How to (better) advertise your car wash

If your car wash is located on a busy road and you can acquire many car wash customers by this fact alone, you're in luck with your location. However, in this case, as well as less perfect locations, it is possible to make the car wash even better known. How does this work? Through local advertising, eye-catching appearance and local cooperation! Here are three things worth thinking about.

1. Attract attention through local advertising

Daily newspapers and weekly papers allow you to place ads or promotions at low cost that attract attention to your car wash. You will reach more than just the people living in your local area, since newspapers usually have a larger reach. Advertisements in church or club newspapers can also be an effective way place you to advertise. Another option is to buy an ad on a bus or other local means of transportation. Your business will be known everywhere in your local area, and the name will be familiar to children.

Have you ever thought about advertising on your local radio station? Advertising on local television or radio can be cheaper than you think, reaching thousands of potential customers. Ask the broadcasters about how much they charge and set part of your budget aside for this form of advertising – you will be surprised.

2. An attractive station must also be visible

Give your station a bit of a makeover. How about car wash graffiti, for example? A sparkling clean car that emerges from the car wash gleaming and the drops of water beading off is a sight that remains with customers. Make your station an eye-catcher. In addition to the great features of the car wash, the surroundings should also reflect the level of your service:

• Make sure that your car wash can be found and recognized as easily as possible. Provide customers with an identifying feature in the advertisement, such as a road junction, a distinctive marking or a symbol (such as "the car wash at the roundabout" or "the car wash with the flags") that customers can easily remember.
• For signs, the letter spacing should be 20 to 40% of the letter size or about half the width of the letter "O". This improves the readability of the letters by 25%.
• Use bright, visible, professional-looking signs to draw customer attention to your products and service.
• Do not assume that customers already know the services you offer. Replace your signs after a period of time, so that customers don't get used to seeing the same old signs and ignore them.
• Draw attention to your station and attract interested people to meet them in person. This is a big step towards awareness and customer loyalty. It is also helpful if you always put up an "Open" sign when your car wash is in operation. Often, such a sign will only confirm what is obvious anyway. However, many experienced business owners are convinced that without such a sign, potential customers who arrive and do not see any activity on the premises will quickly drive away.

3. One hand washes the other

Collaboration and cross-promotion with local shops can boost your sales.

• For example, display your advertisement at the baker's, or offer a discount on a wash program to customers who buy a guide at the local bookstore.
• Join associations: Members of associations often support each other. You can also connect with other small business owners and local leaders. Or support charitable events or have local charities sell gift vouchers for your car wash to raise funds.
• Sponsor a sports team with, for example, printed T-shirts or tracksuits. This is a good form of publicity and your name is constantly mentioned in conversation.

Be the talk of the town

If your car wash is not located directly on a thoroughfare, then most of your customers need to be from the immediate vicinity. Accordingly, you should do everything to ensure that your name is well-known and seen in a positive light here. By advertising in regional media and in the town you first make your name known. Does your car wash offer something special, do customers talk about it ("That's the one with this fab picture of the car, right?"). Associating your name (or that of your company) with charitable gestures and participating in local co-operations have a positive effect. Customers associate something good with your business and gladly make use of your services!

Learn more about how to successfully keep customers loyal to your car wash here!