Owning your own business can be rewarding and scary, especially when you’re just starting the process. While you must make many decisions and ask even more questions, you should ask these two questions right away if you’re thinking about starting your own car wash: what type of car wash should you have, and how will you stand out from the rest? If you would like to learn more, keep reading.

1. What Type of Car Wash Do You Want?

Many types of car washes are in operation, so before you start planning for your future, determine which type of car wash you want. Of course, nothing’s stopping you from having multiple types, but you should know the pros and cons of each type of car wash so you can better determine what type of customers you’ll draw in.

Some of the most common types of car wash systems include self-service, automated, and hand-wash. Self-service car washes provide everything customers need to fully clean their car themselves. This means you can charge a lot less and still make lots of profit by saving on employee costs. The downside is that customers may leave messes, break things, or use equipment incorrectly.

An automated car wash uses a conveyer belt to automatically pull the vehicles through a tunnel. Inside the tunnel, scrubbers, cloth, soap, and high-pressure water clean the vehicle. Since they are automated, you can still charge a small amount to make a big profit. The only downsides are that the vehicles may not become fully clean, leaving some customers dissatisfied, and you’ll have to occasionally replace the parts inside the tunnel.

Finally, with a hand-wash car wash, you or employees hand-wash customer cars. This is usually the best way to clean a vehicle since professionals know how to fully clean the car without damaging any parts. You can charge more for this luxury, but customers may complain if the results don’t meet their expectations.

2. How Will You Market Your Car Wash?

Once you know the type of car wash you want, you can start determining how you’ll market your car wash. This includes how you will advertise your car wash and reach customers, but it also refers to how you will brand and identify your business in order to stand out above the rest of the competition.

First, know your audience and go to them. This is the best way to market effectively because you target people who are more likely to use your business. For example, if you own an automatic car wash, you may not want to advertise to car lovers because they may prefer the care that goes into handwashing. They may even be hesitant to let anyone else, let alone a machine, touch their car.

Instead, focus on how fast, easy, and inexpensive your automatic car wash is so you reach the right audience. This way, you’ll spend less money on marketing to reach more potential customers. Some of the best ways you can use marketing to spread your brand awareness include addressing bad reviews, getting on social media, and making sure your business stands out by staying open later or having a nice space.

In some cases, you can’t fully control your audience because of where your business is or who the type of people are who live within the area. If you want to start a hand-wash car wash in a poorer neighborhood, you probably won’t do as well as with a less expensive automatic option because of financial struggles.

In addition, you want to show why your business stands out from the others. If you have an automatic car wash, show off the advanced technology that cleans the vehicle effectively and safely. If you own a self-service car wash, show off that you have more options and features for customers to use than your competitors.

With the right preparation and marketing, your car wash business can soar. However, no matter how much marketing you do, if your car wash doesn’t have great equipment, you’ll lose customers. If you would like to learn more, contact us at Advance Car Wash Solutions LLC.