Benefits To Community Involvement?

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You are a new wash in town.  Or maybe you’ve got some big competition moving in.  You have a brand identity you are proud of. You’ve determined your single wash and club packages are priced competitively. The site is clean and well maintained. The wash chemistry is dialed in to deliver a great wash consistently.  Your staff is trained. All of these components are critical to your success. But how do you differentiate your wash so that you stand from the competition.

More and more washes are realizing the benefits of a strong community involvement commitment as a way to attract new customers and retain current members.

 

Community involvement provides you with an opportunity to communicate your values while displaying a spirit of giving back to the community.

 

HOW YOUR CAR WASH CAN BECOME INVOLVED IN YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY

 

There are several ways a car wash can get involved in the community. Below are some of the ideas to help you get the ball rolling:

  • Sponsor an event, such as a fundraiser, a marathon or a local sports team.
  • Encourage employees to volunteer (and possibly provide incentives for doing so).
  • Start a charity drive to help the underserved.  Consider a food drive to benefit a local food pantry or a coat drive for a homeless shelter.

 

HOW DOES COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT BENEFIT A CAR WASH

 

HELPS INCREASE BRAND AWARENESS

Every business wants to get noticed for the right reasons, and community involvement is the best way to go about it. A business that actively contributes to society creates awareness of its brand in a way that shows what the company stands for.

 

BUILDS TRUST WITH YOUR COMMUNITY

Consumers want to see that a business cares about more than just raking in profits or meeting the bottom line. This has changed how businesses engage with the community, with companies needing to care about how a community perceives them. With involvement, businesses gain the consumers’ trust and send the message that what benefits the business benefits the community.

 

ALLOWS CREATE ALLIANCES WITH LIKE-MINDED BUSINESSES

Community involvement tends to bring a company into contact with local businesses enabling them to network and find ways they can benefit from each other. The goal is to promote thoughtful referrals. Due to the nature of reciprocity and a pay-it-forward attitude, this ends up benefiting everyone.

 

 

LEVERAGES LOCAL CONNECTIONS

Engaging with local businesses gives smaller, independent car washes an edge over national chains due to its close ties with the community. This is because your wash will have more boots-on-the-ground awareness and have earned your customer’s trust.

 

ATTRACTS TALENT

A business that is active in the community tends to attract talented individuals who care about where they work and that the business is positively impacting the local community.

 

KEEP IT LOCAL    

While national or global charities are extremely important to supporting the needs of individuals across the nation and around the world, teaming up with local organizations helps connect your business to your local community and can be easier to coordinate partnerships with versus national organizations with more aggressive requirements and lead times.

 

Community involvement may be challenging to track in terms of direct results but incorporating QR codes and landing pages tied to profiles in your POS can help overcome this issue.  Best wishes for a giving, growing year ahead as you work toward incorporating more community involvement at your wash!