July 17, 2019
6 minute ReadIf you want to draw a crowd, there are few phrases quite as powerful as “free food.” The universal appeal of free eats is one of the go-to marketing strategies for Etna, Ohio-based Express Wash Concepts, which owns 18 car washes in the Buckeye State under the brands Flying Ace Express and Moo Moo Express.
The car wash chains often partner with local businesses to give customers a free doughnut or free slice of pizza at a nearby eatery once they pay for a wash, according to Beth Martin, marketing director for Express Wash Concepts. These special promotional days are among the many relatively low-cost ways car washes can show appreciation for loyal customers, attract new customers and position themselves as their community’s preferred car wash., she said.
“We’ve found this to be an inexpensive yet very well received gesture from our customers,” Martin said. “These local partnership opportunities are vital to our overall grassroots marketing efforts, particularly since we are proud of our home-grown and -operated heritage and want to be viewed as an engaged member of the communities in which we operate.”
Helping local charities, and getting credit from customers for doing so, can come at no cost to the carwash.
Supporting local charities is another way car washes can get attention for all the right reasons, Martin said. Each quarter, Flying Ace Express and Moo Moo Express conduct a weekend donation drive, during which every customer who buys a wash and donates to a preselected local nonprofit gets a voucher for a free wash.
In addition, the car wash chains donate vouchers for a free wash to the American Red Cross as part of the aid group’s gift package for blood donors. Whenever a nearby business hosts a corporate blood drive, its employees see that their local car wash shares that same commitment to giving back.
“Each campaign we do, we are confident that we are expanding our customer base,” Martin said.
Helping local charities, and getting credit from customers for doing so, can come at no cost to the car wash, said Jennifer Nixon, marketing director for Lawrenceville, Ga.-based Carwash Services of the Southeast. Simply making your car wash a collection point for local food pantries and other charities or putting a piggybank on the counter to benefit the local animal shelter can endear your business to customers. Even small charitable contributions add up over time.
“By getting involved in your community, you become more than just another business that people drive by,” Nixon said. “You create loyalty in your customers because they see that your car wash is loyal to their community.”
“You can choose what kind of radius you want to use and what you want your budget to be, and it will tell you how many people you can expect to reach,” Gilchrist said. “Typically, a 5-mile radius is good because you’re not going to get that many people who will drive outside of that five-mile radius to get their car washed. You can get a lot of engagement for a small investment.”
Reminding customers of promotions and upcoming events through Facebook status updates doesn’t cost a dime, nor does creating visually engaging posts for your car wash’s Facebook profile page. If a customer shows up with an especially dirty car, or a rare or vintage car, ask if you can take before-and-after photos and post them to your social-media accounts. You can even offer the customer a discount if he shares the photos on his Facebook page and tags your car wash in the post, of if he “checks in” at your car wash on Facebook.
If a customer shows up with an especially dirty car, or a rare or vintage car, ask if you can take before-and-after photos and post them to your social-media accounts.
“Existing customers who evangelize your business are your greatest secret weapon, your marketing allies,”Martin said. “And keeping existing customers engaged with your brand is absolutely possible throughconsistent, inexpensive grassroots marketing campaigns. Think about it: As a consumer, are you going to try a certain car wash because it purchased a digital ad banner or a newspaper ad saying it’s the best? Or are you going to take the word of your family member, colleague or friend who says you need to check out his car wash because of their recent great overall wash experience?”
Here are some other ways car washes can stay top of mind in their communities:
Support local schools and sports teams
When the local high school puts on a play or hosts a football game, the programs handed out to attendees provide an inexpensive way for businesses to reach a sizeable chunk of the community, Nixon said. Similarly, schools and charities often fundraise by selling coupon books featuring a variety of local businesses, and that is an ideal opportunity for car washes because the students or volunteers must do the legwork to make the fundraiser a success.
Nixon said car washes should display signage encouraging customers to inquire within about fundraisingopportunities for their youth sports league or charity.
“Don’t just support every organization that knocks on your door and wants money. Make them work for it,” Nixon said. “Make them go out into the community and sell the coupon book, because if they’re part of the fundraising, then they take ownership of it and end up selling more of them, which benefits your business.”
Compete for awards
Winning industry and community awards is a great way to bring more visibility to your car wash while alsoboosting workplace morale and aiding employee recruitment efforts. After all, everyone likes beingassociatedwith a winner.
Martin said car wash operators should do some research and create a “wish list” of awards totarget.Take note of the submission guidelines and deadlines, identify the action items required to become a viablecontender, and take the time to submit applications. The marketing momentum extends beyond the initial photoop,press release or article in the local paper. By proudly displaying the trophy or plaque, your car wash canhighlight its operational success and civic engagement for years to come.
“Whether it’s a local Chamber of Commerce ‘Best Business’ or citywide ‘Best CarWash’ designation, your customers will take notice of your achievements,” Martin said. “You’llfind that potential customers will choose you vs. a competitor because you have been identified by animpartialthird party as being the best.”
Erica L. Chase-Gregory, regional director of the Small Business Development Center at Farmingdale StateCollegein East Farmingdale, N.Y., said getting involved in the local Chamber of Commerce is a great way to connectwiththe movers and shakers in your community and could lead to cross-promotional partnerships betweenbusinesses.She also said car wash operators should inquire about where their town’s local government and policedepartment wash their cars and consider offering a discounted rate or free washes. Supporting firstrespondersis a popular cause, she said.
“In order to become the vendor of choice for your community, you need to look at those procurementopportunities, and then you can market your business based on that,” she said.
Have a strong social-media presence
Coming up with new and interesting posts for your car wash’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accountscanbe challenging, but these sites remain essential for positioning your car wash as a business of choice.MeganGilchrist, marketing director for Denver-based Focused Car Wash Solutions, said Facebook makes it easy forcarwash operators to advertise their promotions or events such as charity wash days to a broad spectrum ofusersfor as little as $50 or $100.
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