{"id":2561,"date":"2026-06-18T12:43:41","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T12:43:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/business\/insights\/\/"},"modified":"2026-06-18T12:43:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T12:43:41","slug":"text-marketing-in-car-wash","status":"publish","type":"insights","link":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/business\/insights\/car-wash\/text-marketing-in-car-wash\/","title":{"rendered":"How to use text marketing to grow your car wash"},"content":{"rendered":"

A car slows down to enter your car wash. At the last minute,\u00a0it\u00a0zooms\u00a0past. The\u00a0driver\u00a0received a text from your\u00a0competitor\u00a0a block away about an end-of-summer\u00a0sale.\u00a0Your competitor made $25 and got a 5-star review. That could have been your customer. You\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0reach out when you should have.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Forbes1<\/sup>, SMS has an open rate of 98%.\u00a0With a\u00a0nearly perfect\u00a0score, no other marketing channel is going to come close to\u00a0a text.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

SMS\u00a0marketing\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0about blasting promotional offers every couple of months and wondering why new customers\u00a0aren\u2019t\u00a0driving in. You need to send the right message at the right time.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are some text ideas you can implement right away, without spending money on a marketing team.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The weather trigger\u00a0text<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Who washes their cars before the rain?<\/span>\u00a0Almost<\/span><\/i>\u00a0nobody. This is why your competitors\u00a0aren\u2019t\u00a0thinking about it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Most car wash owners think that the rain kills\u00a0business. It\u00a0will,\u00a0if\u00a0you\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0start thinking differently.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Your customers see gray clouds and\u00a0decide their dirty car can survive\u00a0another week. You\u00a0should\u00a0see the weather forecast\u00a0as the perfect opportunity to drive\u00a0business.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Send a text 24 hours before the forecasted storm: “Rainy day special!\u00a0Get your wash today.\u00a0Our ceramic seal add-on keeps your car cleaner for longer.\u201d\u00a0You\u2019re\u00a0not just\u00a0filling\u00a0what\u00a0would\u2019ve\u00a0been a slow day.\u00a0You\u2019re\u00a0thinking ahead. Now, there will be more cars in your bays before the rain starts.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This works in winter too. A text that reads, \u201cRoad salt is brutal on your paint. Come in today before the storm hits,\u201d is not just useful for your customers;\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0a great way\u00a0to upsell your services.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The loyalty\u00a0text<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Your membership customers are your most valuable assets, but unfortunately, also the easiest to lose. These customers\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0call to cancel. They\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0leave a goodbye text. They just\u00a0stop\u00a0showing up one day. By the time you notice,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0already too late.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A simple text\u00a0is enough to save these customers from moving on to your competitors.\u00a0Don\u2019t\u00a0try to bring in more discounts.\u00a0Instead, acknowledge\u00a0customers before they have a chance to forget about you.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Set up an\u00a0<\/span>automated\u00a0<\/span>text that fires when a member\u00a0hasn\u2019t\u00a0visited in 18 or more days:\u00a0\u201cHey [Name],\u00a0haven\u2019t\u00a0seen you in a while.\u00a0Here\u2019s\u00a0a free interior vacuum on us, no strings attached.\u201d\u00a0You\u2019re\u00a0showing you noticed their absence and\u00a0actually care, which, in a world of\u00a0generic corporate spam, feels rare.\u00a0This\u00a0personal touch\u00a0is what makes you stand out. It is\u00a0what gets\u00a0you\u00a0recommended\u00a0to friends.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0review\u00a0text\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

People will scroll past your car wash because someone left a 1-star review. Even if you respond two days later, the damage is done. It\u2019s now immortalized on the internet.\u00a0 <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s\u00a0the fix? Send a text about\u00a03\u00a0minutes after\u00a0a\u00a0wash while\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0still at the location:\u00a0\u201cHow\u2019d\u00a0we do? Any spots we missed? Let us know now by rating from 1 to 5, and\u00a0we\u2019ll\u00a0make it right before you leave.\u201d\u00a0You\u2019re\u00a0giving your dissatisfied customers a direct line to you instead of a straight path to the\u00a0bad review\u00a0section.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If they had\u00a0a great experience, ask them to leave a Google review. Just\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0be aggressive.\u00a0There\u2019s\u00a0nothing that peeves customers more than a business being pushy about reviews.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By managing feedback this way,\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0reassuring your customers\u00a0while\u00a0giving potential customers a great first impression.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The fleet account text<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

This is the one most car wash\u00a0owners\u00a0completely overlook, and truthfully,\u00a0it’s\u00a0the most interesting opportunity on this list.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Think about the businesses within\u00a0your neighborhood: plumbers, HVAC technicians,<\/span>\u00a0real estate agents, and delivery companies.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Each one of them has vehicles that need to look professional, but scheduling a car wash can be difficult.\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0where you come\u00a0in.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Offer local businesses a dedicated fleet day with a text: \u201cToday is fleet day! Book your slot\u00a0now\u00a0for a discounted price.\u201d A\u00a0single\u00a0text allows them to\u00a0schedule\u00a0all their vehicles, with the billing handled automatically.\u00a0There\u2019s\u00a0no need for phone calls, scheduling software, or back-and-forth emails. Just a text.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Suddenly,\u00a0you\u2019ve\u00a0become an essential partner for local\u00a0businesses, with\u00a0consistent revenue every month.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The hyper-targeted text\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Did you know your best marketing partners are within arm’s reach?\u00a0<\/span>The gym\u00a0nearby. The coffee shop\u00a0opposite\u00a0yours. The gas station\u00a0around\u00a0the corner.\u00a0The auto garage\u00a0two\u00a0blocks down.<\/span>\u00a0Reach out to them for a partnership.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The pitch is\u00a0simple: they send a deal to their opted-in customers, you send one to yours, and both businesses gain\u00a0exposure to a local audience they\u00a0wouldn’t\u00a0have reached otherwise. A bundled deal\u00a0makes the most sense\u00a0and always works the best.\u00a0Try something like: \u201cShow your gym membership for $3 off your next wash.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now,\u00a0you\u2019ve\u00a0connected\u00a0two local businesses\u00a0to\u00a0one shared community\u00a0with\u00a0a great SMS marketing\u00a0strategy\u00a0and\u00a0zero\u00a0ad.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This feels personal because it is, and this sentiment wins every time.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0early access\u00a0text<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

People love\u00a0it\u00a0when they feel like they belong to an exclusive inner circle. So, before you reveal a new location, a pricing change, an updated service, or new add-ons to the public, send a text to your top-tier members.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re\u00a0letting you in on a little secret. Before we announce it to the public, you get first dibs.\u201d The simpler it is, the\u00a0better\u00a0it works.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This costs you nothing, yet will create the kind of loyalty that cannot be manufactured with an ad. People will tell their friends they\u00a0\u201cheard about it early.\u201d\u00a0 In a world where most businesses treat customers like transactions, making someone feel like a VIP is powerful. Use that to your advantage.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bottom line\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Don\u2019t commit to all six at first. Receiving multiple texts from the same business feels too spammy. Begin with one and try it for a few weeks before moving on to the next. SMS marketing takes less effort and time than you\u2019d expect. It doesn\u2019t require complicated integrations or a massive budget yet delivers results almost immediately.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The car that drove past? Now, it stops at yours.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Sources<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
<\/span><\/em>1. Forbes: Is SMS Marketing An Affordable Small Business Growth Booster?<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A car slows down to enter your car wash. At the last minute,\u00a0it\u00a0zooms\u00a0past. The\u00a0driver\u00a0received a text from your\u00a0competitor\u00a0a block away about an end-of-summer\u00a0sale.\u00a0Your competitor made $25 and got a 5-star review. That could have been your customer. You\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0reach out when you should have.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 According to Forbes1, SMS has an open rate of 98%.\u00a0With a\u00a0nearly perfect\u00a0score,… Continue reading How to use text marketing to grow your car wash<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2562,"template":"","insights_category":[84],"class_list":["post-2561","insights","type-insights","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","insights_category-car-wash","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow to use text marketing to grow your car wash<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how use text marketing in your car wash to drive more customers to your car wash without spending money on a marketing team.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.way.com\/business\/insights\/car-wash\/text-marketing-in-car-wash\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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