Winter Marketing Strategies for Your Car Wash
The winter rush is coming!
Winter is a busy time for car washes. During cold months and snowy days, people are less likely to want to wash their own cars. Plus, with all the ice and sand on the road, cars need washing more frequently.
That means this is a most wonderful time of year for marketing promotions that inform your audience of the benefits to washing in winter. You can also draw in more dive-by traffic by transforming your tunnel car wash into a winter wonderland design.
Before your car wash business is bombarded, though, you will want to make sure it is operating efficiently and profitably.
This is exactly why you should:
- Develop marketing strategies that align with the season
- Prepare your staff for winter challenges
- Consider promotional campaigns for the end of the year
Washing During the Winter Rush – Challenges
Motorists are more likely to visit a car wash to rid their car of that inevitable salt, sand, grime, oil, and the chemicals and abrasives that are found in road deicers. These substances that attach themselves on any vehicular surface in the wintertime are certainly going to give your car wash a larger customer base.
Because brisk wind, rain and snowfall during the winter can bring up these substances, cleaning challenges can arise. Be sure that your car wash is offering an added premium protection, such as waxing services, to the car wash services to protect your customers’ cars against these harsher elements.
Additionally, you will want to confirm that both your staff is trained for winter time preparation and your equipment is up to the season. During slower times, it is important that the business is proactive in fall and winter upkeep. If there are any repairs, replacements or updates you have been wanting to make to your car wash to keep it accessible and available this season, now is the time to do it.
Winter Wonderland Marketing
Now that it is winter, your car wash is open for some marketing suited for the season! End of the year sales are taking the car wash community by snowstorm and winter marketing strategies are enabling small businesses to yield larger, holiday bonus-sized revenues.
Is Holiday Delight Washing Over your Business?
The approach of winter means the rise of all holiday-related activities. We have compiled easy and efficient ways to take advantage of the holiday season as a car wash.
1. Decorating your car wash with the beloved Christmas lights and decorations
When you decorate your car wash, it invites your customers to partake in that holiday joy. Making your car wash a fun and interactive experience can almost guarantee customer satisfaction and retention. Simple light decorations leading up to the car wash tunnel, within the car wash tunnel and surrounding the self-service stations, can bring customers to not only wash their vehicles, but enjoy a holiday experience at their local car wash. We recommend changing the lights within your car wash tunnel to be exclusively red and green to match the Christmas theme.
2. Dressing your employees as elves, a Santa and/or a Grinch
What’s a proper holiday experience if there aren’t any elves? Another easy way to help market your car wash in a fun and festive way is getting your staff in costume. Customers will enjoy the holiday interaction from a business that is community-oriented. These simple changes for the season can lead to higher customer loyalty in the future.
3. Make your holiday decor inclusive of other holidays
When a business is community and customer-oriented, they yield better results. Inclusive holiday decor allows your car wash to make a statement about caring about all of your customers!
Winter: a Season for Promotional Drives
Winter is also the season of giving. This time of year is perfect for promotional drives for your business. Consider marketing gift cards as holiday gifts for customers and potential customers, using coupons on services and discounts for membership rates. Social media is a perfect avenue for promotional materials, as well as email and mail to build customized rapport and eventual, if not current, customer loyalty.
Internal Management During the Season
To best equip your car wash for the winter, it begins with your staff. Make sure your employees have been trained properly so they know what to do during the colder months. You’ll want your staff prepared for the increased business and unique winter challenges that will arise in the upcoming months.
Managing your car wash from the inside is especially important when it comes to the functionality of your equipment in the winter. Be sure to do the following for internal upkeep:
- Replace damaged parts
- Check fluid levels
- Clean scale build up
- Measure car wash performance
With the constant threat of snow, you should be salting and shoveling to ensure the path to your car wash is readily accessible to your customers. Here are some, as needed, methods in removing snow from the roads leading to your car wash:
- Salt
- Chemical agents
- Radiant heating
- In-ground heating
- Snowblower systems
Make sure your car wash is properly prepared for the winter and you are utilizing the marketing strategies that are suited for the season! These strategies can ensure customer loyalty, helping your business thrive in the season and growing your customer base!
