Interacting with customers face-to-face has always been important to car washes. Relationship building with potential and existing customers is crucial, but as technology continues to advance, car washes can utilize digital marketing to stay top of mind, even when their customers are on-the-go.
In this post, we will share 6 digital marketing resources car washes can use to engage their customers.
Email marketing
Getting your customers to opt-in to your email list is a great way to keep them engaged by sending them targeted messages. For example, you can send invites to events at your car wash, or send news about new promotions. Make sure you are sending relevant, valuable and personalized content to keep them engaged and returning again and again.
Your customer engagement platform enables you to create a targeted campaign based on pre-built segmented lists, or lists of customers who have something in common. For example, one segmented list can be for your top customers who visit and spend the most. Another segment could be customers that only visit on the weekend, or customers that only get a basic wash.
Thanx integrates with email service providers including Constant Contact and MailChimp so it’s easy for you to upload you opted-in list of email contacts directly to Thanx and create and send all your emails engagement campaigns right from one platform. The benefit (besides not having to log into separate platforms and have a myriad of tech tools) is that automated customer engagement platforms, like Thanx, have email marketing built in and enable you to measure your impact in real revenue generated, not just opens and clicks. You can use pre-built segments and drip campaigns to target and engage your audience with powerful, revenue generating campaigns.
Social media
According to The DMA & Demand Metric, 45% of marketers are looking to increase brand awareness via social media. Consumers use social media as a way to interact with their friends, family, and brands they admire. Some of the most popular social media channels used today are Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Visual content such as photos and videos are super engaging on social. The more relevant and interesting your content is, the more shareable it can be. For example, you could host a Facebook Live at your car wash during a community event, like a high-school fundraiser. You could also post photos of your customers and share videos of their reactions to seeing their sparkling clean car when it emerges.
Keep in mind, that as social media channels evolve, businesses must evolve with them, to interact with their followers in the most engaging way. For example, Instagram recently launched IGTV, which many brands are using to share long-form video content.
You can also use social media tools to manage your campaigns like Hootsuite, Sprinklr, or SproutSocial. If you want to be more targeted and savvy with ads, you can use Instagram Business or Facebook Ads Manager to reach more people as well.
When you engage with your followers in meaningful and relevant ways, the more likely they are to visit your car wash and become a loyal, repeat customer.
Automated customer engagement platform
Car washes should have an automated customer engagement platform that enables them to use data to identify who their VIP customers are and build customer loyalty. Platforms like Thanx, help merchants identify and target their best customers with personalized offers to motivate them to visit and spend more often.
“We are trying to change the way the car wash industry operates from a customer engagement perspective. What can we do to differentiate Zips from every other car wash out there? Everyone washes cars. Everyone uses the same equipment, the same soap, the same point of sale. At the end of the day it goes back to making our customers the heroes. Our mantra at Zips is, “I Feel Good, I Went to Zips!” and Thanx helps us accomplish that feeling by engaging our customers personally and helping them leave feeling happier than when they came in.” – Brett Overman, Founder & CEO, Zips Car Wash
With Thanx, you get to know your customers and engage with them in real-time. You can measure customer behavior across your locations, and track customer loyalty through mobile payments and mobile rewards. You can also directly interact with your customers through the app when they leave reviews and send you feedback, or when you are trying to win them back. You save time while generating incremental revenue. It’s a winning combination.
“We’re in a business where it’s not easy to find out who your customer is. I saw that Thanx could give us that 360° view of our customers and the ability to use that data in our marketing efforts.” Meghan, MIke’s Car Wash
Engaging your customers while also capturing valuable data will help you generate ROI and improve your digital marketing strategy.
Mobile-friendly site and ads
According to comScore, users spend on average, 69% of their media time on smartphones. It’s important for car washes to have mobile-friendly websites since there is a good chance that existing and potential customers will look up their business via mobile.
Google prioritizes mobile-friendly websites in searches and they’ll help you reach more customers faster. Design matters and having a mobile-focused design can enhance your outreach.
You can also use mobile ads to reach potential customers in your area. Mobile advertising tools like Tune or Appsflyer, help marketers track their mobile ad campaigns across different networks and media publishers. They help you track data on mobile and look at overall impressions, clicks, and app installs.
SEO
SEO can help your car wash appear in more organic search results, which will help bring more visitors to your site. Most people turn to Google when trying to find a business or service — if you use effective SEO practices, you have a higher chance of increasing your site ranking and visibility.
Identifying SEO keywords that are relevant to your car wash business is a good first step. You can use SEO tools like Moz, BuzzStream, or SEMrush to get started.
Mapping and reviews
As a local business, it’s really important to show up in local search results. Google Maps, TripAdvisor and Yelp are examples of where your customers will find the information they need to visit your business.
Google My Business helps you list your business for free so that it appears on Google Maps and in local online searches. You can easily create and update your listing so you are discoverable.
When it comes to reviews, positive online reviews can encourage someone to visit your car wash. It’s important to respond to reviews quickly, whether it’s through a customer engagement platform like Thanx, or through a more public platform like Yelp or Google.
Wrap up
Digital marketing enables you to engage with your best customers and acquire new ones in personalized and targeted ways. It helps you drive brand awareness and increase customer engagement. You can capture customer data when your customers are at your car wash, and when they are online. These digital marketing resources will help you increase foot traffic and revenue and keep growing.
