools as spokes extending from the center to give you a balanced marketing wheel.
A well-designed and maintained website has the potential to function like a digital service advisor and generate money for your shop long after you’ve locked up for the day. To explain why this is important and how to create a better customer experience through your website, we turned to three industry experts in, “How to Put Your Website to Work."
(And if you're curious about how often other shop owners update their websites, our Numbers column can you get you up to speed on that information. You might also find it shocking that 11% of auto repair shops still don’t have a website).
On the human side of business, Ratchet+Wrench spoke to top-performing service advisors—each generating upwards of $2 million or more—this month to find out what it takes to be in the upper echelon of their field. From mindset and communication to an insatiable thirst for knowledge, they shared their best tips in this month’s feature “Million-Dollar Advice."
Along the lines of money, Dennis McCarron, an industry finance expert with Cardinal Brokers, talked about how shops can overcome the recession and much of that begins at the front counter. In “Reframing the Recession," he explains why focusing on exemplary customer service, listening to the needs of your customer, and understanding their financial situation while maintaining your company standard are the key ingredients for standing tall during economic uncertainty.
Well, that’s it from me. I hope you enjoy the rest of the issue. We’ve covered a range of pertinent topics that I think you’ll enjoy.
