Innovate your Digital Presence in 2023 or You’ll be Left Behind.
When did you last look at your business's digital ecosystem?
Actually - do you know what I mean by that?
It’s basically anything digital that you use to promote and run your business.
“...a group of interconnected information technology resources that can function as a unit.”
Not just your website, not just your social media, not just how you upload your latest online listings, not just your logo, not just your email signature…
I mean ALL online digital platforms your business uses and how they all work and communicate together.
For me, in the past, it was always a bit of a piecemeal job.
It would seem like I’d finally get one part working, or focus on one area of the business only to have to move swiftly to another.
Or other areas would suffer as I focused on one and by the time I went back to review the first, it already needed an upgrade and more work again!
It’s like spinning plates. They need to all be spinning at the same time.
The reality is - most of us are not as digitally savvy as we need to be. We are not bringing all our digital ‘plates’ together at the same time, to operate as one ecosystem.
Let alone the reality of life in an auto recycling business - we just don’t have enough time to do what we do know - how are we supposed to find time to work on the digital part of our business?
And we DO need all those plates spinning at the same time!
I know that when I did, the return and results were huge for APS. It was a big leap of faith for me to trust an external marketing team, but once I did it paid dividends.
Not only in results for my business, but in freeing up my time to concentrate on the areas I’m good at - rather than wasting time trying to work things out that I could just hand to professionals! The opportunity cost of trying to do this well (unlikely) was that I was dropping the ball on other high value activity I could have been doing.
Think of it this way - would you put your best sales person into the yard dismantling cars? Wouldn’t be the best use of their time, would it?
Now that, together with my digital team, we have our digital ecosystem ticking along nicely, we have been able to innovate at rapid speed. You will have noticed that we are also releasing new and exciting high-value products and services to the market. This is because we have specialists focussing on their specialty, rather than a wide receiver trying to be the quarterback or vice versa.
And I’d like to help you do the same.
So how can an Auto Recycler like yourself improve their digital ecosystem to drive innovation and profitability in 2023?
Here are my top 5 Digital Recommendations for Auto Recyclers in 2023:
Update Your Website
Your website is your hero online feature. But when did you last refresh your website? Do you have the capability to sell parts online? Is it mobile optimized? When did you last update the copy to ensure Google can find you? These are really important functions that every website must have in 2023. Without them, you could be losing sales.
Did you know that 81% of retail shoppers conduct online research before buying? Customers research online before purchasing.
If you want to grow your sales, you can’t rely on doing business the same way you always have, because your competitors are no longer just ‘Joe from down the block’.
Your competitors are now based all across the country (and world) and they are selling the same parts as you.
What if their website promises and promotes everything your website doesn't? Let alone finding you in the first place?
Make 2023 the year you review and update your website. There are affordable and effective solutions out there.
In fact Our APS digital team have recently started working with a number of recyclers to improve their websites - from copywriting to design and functionality and I’m really excited to see these all coming to life!
It’s exciting to see Auto Recyclers with modern, refreshed websites, resulting in more phone calls and more online sales.
When we look at Auto Recyclers websites, it’s also about reviewing how it connects to other parts of your business. Does it work effectively as one part of your digital ecosystem? Your website needs to be directing people to take action, and it needs to be talking to other functions and the actions you want customers to take!!
2. Sell Online
Are you selling your parts online yet? By using online listings, and selling in online marketplaces like eBay and Facebook Marketplace, you can reach the maximum number of customers to ensure more sales and more profitability. We’ve had customers increase their sales by over 30% by simply introducing ecommerce functionality. That’s not a typo. 30% increase in sales!
To see these kinds of results, your online listings, for example on eBay,need to be optimized, and working as one part of your ecosystem. Your online listings need to be supported by your website and online traffic. They also need to be uploaded regularly and entered correctly.
Your inventory and eBay listings need to have all of the relevant Manufacturer Part Numbers (MPNs). If they do not, I can guarantee that you're losing visibility and sales. I work closely with eBay to ensure that our customers are getting this important date right, because if you miss it, your parts may not be found at all.
I know that listing parts online can be difficult, time consuming and expensive. However with the advances in technology these days, you don’t have to have a member of staff sitting in your yard manually entering this data.
Have you considered a remote staff solution?
3.Remote Staffing
Due to digital advancements you don’t need someone physically in your yard for many jobs. Especially the online, data entry-type jobs (I haven’t worked out a way to dismantle a car remotely via a robot at an affordable cost…yet).
Your sales team, online parts listing team, salvage previewing team and purchasing team - even your social media and email marketing can all be outsourced to a remote team. And not just anyone, APS have a highly successful team of over a 100 staff members who are trained and work exclusively in the auto recycling industry.
Not only is this a much more economical way to staff your business and grow your team (say goodbye to HR costs, training days, holiday pay, health care benefits as well as paying for the actual desk and office technology), using a remote team, enables you to free up more of your own time to spend it where your business needs you most.
If your digital ecosystem is set up, so they can operate in your business while not being physically there, there is minimal fuss introducing a remote team to your business.
4.Social Media
This is one of the more underused tools an Auto Recycler has in their toolbox. If your new customers can’t find you on social media, where do you establish the trust? What about your existing customers, how can you retain their loyalty and stay front of mind if you aren’t keeping them up to date with your business and products? Without regular social media, you are missing out on establishing social proof online While more and more of your competitors are and therefore building these relationships with your customers.
Here’s the thing - no one is going to open their wallet for a stranger who shows up in their inbox or Facebook once in a while and tries to sell them a part they are not sure they want or need.
You need to build knowledge and trust with your customers with consistent, strategic and quality content over time.
The reality is: it’s the small, tiny incremental things that you do regularly that make all the difference.
Will one social post alone go viral and make you famous?
Unlikely, but it can…..
If you update your website once a year, will that help your SEO results?
Unlikely…
Will one email make you $100,000 in sales?
Unlikely, but not impossible……
It’s doing all these things together and regularly that will make all the difference.
> Your audience will start to trust you.
> Google will start to trust you.
> More people will find you
5. Online Appearance
Did you know that how you look online can influence buyers? I know I already touched on websites, but there is more to your online appearance than just your website. You need brand consistency, so people can easily recognise you across the platforms. So while you need to look at your website, you also need to look at your eBay templates and your social media to ensure consistency.
Are you using videos? Who takes your photos of parts and stock? These often seem like tiny details that don’t have any real influence on customers, but I can guarantee that I have seen first hand how improving your photos, and introducing video will increase your sales.
Don’t look too far for the evidence. If you see a part on line that is dirty, looks unkept, sitting on its side with rubbish in the background, then compare it to another that has been cleaned and looks well presented, which one would you buy?
The automotive industry has continued to transform over recent years. It’s an exciting time to be in the Auto Recycling Industry. I can see so much change and so much more is to come. However, I would be lying if I didn't say it concerns me when I see yards who aren’t keeping up with the digital transformation. You know the saying, if you can beat ‘em, join ‘em. Well you certainly won’t be beating anyone if you aren’t competing with them in the digital space!
If you want to chat about your website, your eBay store and online listings, social media or to look at your staffing options, you know I am only a Zoom call away.