5 Ways to Market Your Car Wash
As a car wash owner, you have many responsibilities. From managing employees, planning finances and maintaining your equipment, you also have to be your own marketer. Without the right plan in place, your marketing efforts could fall on deaf ears.
By understanding your target audience, your car wash’s unique selling propositions (USPs) and your consistent schedule for campaigns, you can improve your business’s reach in your community. While you may not reach success overnight, these tips can help you follow the path towards running a successful car wash.
Why Marketing Matters For Your Car Wash Business
This may seem like a silly thing to point out, but marketing is important for your business to succeed. If people don’t know you exist, they can’t know to choose you for their car wash needs.
Marketing ensures that your unique brand gets out there in front of the right audience. With a solid plan and consistent, high quality content, you can keep your car wash in the front of people’s minds.
But where is the best place to start? How can you ensure your car wash advertisements get in front of the right people? While there’s no true “one-size-fits-all” answer, there are some common practices that can improve your visibility.
Keep Your Building Clean and Stylish
The best place to start your marketing efforts is on your own home turf.
If possible, invest in making your car wash space as appealing as possible. That means using on-brand colors for your walls and furniture, providing a waiting area with quality televisions and refreshments. Free wi-fi doesn’t hurt either.
You should also prioritize regular cleaning in your building and in your car washes. With the right first impression, you can turn first-time visitors into returning customers. And they can spread the word about your inviting, memorable and clean car wash!
Google Business Profile
Formally known as Google My Business, Google Business Profile is the listing Google displays when people search for your company on their platform. Whether users search for your company name specifically, “car wash near me” or anything in between, this profile can show up in search results and map listings.
Because it can be so prominent, you want to take the time to ensure it makes a good impression. People will search for your car wash wanting the latest details, like hours, price and location. Make sure to include accurate information on your listing, especially when you change prices or close for the holidays.
You can also use your Business Profile to show off positive reviews from happy customers. With Google’s review function, users can give your car wash a rating and written review, along with photos of your space. Make sure to encourage people to leave reviews and respond to them yourself. Even if they’re negative, keep things professional and try to solve the customer’s problem.
With the right time investment, your Google Business Profile can stand out from the rest. And customers can notice that difference.
Local Advertising Reaches The Right People
The best way to improve your business in your immediate area is to get involved with your community. That means posting signs around town or in neighborhoods, hosting and sponsoring local events and maintaining an active social media page.
Signs posted in yards, along roads and in-store shops help to spread the word about your business. Use this opportunity to advertise special deals and get creative with your messages! If it stands out, it’ll stick in people’s minds.
Local events bring the community together to watch sports teams play, families celebrate holidays and support important causes. By either hosting events, like a fundraiser, or sponsoring an event, like a local football team, you can show your commitment to serving the community.
Finally, social media reaches your community where they live most: online. By maintaining an active Facebook or Instagram account, you can reach your target audience through fun posts and informative updates. Use this opportunity to experiment with trends because one might go viral!
Quality Car Wash Website
When people start searching for you online through your local advertising, they’ll want to access your website. You probably have a simple site set-up, or you’re relying on your social media accounts. Either way, having a quality website for your car wash could make or break a potential visit.
Customers want to find out about your prices, hours and location as quickly as possible. If they don’t go through your Google Business Profile, they’ll search your website. If they can’t quickly find that information, they’ll look somewhere else.
If possible, invest in a high-quality website that looks modern, easily adapts to mobile, and loads quickly. Along with making relevant information easy to find, your customers can know just from a quick Google search that you care about their experience.
Loyalty Car Wash Programs
Most people don’t schedule a car wash visit. They notice their car is dirty and plan to stop by one when driving home from work or during the weekend. What if you could encourage them to use your car wash again and again?
With a solid loyalty program, you can entice customers using guaranteed rewards. Whether you use a digital program or a physical stamp card, you can create a way to mark how often visitors come to your car wash in a given period. After so many visits, you could offer them a discount on their next wash, a free car vacuuming or anything else you can think of.
The more unique and rewarding the program is, the more likely customers are to choose you for their car wash.
Put Your Plan to Action
These are just a few of the many ways you can market your car wash and reach a wider audience. The important thing is to keep trying new things and make sure they’re relevant to your target audience.
With enough time and high-quality work, you can improve your business’s visibility.
