Attracting the first visit from the customer isn’t all that difficult for any car wash, but the challenge lies in retaining them by getting them to return on a monthly basis. The good thing is that it is not necessary to have a robust membership program or an advertisement campaign to build loyalty among customers. It simply requires a few simple products to get the job done.
However, all of those tangible efforts are what many car washes are investing in currently. Clean bays, speedy service, loyalty apps. There is one element that tangible items can accomplish that apps cannot – they remain in the car, continue being used over and over again, and each and every time, they remind customers about the car wash brand.
There are three items in particular that can do it very well and most car washes are not capitalizing on the opportunity to use them to its fullest extent. Those are microfiber towels, dash wipes, and litter bags. All of those items are inexpensive. No expensive marketing campaign is needed for them. However, all of those create the feeling of returning customer, a person who will think about a car wash in question the next time he or she needs it.
In order to explain why those branded products work better than others, it is necessary to understand the reason why they succeed where regular advertisements fail.
Microfiber towel is the kind of promotional material which customers tend to hang on to. The microfiber towel goes into the glove compartment, trunk, or garage and gets used beyond just the car wash experience. Every time the customer pulls out the microfiber towel to clean mirrors or wipe seats, there you are, your brand name staring straight at the customer.
That is why it is far more effective compared to a coupon or a flyer. The flyer ends up in the trash while the microfiber towel does its job and gets used. This repeated use is the key to creating awareness which is not achievable by print advertisement campaigns. In case if the car wash company orders these towels in bulk with their brand name printed on, then a relatively small order will do wonders in terms of marketing.
There are a few simple considerations that can determine whether or not a towel will actually be put to use or simply left unused in a drawer:
➯ Make sure the size you choose is actually functional rather than merely large enough for your branding
➯ Place the branding in a position where it will remain visible during actual use
➯ Select a color scheme that makes it easy to grab in a hurry from a glove box
This isn’t rocket science; it only needs to feel like a good towel rather than something slapped together. Customers will appreciate the effort.
A dash wipe is not such a large-scale product and also not expensive one, but it performs the function that is impossible to implement through the use of a towel. They give you an opportunity to get your workers to interact with customers. Giving away a wipe when paying for a car wash, it is not much, but it gives an incentive to a client to roll down his window and speak a little bit longer than he usually does it.
This short period of time is precious as it gives a possibility to a car wash to discuss a membership program and provide a client with a QR-code to register into a text club. Wipe gives an opportunity to make the conversation, not distract from it. Also, a client sees this small gift as something useful, which makes the deal seem more friendly and generous despite the fact that the cost of the product is very low.
Dash Wipes tends to find itself a place within the car wash's marketing campaign for a couple of good reasons:
➯ It is cheap enough to offer every time a client visits without affecting profits;
➯ It allows the employee to start talking about membership or promotional opportunities in a natural way;
➯ It has a QR code printed on it allowing clients to become text members of the club directly through a paper wipe.
The uniqueness of the product lies in the fact that it comes at the perfect moment when customers are willing to listen to some additional offers.
The litter bag solves the dilemma of what most drivers face when disposing of garbage. Offering the item to customers upon completing their wash ensures that there will be an instant value addition to the service. This will make their recently washed cars interior stay clean for longer and add even more to their satisfaction of the wash.
Additionally, there is also the silent advantage of the process. A branded litter bag will hang in plain sight in the car for weeks on end. Every passenger who climbs into that car will see the logo. Car washes today are increasingly manufacturing litter bags using recycled material.
Unlike the other two products on this list, litter bags play a slightly different role. They are not all about engaging in conversations but being there silently.
➯ The logo will be seen by passengers and family members as frequently as it will be seen by the driver.
➯ A litter-free interior ensures that the customer is reminded of the value they just paid for.
➯ Recycling of materials provides an extra reason for eco-conscious customers to feel satisfied with their purchase.
This extended visibility period makes litter bags a very easy-to-implement product in the marketing toolset of a car wash.
Each of these items performs their task independently but the true worth comes out when the car wash sells all three as part of the package. The towel creates brand awareness for the long term. The dash wipe creates opportunities for discussing a membership. The litter bag ensures that the customer continues to see the logo as well as keeping the car spotless for weeks following the car wash.
All three together transform a one-time transaction into a long-term relationship without costing much more than the materials and without the need for costly ads or loyalty software. Consider it as three opportunities for contact in three different timelines. The dash wipe gives an opportunity in the here and now, right at the register. The litter bag gives an opportunity in the coming weeks by being placed in view inside the car. The towel gives an opportunity in the coming months whenever the towel is used each time it is pulled out of the glove box or the trunk. One item alone does not work in all three timelines, hence combining them gives better results.
The challenge with procuring custom printed items is normally the most difficult aspect for a car wash owner who is busy running the business. The design specifications, print quality, minimum order size, and delivery time all have to be correct and failure in any of the aspects mentioned will either result in a failed order or delayed launch.
In this case, dealing with an experienced supplier like Air Trends International becomes a good move. The company has many years of experience in producing custom printed promotional items for car washes and other similar businesses, which will save the owner’s time focusing on running the business.
If your business already distributes branded wipes, towels, and litter bags, then an air freshener will be a perfect product to complement those three. Air fresheners work along the same principle as the other three products only through a different sense. Olfactory is one of the most powerful senses which trigger memory. The fact is that air fresheners remain in the car for many weeks and work continuously when the customer is driving the vehicle.
Here are some good reasons for this product to complement the above mentioned ones:
➯ It is another sensory element which wipes, towels, and litter bags lack individually
➯ The air freshener is always working without any involvement of the customer after initial use
➯ Customizable product allows you to match scent, design, and text with your brand
Use of scent along with the tactile products discussed above will give customers another way to remember your brand.
Marketing a car wash does not have to be complex in order to be effective. The little things that customers use and keep will always beat the fancy advertising since these items are kept within the customer's environment even after leaving the car wash.
Let us look at the items that make this happen; the towel helps build lasting brand recognition, the dash wipe provides a perfect occasion for the staff to talk about their membership services, the litter bag makes the brand last for several weeks, and the customized air freshener provides an added olfactory element.
Towels, dash wipes, and litter bags provide a simple but effective way of building loyalty among the customers. The only addition to this system is the custom air freshener which targets all the senses of the customers.
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