NYSCWA Venus vs. Mars - Summer 2011

When you look at your checkbook balance during a slow season, such as in the summer, it looks tempting to cut back, but I feel this is the time you really need the exposure to bring customers into your wash. Let’s face it, when the weather is cold and the roads have been salted you only have to open the doors and the line begins. What you need to do is have a marketing plan that is inexpensive.  

If you want to give out coupons, why don’t you hand out coupons during the busy season that are only redeemable in rainy April, or advertise upcoming specials to create future business. For example, promote spring car cleaning in April with upgraded interior cleaning or a June special with an upgraded wax service to protect vehicle exteriors during the hot summer months. Being creative in your marketing doesn’t have to be expensive. 

Also on any advertising you physically hand out to a customer you should direct them to your website so they can check monthly specials and print out coupons. Print advertising in newspapers and mail packs is very expensive and probably becoming a thing of the past. If you don’t have a great website you are missing great opportunities to market your wash. If you want to increase profits without spending a lot of money, you must embrace technology.

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Advertising is something that I have always been a big believer in since I started in this business years ago. Direct mail couponing has always been the way to go and yields the best results. Also, when offering a coupon you can easily monitor the effectiveness of the ad.  The problem with direct mail is in the carwash business you can’t really control the timing of the ad in relation to your volume.

As we all know, our business is greatly dependent on the weather. As we also know, the weather cannot be accurately forecast more than a few days out. A print ad has to be ordered several weeks in advance and at that point we do not know what the weather will be at the time the ad runs. 

In years past, it used to be a given that the summer would be slower than the winter. However, in at least the past decade that has not been my experience. When the weather is nice, consumers seem to be more willing to spend the extra money on extra services that they feel will last longer than in the winter.

With the emergence of email marketing and social media, on-demand advertising becomes more achievable. If you have a big enough list or fan club you can effectively send out specials and coupons at any given time and see instant results. During a slow week with weather that is not 100 percent favorable, I would amp up my campaign. Give a little bit extra, knowing that it is going to be slow, to try and get people in who may be skeptical because of the forecast. 

Cutting back during slow times is the opposite of what I think should be done. As for direct mail advertising, everyone should have a regular marketing campaign. Even if your coupons are not that aggressive just having your name out there is important. If you feel that you can predict when your wash will be slower than why not try to give your business a boost? 

All in all, advertising is crucial in the success of a business. When times are slow, cutting back on it should be a last resort.