When Jimbo Balaam considers the future of digital marketing in the car wash industry, there’s one thing he sees as a certainty: There will be a whole lot of owners “bummed that they didn’t do it sooner.”

“A lot of people still don’t see the value of it,” said Balaam, a digital marketing consultant as well as owner of the California-based Jimbo’s Detailing. “But I like to compare it to physical real estate and online real estate. People will be disappointed if they didn’t eat up all the best real estate in all the best areas.” There are still tremendous gains to be made in that “online real estate,” he said — and it’s likely not as hard as you think.

It’s OK; we get it. Online marketing, social media, tweets, posts, Google AdWords, search engine optimization, email campaigns and the like can all be daunting — especially if your hands are already full, just trying to get through the day to day. Consider this, then, a bit of a primer — or, if you’ve already dipped a toe in the digital waters, your invitation to wade in further.

In recent years, digital marketing has grown at a rapid pace. Industries like healthcare, fitness and law are seeing big changes in particular as they learn how to engage potential customers, switch them to new opportunities through multiple channels of advertising, and stack related services and offers.

No matter how complex or simple the tactics, there are inherent challenges. There is, for example, the time and effort required to keep up with new technology, new platforms — and new posts. Depending on the industry, some businesses will turn to an outside consultant, an agency or technologies that can assist.

“It’s challenging running a business and doing marketing,” said Adam Korngold, owner of Waves Car Wash and co-founder of Washify, a car wash point-of-sale and management system that includes a digital marketing component. “But you have to take a step back and ask yourself, ‘How can I get more customers?’ That’s always hard to do. It’s easier if you have the right tools.”

The Washify system, for example, offers users a professional, e-commerce capable website and Facebook page development and maintenance. There’s also integration between Twitter tweets and the website, assistance in garnering positive online reviews, automated email and marketing campaigns, and step-by-step help in creating, distributing and tracking special offers.

Korngold, who has owned his own car wash in Boston for more than a decade, said he’s seen great changes in his own business — and in that of others.

“Eleven years ago, when I opened, 80 percent of my revenue was cash collected onsite,” he said. “Now, if you look at my revenue, a significant portion is offsite transactions, things like wash book sales through the app, special offers through an online link or ‘unlimited’ charges that happened in the middle of the night. That trend is going to continue.”

He tells the story of a Black Friday email with a limited-time offer of $40 for five extreme washes as an example. That email alone garnered $20,000 in revenue.

“You can get more out of sales through your other channels than by having customers drive into your wash,” he said. “It’s important.”

The reality is that people are busier than in the past. Automotive paints show less dirt. Cars rust less frequently. All of this results in car washes having to work harder — and in different, creative ways — to bring in the same amount of revenue. Digital marketing is a way to fill in the gaps.

Korngold now has Washify customers with strong Facebook and e-commerce pages. He’s seen tremendous growth in wash book sales. He also has customers with more than 5,000 email addresses for pushing out offers and deals.

“I don’t think digital marketing is a magic bullet,” he said. “It’s one of many sales strategies. But I do have customers who have seen significant increases in sales.”

So how do you even start?

Balaam, who also hosts an auto detailing podcast, said the first thing is to get that website in place.

“Customers just aren’t going to the phone book anymore,” he said.

The website should be considered an online “home base,” and should represent the business well, as it’s akin to a storefront.

“All other social media channels should lure people to your website,” Balaam said. “Make it legible, nice looking.”

In addition, ensure content on the website — location, hours, phone numbers, etc. — is current, and be wary of posting anything there that will make the site looked dated or unattended. As for search engine optimization (SEO) — an art in itself — it means using words in a way that will help the site be quickly and easily found by those searching.

As for social media pages, the biggest hurdle can sometimes be just getting started.

“One thing I come up against when talking to car washes about ramping up their social media game is that there’s not a direct ROI,” Balaam said. “It’s difficult for a business that’s run on tight margins to see the exact impact of a Facebook or Instagram post.”

In some cases, businesses will outsource management of their social media posts — especially to someone who is a bit more of a Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter native. This is where more immediate, dated items can go, and where the company has a chance to interact directly with customers and sharing, for example, how the business can make their lives a little easier and less stressful. He does note, however, that a business using social media doesn’t have to be on social media 24 hours a day; services such as Buffer allow posts to be scheduled in advance.

“The biggest piece of advice I can give — and this may be harder for those who are older — is to look at your own habits,” Balaam said. “What are your own search habits and search patterns when you’re in an area you don’t know about? Do you drive around to see who has the best location? Maybe, but probably not. You’ll be on your phone, or you’ll be on Yelp, or Google or Google Maps. Think about what you do without thinking about it. And then do that for your business. If I’m on Facebook all the time, and I’ve clicked on four ads, then maybe I need to do that.”

Along those lines, he said, car washes are missing a great opportunity if they haven’t taken advantage of a free Google business listing so they’ll appear on Google Maps.

“Social media and internet activities, in general, are really just new forms of word of mouth,” Balaam said. “That’s the thing people aren’t understanding. It’s just a new way. Instead of neighbors talking to each other, it’s people talking online.”

He does note that people talking online about your business can be either good or bad, depending on what they’re saying — and how you’re responding.

Consider, for example, a negative review posted on Facebook or Yelp by a disappointed customer because her trunk wasn’t vacuumed.

“You have to take these head on and respond,” he said. And not in the manner of, “Well, yeah, but you got our cheapest package.”

“Instead, how about, ‘We’re sorry. That was our mistake.’ You own it, and say, ‘Hey, why don’t you come back in? And not only are we going to give you a free car wash, but we’re going to add a hand wax.’” That way, he said, the customer is likely to give you another shot — and other customers who see how you have responded and engaged will be, too.

Once social media is in place, next steps — and longer-term goals — may include paid ads on, for example, Google or Facebook. Those may take some trial and error. But as with all things digital marketing, it’s important to be proactive rather than reactive. And to be willing to be surprised.

“I assisted in a campaign for a buffing pad company,” Balaam said. “It was a really solid product. It was something other people had done, but not in the same exact way. I gave them ideas for a giveaway of a set of buffing pads. Within 24 hours, it had reached 40,000 people. Now, those are small numbers compared to something that goes completely viral. But we’re talking about a buffing pad.”

It’s all about new ways of looking at things, it seems — and creative ways to reach and serve others.