Starting a mobile car wash business can be successful; one key to success has a successful marketing strategy. Having a marketing strategy means you have mapped out the customer you are looking for. Additionally, you know where you plan to look for them and how you plan to draw customers’ interest to those locations.
The first step in developing a successful marketing strategy for your mobile car wash business is to ensure that you know what customers you are trying to reach. As a mobile car wash business, it is not necessary to get too detail-specific. Still, it helps to at least have a broad idea to help keep yourself on track as you navigate the world of marketing.
Once you have established who you plan to market to, you want to focus on where you will find those customers. For example, without a mobile water supply, spending a significant amount of time and resources advertising in a housing complex without access to water or electrical use would be a waste of time and resources. This is why it is essential to map out your marketing strategy before attempting to put together any sort of advertisement or campaign. Even if your advertising is being seen, it may not be seen by the right individuals. You are better off allocating your resources toward thorough initial research for a smoother outcome.
Finally, you will want to focus on how you plan to draw customers’ interest. Too many options can be named at once, from magazine ads to newspaper and television ads. Each method has its own set of risks and rewards. One may better suit an individual based on specific criteria, so reviewing many options helps find the perfect marketing campaign for your business.
Who are You Targeting?
It may seem like a difficult question because you are a mobile car detailing business. Still, understanding who you are serving helps you serve them better and helps you learn how to target your advertising, resulting in greater conversions over time. When deciding who to target, it may be helpful to do just a tiny amount of research into your area to determine the population’s demographics, such as age and occupation. For example, how you choose to advertise to a senior community is likely to differ from how you would announce it at a frat house.
Where Will You Find Your Target Audience?
Outlining the customer base you plan to reach does not need to be a long, drawn-out process with pages of research spread in front of you. Moreso, it’s simply identifying specifically a population to assist with targeting your marketing. As a new small business owner of a mobile car wash business, it is up to you to determine the radius you will service. Keep this in mind while deciding the population you intend to reach. Since you are mobile, you have to travel to the clients. As a result, you would not want to place flyers 60 miles away if you have no intention of having to drive 60 miles to provide detailing services to a customer.
This is why it is so important to define your customer base. It is not necessary to detail the physical attributes of one specific person. Instead, take out a map of your area or open a digital version and specify which regions you plan to serve. Perhaps review the delivery zones of a local pizza chain to help you determine what would be an excellent radius to begin offering your services. If you do not set a limit on the radius you are willing to travel, you may lose money because of the deficit caused by the high cost to travel.
Good examples of target audiences are specific neighborhoods or subdivisions. Look for characteristics amongst those subsets that can help you choose how you will target your audience. For example, suppose you know that a community has a physical bulletin board. That may be a better option simply because that is the norm for that group of individuals.
How Will You Draw Customers to Your Business?
The most daunting task involved with starting a new business is finding customers who are willing to take a risk on a new business. This does not mean that there will be tumbleweeds blowing and no sign of intelligent life for miles when searching for customers. Still, because of the ease with which people can find alternatives, there truly is competition. As a result, your marketing methods need to be innovative, fresh, and appropriate for the audience viewing. Several options range from free to minimal cost, free always being the preferred option.
The Tried and True Method
When all else fails, keep it classic. There are several technological options available to market your mobile detailing business. Sill, the usual method of hanging flyers is still an excellent way to draw customers into your business. The key to using flyers appropriately is through strategic placement. As discussed previously, where and how you advertise matters. For brochures, they have the potential to draw customers if you maximize their use and place them in locations where having a paper flyer makes sense.
For example, many offices and schools have cork boards that allow posting flyers and advertisements that meet specific guidelines. Post your flyers here if you are aware of any publicly transited areas within your service area with such commissions. Again, this is a free method to get your business name into the community.
When designing your flyers, you want to make them interactive even though it is just a piece of paper. Be sure that your ad contains vibrant colors or is printed on a vibrantly colored page. Additionally, you may add individualized slips that can be detached from the bottom of the flyer containing your business information and an offer for 10% off the customers’ first detailing service.
Offering an incentive is an excellent method to draw customers to your business. Even if an individual would not typically have used a different service than average, having a sale can often help people justify a ‘splurge’ purchase. This will allow you to showcase your talent and skills.
Targeted Facebook Ads
When you create a business page on Facebook, you will be offered the opportunity to participate in Facebook Ads. Using Facebook Ads is a great way to get targeted leads. For example, when creating a new ad campaign, you will be presented with an option to select 10 categories to apply. For example, some good choices would be to choose users who like car company pages such as Toyota or Lexus. Additionally, you can tag certain groups or activities that individuals like, such as shopping, indicating that individuals may be willing to spend money on things that others may not.
Using targeted ads allows you to increase the likelihood of someone not just viewing information about your business but being interested enough to seek out your services. For example, suppose you take the time to explore the Facebook Ad campaign options. In that case, they provide many solutions to assist businesses in getting their name in front of a particular subset of individuals. These subsets are filled with people more likely to engage with their content or click through their webpage.
Creating a Yelp Page
Another beneficial marketing technique you can employ is creating a Yelp page for your business. Creating a Yelp page will allow you to have a way to communicate with individuals who may want to book your services. This is a beneficial benefit if you have not already set up your own website or booking service to be used.
Additionally, Yelp helps you connect with your customers personally as they can share photographs of their experiences. Additionally, it allows you to elect to receive direct messages from customers, preventing your business from receiving an overwhelming number of negative reviews. Finally, suppose customers are first able to contact you directly via Yelp. In that case, you are allowed to remedy any issues as they arise, which is a helpful tool, especially as a new business.
Creating a Yelp Page also helps solidify your brand within the community. The more reviews you get, the more of a staple within the community your business will be until seeing you are a regular part of anyone’s day. Yelp helps you make this possible by allowing individuals to ‘check in’ to different businesses, which in your case could be done when you arrive on-site for the service.
Yelp can also help you gauge your competition’s advertisements. You can see if there are any specific improvements that you may implement yourself. Finding enhancements will help strengthen the foundation that exists all ready to help you continue building a solid mobile car wash business.
Visit In-Person Events
Visiting in-person events is another option for marketing your mobile car wash business. Visiting in-person events is an excellent option for marketing, especially if you have access to water and electricity or if the event is located somewhere with access to these. For example, suppose you know that your city is known for having parades with different vehicles. In that case, you can pass out business cards or flyers to the individuals who are a part of the parade.
Additionally, simply advertising in person at events such as these is a great way to market your business. It is always helpful to have a technical piece to your marketing strategy. Moreover, going in person and meeting with people is similar to the “old-fashioned” method of posting flyers. Approach meeting people in person with confidence. It can help motivate people to want to check out your work more because you have now personalized the experience.
Now, that is not to say that an in-person meeting guarantees that someone will become a customer. Still, it does help people feel more at ease and comfortable in many different situations. These situations occur when individuals feel they can safely be who they are without fear of retaliation for their actions. Additionally, by visiting in person, you can get an idea of people’s actual level of interest. Even if you post an event on Facebook asking for RSVPs, either someone forgets to, or people RSVP then do not show up, creating a frustrating circle of events.
Overall, once you have outlined the beginning of your marketing strategy, you will want to determine who your readership includes. Next, you have to outline specifically where those individuals are. Finally, you can begin analyzing how to target the audiences necessary to increase the likelihood of those viewing the ads calling to book services. Knowing who and where will ensure that you are not doing extreme marketing to reach individuals who would be unable to participate, wasting time and resources.
Further, many people rely only on technology for their advertisement needs as a business. Sometimes a failure to advertise using a paper flyer can disadvantage those who choose to only be informed by paper notices and are typically not attached to an electronic device. Be sure to be inclusive in your advertising. Additionally, it is imperative to advertise across a variety of mediums. Doing so increases the likelihood of reaching different subsets of individuals who will find your business is one they must give a try. Additionally, you gain reward points with each purchase and special bonus rewards.
A new mobile car wash business can be quickly promoted through many methods. Determining who you plan to reach with your services is one step. Another is determining where those individuals are located. These two elements will allow you to begin preparing to decide how you will market your new business. Options include posting paper flyers in specified areas, using Facebook targeted ads, and creating a Yelp page. Each of these options provides methods to market your mobile detailing business and can help to increase revenue. Marketing does not have to be expensive, but it should be a strategic process you map out step by step.
