A shift in how companies ‘rise above the noise’ is equating to advertising taking a backseat to marketing.

By Mike Ohlinger, Director of Operations and Organizational Development, OhmCo

Values-based marketing is a strategy that places a brand’s core values and ethical principles at the forefront of its marketing efforts. Unlike traditional marketing approaches that primarily highlight product features and benefits, values-based marketing aims to create a deeper connection with customers by aligning the brand’s values with those of its audience. This approach requires a thorough understanding of what the brand stands for and how these values resonate within their industry and community. 

Values-based marketing also enables small businesses and family-owned businesses to compete with large businesses that have unlimited resources and access to easy capital.

This topic is so important to small business owners, Mel Ohlinger, president and CEO of OhmCo, a car wash marketing agency, was asked to go to the White House to speak on behalf of the Midwest about the policies and changes needed to support small businesses — including values-based marketing. 

Rising Above the Noise

Whether you’re a car wash operator, an installation tech, a chemical distributor or an equipment manufacturer, your marketing goals probably all align in the same direction: making yourself stand out above the noise. The world, both digital and analogue, is especially noisy right now. 

The last few years, there have been some interesting shifts in what’s effective in helping companies stand out. They primarily revolve around the concept that advertising is taking more of a backseat to marketing, specifically values-based marketing.

Sleek and stuffy, overly corporate and polished content is making less of an impact on an audience that is craving authenticity and making purchasing decisions based on values and their relationships rather than just price and features. If you’re already marketing your car wash business, you’re likely already employing some of the core tenets of a values-based marketing strategy — you just may not know it yet.

What Is Values-Based Marketing?

Values-based marketing is a strategy that places a brand’s core values and ethical principles at the forefront of its marketing efforts. Unlike traditional marketing approaches that primarily highlight product features and benefits, values-based marketing aims to create a deeper connection with customers by aligning the brand’s values with those of its audience.

In car washing terms, this might mean pivoting away from advertising your wash packages in favor of marketing your initiatives related to your site’s environmental impact. Maybe it’s making several social media posts about your latest fundraising efforts or providing some insight into your employee culture.

Spending time, money and resources on marketing that doesn’t initially appear to translate to a direct sale might feel a little counter-productive from the onset. 

Famously, Patagonia has built a business based on their successful values-based marketing efforts. If you’re familiar with the brand, you probably think of them as a company before you visualize a specific product that they offer. Patagonia is a perfect example of values-based marketing done right — evident in a few core principles:

• Environmental Stewardship: Patagonia has placed a heavy emphasis on curating environmentally sustainable products that last for years, in a world where planned obsolescence and constant replacement is the norm.

• Activism at the Forefront: Back in 2011, Patagonia created a controversial Black Friday campaign called “Do Not Buy This Jacket,” which targeted the effects of consumerism on the planet.

• Empowering the Audience: Patagonia’s marketing has historically focused on audience education and empowerment. 

How Do I Do This?

You may not have the shockingly large marketing budget of a major corporation, but it doesn’t mean you can’t employ some of the same tactics that they use. Values-based marketing is about storytelling and engagement: Who better to tell your story than yourself? Some of the things that resonate the most right now are:

• Locally Owned and Operated: Supporting a business that has direct roots in the community is one of the more powerful values that resonates with customers.

• Educate Your Customer: One of the principles of values-based marketing is making your content useful. Maybe your customers are a little intimidated about their first trip to your express tunnel or have never used a self-serve wash before. Shoot a short video on your phone of your pay station and walk them through the purchasing process or make a quick guide with instructions.

• Do Good: Putting together a fundraiser for a local cause or setting up a program that donates a certain portion of sales to a foundation is another prime example of values-based marketing at work. 

For service-based businesses, which make up a large portion of the car wash industry, focusing your marketing strategy around a values-based system is a natural fit, despite the temptation to strictly focus on content that you might believe would translate to a direct sale. Your customers want to learn about you and your business, and want to feel good about doing business with you.