Skip to Content

Car Wash Marketing Plan [Sample Template]

Car Wash Business

Do you run a car wash company and want to promote it? If YES, here is a sample car wash business marketing plan template, tips and ideas to attract clients. Okay, so we have considered all the requirements for starting a car wash business.

We also took it further by providing an in-depth sample car wash business plan template. In this article, we will be analyzing and drafting a sample car wash marketing plan backed up by actionable guerrilla marketing ideas for car wash businesses. So put on your marketing hat and let’s proceed.

A Sample Car Wash Marketing Plan Template

1. Our Present Business Situation

Spotless Car Wash Company is going to open for business to the general public on the 5th of January, 2016 and we have legally registered our business under the law of the united states of America. Also, it is worthy to stress that we have successfully secured the necessary permits to operate a car wash in the city of Las Vegas, Nevada.

As a matter of fact, our car wash is located in the heart of Las Vegas- less than 20 minute drive from McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, and few minute drives from Mandalay Bay Event Center. We are strategically positioned in the world’s headquarter for casinos and games- a commercial center. Furthermore, we are set to render services to the whole of the community, as well as visitors and travelers.

Our car wash company is located in a full-service car wash facility which has the following features: a seventy foot fully automatic tunnel; 3 high pressure wand self-service bays; and 5 vacuum stations complete with fragrance and carpet shampoo dispensing machines.

Presently, we have concluded critical plans on the recruitment and training of all the employees that will kick start the business and we have successfully put all the necessary equipment and structure in place, which will enable us effectively run a standard car wash business in the United States of America.

2. Our Product and Services

Spotless Car wash Company is a complete car wash company that offers a wide range of services that revolves around car wash and other complementary services. We intend giving our customers every reason to always come back, which is why we have customized our services.

Our customers will definitely maximize their time when they visit our car wash. These are the services and amenities that will be made available to our guests;

  • Exterior car washing
  • Interior cleaning
  • Waxing services
  • Vehicle detailing
  • Sale of automobile accessories
  • Self – Service
  • Home service
  • Washing of rugs
  • Snooker board
  • Cigar Lounge
  • Bar
  • Barbing saloon

3. Our Mission and Vision Statement

Our Vision is to become the number car wash company in Las Vegas, Nevada. Our mission is to develop a highly successful, profitable all round car wash business which provides quality services in our community and to become a standard for an ideal car wash business.

Our Marketing Goals

Our marketing goals as a car wash company is wrapped in our mission statement which is to develop a highly successful, profitable all round car wash business which provides quality services in our community and to become a standard for an ideal car wash business in the United States of America. So, all our marketing effort will be motivated by the aforementioned.

Here are our marketing goals:

  • We expect to wash 70,000 cars in the full-service operation and 30,000 cars in the self-service operation during our first year of operation.
  • To generate a minimum revenue of 75,000 US dollars within the first 12 months of operations
  • To generate a minimum revenue of 105,000 US dollars in our second year of operations
  • To generate a minimum revenue of 160 US dollars in our third year of operations

We aim to achieve the followings from our marketing efforts:

  • To become the number one choice when it comes to property car wash business in Las Vegas
  • We aim to achieve a sustainable growth at the rate of 25% annual sales growth
  • Aside from winning customers, we will also ensure that we work hard to retain all the customers that we are able to secure during our marketing activities.
  • We want to build a self – sustaining car wash business that will contribute to the growth of the economy of the United States of America.
  • Lastly, we will work towards encouraging our loyal customers to give us referrals and recommendations.

4. Our Marketing Budget

The fact that we want to build a car wash business which we hope to become a standard for car wash brands in the United States of America, makes it mandatory to set aside a reasonable marketing budget that will help us achieve our business goals. As such, we have dedicated a total sum of 15,000 US dollars as our marketing budget for the first year of operations.

Going forward, we will budget between 5 percent and 15 percent of our annual income towards marketing and promoting our car wash business. In future, if there is any need to increase the budget in order to explore other means of improving sales, we will gladly do that.

5. MARKET ANALYSIS

  • Our Target Market

Before choosing a location for our car wash business, we conducted our feasibility studies and market survey and were able to identify those who might benefit greatly from our service offerings.

Basically those who will benefit from our service offerings are car owners and they cut across various different sectors of the economy. Our target customers can be classified into three major groups (household, business owner / corporate clients and government).

We are set to market our services in our neighborhood, talk to haulage companies, car dealership shops, taxi and car rental companies’ et al. These are the category of people that we plan to market our car wash services to;

  • Corporate Executives
  • Business People
  • Car Dealership Shops
  • Government
  • Household
  • Taxi and car rental company
  • Transport Companies
  • Haulage Companies

6. SWOT Analysis

Car wash business is one of the businesses that can easily generate sales with little stress, as long as they are well positioned. We are building a standard car wash business with variety of services which is why we have decided to subject our business idea (company) to SWOT Analysis.

Ordinarily we can successfully run a normal car wash business without the stress of going through the required protocol of setting up a new business including writing a detailed business plan, but because of the nature of car wash business we want to establish, we don’t have any option other than to follow due process.

We hired the services of Mr. Coleman Carrington, an HR and Business consultant to help us conduct SWOT analysis for our company and he did a pretty job for us. Here is a of the result we got from the SWOT analysis that was conducted on behalf of Spotless Car wash Company Las Vegas, Nevada;

  • Strength:

Spotless Car wash is centrally located in a densely populated area in Las Vegas; our location is in fact one of our major strength.

We are also a car wash company that offers variety of services. For instance, if a client visits our cash wash to wash his car, he has the options of barbing his hair within our facility, he also has the option of patronizing our bar and our mini mart where he can buy car accessories et al.

  • Weakness:

Spotless Car wash is a new business which is owned by an individual (family), and we may not have the financial muscle to sustain the kind of publicity we want to give our business.

  • Opportunities:

We are centrally located in one of the busiest area in Las Vegas and we are open to all the available opportunities that the city has to offer. Our business concept also positioned us to be a one stop shop in the car wash industry.

The truth is that there are no car wash facilities within the area where our car wash is going to be located; the closest car wash facility to our proposed location is about 6 miles away. In a nutshell, we do not have any direct competition within our target market area.

  • Threat:

Some of the threats that are likely going to confront Spotless Car wash Company is unfavorable government policies, seasonal fluctuations, demographic / social factors, downturn in the economy which is likely going to affect consumers spending and of course emergence of new competitors within the same location where our car wash is located.

Our competitive advantage

Car wash business is an easy to set up business that does not require formal training to achieve; anybody can set a car wash business if they have the required startup capital. It means that the possibility of car wash businesses springing up in the location where our car wash company is located in high.

We aware of this which is why we decided to come up with a business concept that will position us to become the leader in Las Vegas.

Our competitive edge is that we are a standard car wash business that has loads of complimentary business offerings that can easily assist us in attracting car owners (customers) within the radius of our car wash business. We can confidently say that the location of our car wash will definitely count as a positive for us amongst any competitor that might start a car wash business in same location where ours is located.

For the time being, Spotless Car wash Company has no real competitors that can match and compete with the quality of services we offer and our business offerings et al. Our customer service will be customized to meet the needs of all our customers.

7. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY

  • Sources of Income

Spotless Car wash Company will generate income from the following service offerings;

  • Exterior car washing
  • Interior cleaning
  • Waxing services
  • Vehicle detailing
  • Sale of automobile accessories
  • Self – Service
  • Home service
  • Washing of rugs
  • Snooker board
  • Cigar Lounge
  • Bar
  • Barbing saloon

8. Sales Forecast

It is important to state that our sales forecast is based on the data gathered during our feasibility studies and also some of the assumptions readily available on the field. We expect to wash 70,000 cars in the full-service operation and 30,000 cars in the self-service operation during our first year of operation.

We will definitely attract clients that will patronize our bar, cigar lounge, mini mart, was their rugs et al meaning that we will generate additional income from these sources. Below is the sales projection for Spotless Car wash, it is based on the location of our car wash and the services and products that we will be offering;

  • First Year-: $75,000
  • Second Year-: $105,000
  • Third Year-: $160,000

N.B: This projection is done based on what is obtainable in the industry and with the assumption that there won’t be any car wash company offering same additional services within 4.5 miles radius from our carwash.

9. Our Pricing Strategy

Our pricing system is going to be based on what is obtainable in the industry, we don’t intend to charge more (except for premium and customized services) and we don’t intend to charge less than our competitors are offering in Las Vegas.

Be that as it may, we have put plans in place to offer discount services once in a while and also to reward our loyal customers especially when they refer clients to us. The prices of our products will be same as what is obtainable in the open market. On the average, our car wash services will cost between $7.00 per wash to $12.00 per wash.

Our Unique Selling Point; What Makes Our Car wash Service Superior to Our Competitions

Our unique selling point is anchored on the fact that we are centrally located in a densely populated area in Las Vegas; our location is in fact one of our major strength.

We are also a car wash company that offers variety of services. For instance, if a client visits our cash wash to wash his car, he has the options of barbing his hair within our facility, he also has the option of patronizing our bar and our mini mart where he can buy car accessories et al.

Our car wash Company is a complete car wash company that offers a wide range of services that revolves around car wash and other complementary services. We intend giving our customers every reason to always come back which is why we have customized our services.

Our customers will definitely maximize their time when they visit our car wash. We are quite aware that in order to become the number one choice in our city, we must continue to deliver quality services and that is exactly what we will do.

We are open to the use of latest technology in the industry. No doubt our excellent customer service and the range of services we offer will position us to always welcome repeated customers.

Benefits Our Client Stand to Gain When They Patronize Our Car wash Services

We are quite aware that there are several top notch car wash companies that are in full operation in Las Vegas and environs and we know that there are competition in the car wash industry hence we are able to carefully craft – out the benefits that our highly esteem customers stands to gain when they patronizes our car wash services.

We are certain that all those who patronize our services are going to get value for their money and they will more likely come back again and again if they are still in Las Vegas. These are the benefits that a client stands to gain when they patronize our car wash services:

  • Quality and detailed car cleaning services delivery
  • Timely car cleaning services delivery
  • Competitive prices and discounts based on loyalty and referrals
  • Flexibility of service delivery to fit into the schedule of our customers which is why our car wash is open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week
  • Professionalism and excellent customer service delivery of the highest order from our highly trained staff members (car washers, supervisors and management)

10. Guerrilla Marketing Strategies for Our Car Wash Business

  • Creating Brand Identity for Our Car Wash Services Company

Any business that wants to grow beyond the corner of the street they are operating from must be ready and willing to utilize every available means (conventional and non – conventional means) to advertise and promote the business. Boosting our brand awareness will a go a long way to endear us to the available market.

We have been able to work with our consultants to help us map out publicity and advertising strategies that will help us walk our way into the heart of our target market.

First and foremost, we want our brand to be visible and well communicated which is why we have decided to work with different class of people in the society. All our publicity materials and jingles are done by some of the best hands in the industry. Below are the platforms we intend to leverage on to promote and advertise our car wash;

  • Open our car wash business with a party.
  • Advertise our car wash business on national dailies, local TV stations and local radio station
  • Promote our business online via our official website and all available social media platforms
  • Continuously Improving the performance of our brands
  • Hire the services of experts to make our brands the first choice for car owners in Las Vegas
  • Delivering consistent customer experiences to all our guest; making our first impression count positively
  • Make use of attractive hand bills to create awareness and also to give direction to our bar
  • Adopt direct mailing coupon marketing approach
  • Position our signage / flexi banners at strategic places
  • Create a loyalty plan that will enable us reward our regular customers
  • Engage on road shows within our neighborhood to create awareness for our car wash business.

11. Strategic Marketing Alliance with Our Competitors in the Car wash Industry

Ordinarily, it is usually not visible to form strategic marketing alliance with competitors in a same industry simply because every organization will be striving hard to gain their own fair share of the available market in the industry. Come to think of it, no car wash that operates within the same location as yours would want to form a strategic marketing alliance with you.

So, if at all there is any strategic marketing alliance that can be formed in the car wash industry, it will be between a car wash company and car dealership shop, haulage company or transport company et al.

For example; as a car wash company you can enter a strategic marketing alliance with a car dealership shop, a haulage company or a transport company to handle the washing of their vehicles. You might decide to give them an attract discount since they will be bringing in loads of vehicles for you to wash.

Our Client Retention Strategies (Ways to Improve Our Customer Experience)

We are in business simply because we want to make money and we know that we cannot make money without having customers to patronize our car wash services hence we have been able to map out strategies not only to win customers, but also to ensure that we retain them and make them our loyal customers.

These are the ways we intend utilizing when it comes to improving our customer experience so that we can create a good impression and generate repeated businesses from them:

  • Ensures excellent car wash services deliveries at all times
  • Ensure safety of personnel belongings in the cars that we wash
  • Tailor our car wash service deliveries to meet the needs of each of our clients (self – services, home car wash services and regular car wash services et al).
  • Make use of effective customer relationship management (CRM) software to effectively manage our clientele base.
  • Ensures that we carry our clients along when making decisions that directly affect them.

12. Possible Ways We Intend Offering Incentives to Our Customers / Clients (Bonus, Discounts, etc)

There is hardly any customer who would not appreciate it when he or she receives incentives hence we were able to make provisions to give out incentives from time to time to all our loyal clients and also to new customers in other to win over their loyalty.

When it comes to giving out incentives (bonuses and discounts et al) to our clients, we will first and foremost reward loyal customers who have patronized our car wash consistently for a period of 6 months and above. We will make room for our clients to earn commissions on any corporate car wash services business deals that they are able to secure for us through referrals and recommendations et al.

We will also create a loyalty plan that will enable us reward our loyal customers who have been consistent in doing business with us and who also refer our services to their family members, friends and colleagues. Rewarding them could mean giving our customers discounts anytime they patronize us and also giving them gifts during special occasions like Christmas, New Year, Thanksgiving, Independence Celebrations and Easter et al.

  • After Sales Service or Customer Support

The nature of car wash services does not give room for after sale services, which is why we usually go all the way to provide excellent and detailed car wash services to our clients whenever they visit us.

As regards customer service supports, we will maximize our customer relationship management software applications so as to keep in touch with them and to make sure we carry them along when we have any promo that we know will benefit them.

Possible Questions We Intend Asking Our Customers during Our Market Survey

  1. Are you satisfied with our car wash services delivery? Are we detailed enough?
  2. If you are not satisfied with our car wash services delivery what areas would you want us to improve on going forward?
  3. Are you comfortable with our contract terms and conditions?
  4. If you are not satisfied with our contract terms and conditions, what areas would you want us to work on?
  5. How much are you willing to pay for a comprehensive car wash services?
  6. When you visit a car wash, what other complementary services would you also want to patronize?
  7. Would you prefer self – service car wash and home service car wash services?
  8. How would you want us to communicate to you when we want to pass a useful information about our car wash business that will be of great benefit to you or someone you know (i.e. when we have property for sale, lease or rent et al)? Through letters, text messages, e – mail, or via mobile apps (BBM, twitter, 2Go, WeChat, WhatsApp et al)
  9. Can you comfortably recommend our car wash services to your family members, friends and colleagues?
  10. Are you satisfied with our customer service delivery? If not what areas would you want us to improve on?

13. Actionable Marketing ideas for Our Car Wash Business

Cost Effective Ways We Intend to Advertise / Promote Our Car wash Services without Using the Internet

  • Place adverts on national TV stations, Radio Stations and Newspapers / Magazines (automobile related magazines et al)
  • Sponsor relevant community program
  • Install our Bill Boards on strategic locations
  • Engage in road show from time to time
  • Distribute our fliers and handbills to targeted areas from time to time
  • Send out introductory letters to corporate organizations and households within our target market locations.
  • Ensures that our workers wear our branded shirts at all times during working hours.

Low Cost Ways We Intend to Advertise/Promote Our Car wash Services on the Internet

We are quite aware that the internet is presently the biggest platform when it comes advertising / promoting any business and one good thing about adverting on the internet that is far cheaper than other conventional advertising platforms.

This is why we will ensure that we explore all available means on the internet platform to promote our property development business. Here are they ways we intending leveraging on the internet to advertise / promote our car wash business:

  • Leverage on the internet and social media platforms like; Instagram, Flickr, Fotolog, Pinterest, Shutterfly, Tumblr, WordPress, Facebook, twitter, YouTube, Google+, and Snapchat to promote our property car wash brand
  • Design an interactive corporate website and we will make use the platform to promote our car wash company
  • Place adverts on high traffic websites
  • Engage in blogging and make use of the platform to promote our car wash company
  • Leverage on direct email marketing strategy and bulk sms to advertise and promote our car wash company

14. Creative Marketing Ideas Specific to Our Car Wash Services

No doubt any business that has plan to survive must ensure that they employ all the creative marketing strategies that is available to them. The truth is that if you don’t go out there to market your goods or services, you are likely going to struggle to generate sales for your goods and services.

With respect to our car wash services, some of the creative marketing strategies that we will are adopt to drive traffic towards our business are;

We will ensure that we offer free car wash services on the day we are going to be opening our car wash officially to the general public and we will also make it a culture to once in a while offer free car wash services on special occasions to the first 10 cars or 20 cars et al that will drive into our car wash

Another marketing strategy that we will adopt is that we will send out introductory letters introducing our car wash business to all car owners that lives around the location where our car was is located.

Lastly, part of our market drive will be to offer freebies as much as we can within the first three months of officially opening our car wash. The freebies could be pay for a car wash services and get the second car washed for free or refer two clients to us and get your car washed for free et al.