Often over the past few years, whenever Service Dealer looks for feedback from readers as to what they perceive as the greatest threats to their business, there are a couple of answers that dominate.

First and foremost it's the weather. Even these past couple of weeks, in the midst of this unprecedented worldwide pandemic, we began to hear on our conference calls with dealers and manufacturers, concerns being raised regarding the effects of the long dry spell. This was from both domestic and agricultural machinery dealers. And these concerns follow on from those expressed over the particularly wet winter! So I think we can all agree, the weather will always be top of the threat charts!

What we repeatedly hear next on the list of concerns, is this catch-all term, 'the internet'. Not wanting to put words in the mouths of readers, but one has to presume what's specifically being referred to here are the online only retailers, who deal in mass nationwide selling, offering huge, uncompetitive discounts.

In the olden days when I first started working on the magazine, this type of threat would have come from the large DIY multiples, or 'sheds' as they were termed. I imagine in those days it would have felt like much more of a 'David and Goliath' one-sided battle, taking on the might of the local superstore. All the advantages of wide-scale advertising and marketing clout would've been in the hands of those guys.

Today, this notion of 'the internet' as the adversary, might actually be somewhat inaccurate. All of the advantages the online world can offer in terms of reaching and interacting with the local customer base, are available to dealers of any size, at little to no cost.

We have heard many times during this outbreak how a well-functioning website and intelligently-run social media channels have been proving invaluable to so many dealers around the country. We've been told how some have perhaps had to experience quite a steep learning curve to get their offerings up to speed - but once they have, they've quickly reaped the benefits.

There was a fabulous illustration of this from a completely different industry, on the BBC website this week. If you've got a couple of minutes today watch this short film about a chain of fish & chip shops having to rethink their business model under covid. This particular company is now offering online access to click & collect or delivery for the first time. Very obvious parallels can be drawn to the dealer network, where a blend of bricks and mortar, supported by quality online facilities was demanded by circumstance, and appreciated by customers.

Of course many dealers are well on top of all this and have been for some time. Others I imagine, are a little more unsure and relatively new to the game. Which is why Service Dealer is very pleased to today be launching the free Dealer Digital Toolkit.

The resource has been created by the communications and marketing experts at TAP who own Service Dealer - so I feel I'm allowed to be complimentary! And I must say, it's an incredibly impressive tool they've put together. The content designed to help dealers manage their online presence, covering areas such as social media and improving websites, is clear, jargon-free and comprehensive. It also looks amazing with great use of helpful videos throughout.

Service Dealer and TAP owner Duncan Murray-Clarke said he and his team wanted to produce something that could be used by the network for practical, immediate benefit. There is information within the toolkit which is without a doubt easily actionable, to help gain a competitive advantage straight away.

Also, making sure that the information isn't just a generic 'how to' guide, TAP enlisted the help of some award-winning dealers to share their best practice and top-tips advice.

If you take a look at the Toolkit today you'll see the first five sections (About This Toolkit; Social Media Importance; Getting Started; Generating Content; Creating Successful Posts) are all up there to browse through. Five further sections, expanding the coverage of the Toolkit, will be released weekly.

Illustrating I think, just what a valuable development the Toolkit is, is the cross-industry support which it has received from manufacturers, suppliers and business support services, who have chosen to sponsor. Service Dealer passes on our thanks to those companies.

So do take a look at the Toolkit today. If there's some areas you feel confident in already, just skip over those. There may be some elements though which you feel less familiar with, or would like some extra inspiration on, which you may find useful.

As we move through the changed times ahead, the phrase 'this is how we've always done it', is unlikely to apply anymore. Any tool at a business's disposal which can help, surely must be utilised?

If that means embracing the internet and social media more fully than before, why not give it a go?!