Greetings,
If you’re reading this you obviously already know about our company newsletter. Most companies have one these days so we’re hardly breaking any new ground there. But I think our newsletter, like our company, is unlike any other and I’d like to tell you why.
Newsletters are a great way for companies to communicate with their customers about sales and special offers, issues affecting their business specialty, or even tips to get the most out of their product or service. The problem is making (or keeping) them fresh, readable, and relatable. You care about plumbers when your drain backs up, but do you really want to read about breakthroughs in sewer technology every month? Nothing’s more important than news from your accountant in March, but how badly do you want to hear from them in September? You see the problem. To be effective communication a newsletter has to be something you want to read (or at least check in on) month after month. Some companies solve this by personalizing general interest newsletter templates but we’ve essentially chosen to write and publish our own magazine instead.
No one person could do this alone. It’s a team effort every month but a large share of the credit (and blame) goes to our Outreach Advisor Charles Letherwood, who writes and assembles much of the newsletter. He’s not a car person but he has a wide range of interests outside the shop, and that’s his big value to us. When he writes about cars he writes from our clients’ point of view, asking the questions they’d ask, and getting the answers from a team of professionals. When he writes about other subjects I consult on the more provocative articles, but many of the more eclectic ones are from him alone. As a bonus, he does all the little illustrations for the buttons in each of our articles. Good or bad, Charles is responsible for much of the stuff you’ll read.
But as I said this is far from a one-person job, and our Funny Page features two of our biggest other contributors. Keith Tucker is an Emmy-award-winning cartoonist and animator who creates one of his “What NOW?!! Toons” special-to-us each month, and Jen Rombach is a Portland artist who uses cut paper to create amazing, original “More Or Less” word puzzles. The Funny Page has an archive of both of their work (and much more) going back 5 years.
You may have met the last member of our team, Kyle Speers, at the front counter when you picked up your vehicle. He’s the Service Advisor who took over Drew’s Kitchen when Drew retired several years ago, and he’s made it all his own. He brings you some of the best recipes from around the InterTubes but isn’t afraid to share some of his personal creations as well.
And we have more contributors from around the world in our Popcorn shorts section. Every month we’ll share the work of authors, reporters, and bloggers from around the world as we point you to some of their most interesting stories on the most interesting subjects we can find.
“Your Car Matters” (did you know our newsletter had a name?) is a huge undertaking, but I’m very proud of it and I think it’s well worth your while. If you just check in occasionally, please take a few minutes to scroll through this month’s “Closing out 2023. Opening the door to 24” and see everything we’ve done since last January. Our promise to you is that Your Car Matters is unlike any other company newsletter you’ve ever read, but I think it’s more than that… I think it’s something you’ll actually enjoy reading, too.
Make a great day,
Digging Deeper…
