Marketing Manager | Business & Content/Comms Turnaround | Digital Strategy & Growth

The Company

Extreme Metal & Paint, a classic car restoration and customization shop, was a rising star in the hot rod industry featured in magazines and television show until the 2008 recession when business all but stopped. They survived the worst but never got back to a place with strong margins. I was brought in to bring the company's digital marketing strategy up to modern standards, but first, I had to address foundational operations, service, and communication breakdowns that were sabotaging customer relationships and profitability.

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The Challenge

• No project onboarding, exit, or billing procedures—leading to 30–70% profit loss per project

• Negative word-of-mouth due to inconsistant billing and a lack of transparency

• Outdated website, weak brand presence, and inconsistent digital engagement

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Strategic Initiatives

1. Operational Governance & Change Management

• Partnered directly with leadership to overhaul internal operations, establishing transparent customer onboarding, billing, and project-exit protocols.

• Authored formal service contracts and change-management policies, mitigating communication breakdowns, establishing clear scope boundaries, and eliminating project profit loss.

• Trained shop and administrative teams on standard operating procedures, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, and transparent communication protocols.

• Restructured billing workflows to introduce weekly transparent invoicing, increasing cash flow predictability and drastically reducing payment disputes.

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2. Brand Modernization & Digital Infrastructure

• Redesigned digital ecosystem for UX, SEO, and conversion rate optimization, building a modern digital presence for high-consideration buyers.

• Commissioned brand identity updates and introduced integrated e-commerce capabilities and branded merchandise lines.

• Built dynamic visual asset libraries (photo/video storytelling) showcasing high-craftsmanship restorations to build trust and social proof.

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3. Multi-Channel Content & Strategic Comms

• Engineered multi-channel audience engagement strategy across Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

• Developed brand style guidelines, editorial calendars, and content governance frameworks to ensure long-term brand consistency.

• Coached internal staff on customer communication standards and digital storytelling best practices.

 

Results 

Revenue Scale & Business Impact

• Doubled annual gross revenue (+100%) within the first year of strategy deployment.

• Expanded top customer spend from ~$50K to $800K+ by building high-trust customer journeys and transparent communications.

• Achieved business growth enabling investment in advanced tooling, employee health benefits, expanded headcount, and paid staff training.

Operational Governance & Risk Mitigation

• Drastically reduced refund requests, billing disputes, and unpaid invoices through scope alignment and contract governance.

• Drove the company’s first sustained margin and revenue growth since the 2008 recession.

Brand Equity & Customer Advocacy

• Rebuilt brand reputation, shifting customer sentiment to generate positive public reviews, strong organic referrals, and long-term brand advocates.

• Secured top Google organic rankings and a 90% increase in qualified inbound inquiries.