7 Ways to Promote Your Car Wash

The car wash industry can be highly competitive and aggressive, especially in medium to large cities. In smaller cities, competition can still be rather spirited between car wash owners. This competition is great for consumers because it gives them options between which car washes they should visit to wash their cars.

What makes a huge difference, in whether someone chooses your car wash over another, is how well you manage to promote your car wash over other competitors in your area. There are all sorts of things you can do regardless of how small or big your operation is and how much you can afford to invest in promoting your car wash small business.

1. Social Media 

People consume social media almost constantly, from keeping up with status updates to following friends and other interesting topics on a wide range of devices. One mistake car wash owners make is attempting to use every possible social media channel out there.

First of all, doing so requires a huge amount of time to manage each social media platform, post updates, add new pictures, and so on. You could spend all of your working hours just managing numerous social media sites. This would not be good for your car wash. You need to give it attention too!

The best marketing strategy is to select two or three social media channels to use for your business. For example, a good mix would be Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram. You would also want to set up and create a Google My Business account as another social media marketing channel.

Marketing on social media is not that difficult. All you have to do is post updates on the appropriate site and respond to any customer questions or comments. It is important to obtain followers so that your posts are being seen.

One effective way to do this is to hang up signs at your car wash saying to follow you on social media, which sites you are using, and how they can find you on those sites. For example, for Twitter, you would want to list your “@carwash” name.

Another way to cross-promote social media platforms is to share links on your car wash website if you have one. You would want to add links to each of your web pages with direct links to your social media pages.

2. Name, Address and Phone Optimization Online

Another effective marketing strategy to gain exposure for your car wash is to make sure your name, address, and phone number—also called NAP—are optimized on the right websites like Google, Yelp, and Angie’s List. Just like your social media sites, it is a good idea to stick with about two or three sites.

Since you already should have a Google My Business account, then that would be one of your NAP optimization sites. You want to make sure you correctly enter your business name, address, and phone number on your Google My Business account setup. Avoid using abbreviations unless they are part of the business name or address.

When you visit other sites like Yelp or Angie’s List to claim your business entry for free and register your car wash, make sure to use the exact same NAP information you used for your Google My Business account.

In addition, you want to make sure the NAP information on your social media channels also matches the NAP information used for your Google My Business and other feedback sites. Consistency is essential to ensure localization optimization.

When someone goes to Google and enters in “car washes near me” in your city, having consistent NAP information helps ensure your car wash is listed first among other local car washes in the search results.

A great thing about NAP localization optimization is you do not need a car wash website to take advantage of this marketing strategy. It still works as long as you have set up your Google My Business account and registered your business on a few other feedback sites.

3. Digital Advertising

Another nifty marketing method to get found faster through search engines is digital advertising or pay per click (PPC) ads. These ads show up at the very top of the search results page above all the other “organic” results. You may have noticed this yourself when you have used Google or Bing and the first few search results say “ad” after the entry.

Another form of digital advertising is to advertise on social media sites like Facebook or YouTube. Your ad can show up as a banner ad on the side or top of the page or as a short video that plays before the requested video content plays.

The thing with digital advertising is you want to make sure your ads are localized to your area. You will also want to make sure the ads are focused on specific target groups and keyword strings, such as “car washes near me” or “car washes in [your town’s name].” Otherwise, your ads could be displayed or play randomly regardless of where the person seeing them is from, which would be a big waste of your marketing budget.

4. Promotions, Coupons, and Loyalty Programs

Promotions, coupons, and loyalty programs are all great ways to attract new customers and retain existing ones. You can take advantage of your social media sites to announce these, as well as hang up signs at your car wash announcing the latest offers.

A unique promotion to run is a deal or product of the week. You could highlight some of the car wash supplies you sell in your vending machine or in your car wash lobby to your customers. For example, you could run a deal on car air fresheners and do a “flash sale.” A “flash sale” is a spur of the moment sale to entice people to stop by your car wash. Twitter is a great way to announce a “flash sale” to quickly get the word out.

You should make sure to post a picture of any coupons on Facebook or Instagram. The coupon should clearly list what you are discounting and when it expires. For instance, you could offer a free car air freshener with a full-service car wash or “buy one get one” deals. Just remember to be creative with your coupons and vary them so you can find out which deal your customers utilize the most.

Loyalty programs are a perfect solution to help encourage repeat business. You could use punch cards where after so many car washes, your customers get one free. For self-serve car washes, you could offer a prepaid wash card where your customers pay in advance and get a discount or so many extra minutes of free time.

5. Host Unique and Special Events

A great way to get people into your car wash is by hosting events, from classic car shows to partnering with non-profit charity organizations. For car shows, reach out to local car clubs. You could work out a deal where anyone who participates can get a free wash to spruce up their car for the event.

For charity events, you could donate a certain percentage of all proceeds for all car washes for a specific day or period of time. The charity will also be promoting the event through advertising and local media since the more people they can get to stop and get a car wash, the more money they will receive through your donations.

6. How-Tos, Tips, and Tricks – Videos and Blog Posts

Videos and blog posts are still another way car wash owners can promote their businesses. When creating videos, you could show the right way to wash the car, detail it, and so on. With blog posts, share useful information your customers will want to know, as well as cross-promote any coupons, specials, or events going on at your car wash.

7. Eye-Catching Signs

The signage used at your car wash needs to stand out and be seen easily from the street. You will also want to use smaller signs that entice customers to buy car wash supplies from your vending machines or lobby. When creating your signs, take a look at what others are doing and how you could make your signs better or more noticeable.

By using these car wash marketing tips, you are sure to attract new customers and increase repeat business. Most importantly, remember to have fun marketing your car wash. If something doesn’t work as expected, that is okay since you can try other marketing methods.

For all of your car wash supplies for your vending machines or lobby, please feel free to contact Superior Car Wash Supply at 800-554-9274 today! We offer a wide range of great products from the top brands at wholesale prices!