post-corona advertising ideas?

[PaulLovesJamie]

For my small market self serve:
I'm beginning to design my sidwalk signs & ads for when we're allowed to re-open, looking for post-virus specific ideas. I'm assuming things will not just bounce back to business as usual, and want to make sure people get back into the habit of washing their cars.

A few basic concepts so far, not fleshed out yet:

Disinfect your car with our pre-soak
$1 days all month - welcome back
Vacuum and disinfect your car's interior (I need to stock up on vending disinfectant items, they sold out quickly)

 

[Debra Gorgos]

Vamoose the Virus Specials

 

[Waxman]

I bought 5 new 'swooper' flags for my lot last week and I'll be pouring concrete bases for the ground spikes this weekend.

I'm thinking I will buy one of these: It'll be about $1000 including shipping. I've wanted one for awhile, and I'm imagining all the possibilities for messages on each side.

 

[MEP001]

I'm thinking I will buy one of these: View attachment 1377 It'll be about $1000 including shipping. I've wanted one for awhile, and I'm imagining all the possibilities for messages on each side.

Those are banned in a lot of cities. IMO they also look tacky.

 

[PaulLovesJamie]

Disinfect your car with our pre-soak

Upon further thought, I think Ill be careful about making claims I cant defend, like "disinfect."
I'm going to try to use words from the CDC website such as
"CDC Says: Wash often with soap and water"

 

[PaulLovesJamie]

Vamoose the Virus Specials

I like that, need to think up graphics

 

[Eric H]

I was thinking about a grand reopening with free washes or $1 washes all day or all week. I am the only carwash in town that has closed...

 

[JMMUSTANG]

I’m sorry but I have to let off a little steam.
I don’t understand us as car wash owners.
As self serv washes we’re still talking about $1+ washes, either starting times or promo’s
Forget about the capital expenditures of building a car wash.
Any of you have a a dog? What does it coat to have your dog washed at a groomer? I pay $50-70 bucks.
A guys haircut is anywhere between $15-25+. They both use a pair of scissors, combs and hair dryer.
Know matter what type of wash you have I bet your total cost is 1,000’s times more expensive to even get to the point of washing a car.
We all CLEAN cars and overall do a a damn good job of it.

Off this subject but has any of you thought about promoting Ozone machines too disinfect the interior and vents of cars??

 

[PaulLovesJamie]

I’m sorry but I have to let off a little steam.
I don’t understand us as car wash owners.
As self serv washes we’re still talking about $1+ washes, either starting times or promo’s

In general I agree 100%, thanks for bringing it up.
I think these circumstances are unique though:
- I'm in a small mostly blue collar market
- The county I'm in is notorious for being tight
- I think the secondary effects of this "pandemic" will include significant economic changes, including less discretionary spending. (Its the tertiary effects that terrify me, but thats a whole nother discussion)
- I think an awful lot of people are psychologically off their center. A good discount for a short while may help. Sort of like grace for vets helps the community (for lack of a better example).

I havent made up my mind yet, still trying to figure it out.

 

[Nuphoenix]

I'm floating the idea of wiping down car interiors with disinfectant. Not sure of the right wording to market it. Sanitize is wrong, disinfect SEEMS better, any other wording I could use?

 

[Kramerwv]

Clean and sanitize - covers it all

 

[JAGraff]

You might want to check out this webinar: https://drbsystems.zoom.us/webinar/...TMWXxVEyP-1E1VQYLl9HYp2ovhkyag3VP2OKBBL7PFHqE

It's mainly about recapturing unlimited members, but it also discusses things like becoming part of people's new routines and combatting "frequency blindness" where people stop noticing you because they pass by your wash everyday. I'm assuming you don't have plans being in Self Serve, but you can probably get some good ideas anyway.

 

[mjwalsh]

I bought 5 new 'swooper' flags for my lot last week and I'll be pouring concrete bases for the ground spikes this weekend.

I'm thinking I will buy one of these: View attachment 1377 It'll be about $1000 including shipping. I've wanted one for awhile, and I'm imagining all the possibilities for messages on each side.

Waxman & others,
Depending on how fussy you are on its perfect appearance ... you may be able to find one similar to the one in your pic used 2nd hand locally that a business upgraded to a different style. That is what we did. We bought a small flag pole type of solar panel & matching LED lights combo from Amazon. It was some work but we took it apart to mount the LED lights internally with the small panel on top. The LED lights tend to be always still working even on short winter days before the next day light. For roads that have reasonably slow traffic & for people walking... I think these signs are not obsolete. I hope troublemakers do not ban that style ... like possibly ... what has happened other cities.

Even at night the white colored part of the used sign is more readable from the translucent effect. Ours was kind of beat up & at first the letters & numbers (characters) were blowing off during some heavy windy period of time. We fixed that with securing on shrink wrap from an Office Depot roll which we have to redo at least once a year. I think your new one might have the ability to have hard plastic over the characters so they can not blow off??? We printed out some 8" missing black characters that we ran short of & laminated them with an extra good quality Jackson-Hirsh Laminator. Onlinelabels.com had some weatherproof polyester full page label material designed for our HP Laser printer.

 

[Nuphoenix]

Waxman & others,
Depending on how fussy you are on its perfect appearance ... you may be able to find one similar to the one in your pic used 2nd hand locally that a business upgraded to a different style. That is what we did. We bought a small flag pole type of solar panel & matching LED lights combo from Amazon. It was some work but we took it apart to mount the LED lights internally with the small panel on top. The LED lights tend to be always still working even on short winter days before the next day light. For roads that have reasonably slow traffic & for people walking... I think these signs are not obsolete. I hope troublemakers do not ban that style ... like possibly ... what has happened other cities.

Even at night the white colored part of the used sign is more readable from the translucent effect. Ours was kind of beat up & at first the letters & numbers (characters) were blowing off during some heavy windy period of time. We fixed that with securing on shrink wrap from an Office Depot roll which we have to redo at least once a year. I think your new one might have the ability to have hard plastic over the characters so they can not blow off??? We printed out some 8" missing black characters that we ran short of & laminated them with an extra good quality Jackson-Hirsh Laminator. Onlinelabels.com had some weatherproof polyester full page label material designed for our HP Laser printer.

Hey Waxman, can you give me some more info on how you changed the sign to solar LED? Manufacturer/seller of the panel, what type of led bulbs? Direct replacement? Inverter?
Thanks for helping with ideas, Mine is set back from the raod and hard to see, but I have permission from the business owner in front of me to put up a sign.

 

[mjwalsh]

Hey Waxman, can you give me some more info on how you changed the sign to solar LED? Manufacturer/seller of the panel, what type of led bulbs? Direct replacement? Inverter?
Thanks for helping with ideas, Mine is set back from the raod and hard to see, but I have permission from the business owner in front of me to put up a sign.

Nuphoenix,
I think it is possible you partially got "yours truly" mixed up with Waxman on the SOLAR-LED portion within our brand unknown used-now revised portable sign. This is what we bought back in May of 2018: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01C4GTG66/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

In hindsight we would have used 4 of the LED lights instead of just 2. That would have made the illumination brighter & more even ... when the sun goes down. If we ever have a need to take the sign apart again we might add an extra two LED fixtures. I would hesitate to put an even bigger solar panel mounted on top because it might become a vandalism target if it protrudes out & up too much.

BTW, your mention of "permission from another business owner" might be just enough of a technicality to nix it legally because of some goofy IMHO unreasonable local ordinance that some city commissioners decided to pass based on what some other goofy commission passed somewhere else!

 

[Nuphoenix]

Nuphoenix,
I think it is possible you partially got "yours truly" mixed up with Waxman on the SOLAR-LED portion within our brand unknown used-now revised portable sign. This is what we bought back in May of 2018: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01C4GTG66/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

In hindsight we would have used 4 of the LED lights instead of just 2. That would have made the illumination brighter & more even ... when the sun goes down. If we ever have a need to take the sign apart again we might add an extra two LED fixtures. I would hesitate to put an even bigger solar panel mounted on top because it might become a vandalism target if it protrudes out & up too much.

BTW, your mention of "permission from another business owner" might be just enough of a technicality to nix it legally because of some goofy IMHO unreasonable local ordinance that some city commissioners decided to pass based on what some other goofy commission passed somewhere else!

Do you illuminate only one side?
Or would you put four on each side?
Do you have the flashing arrow part?
There's no problem with a local ordinance I guess because I live in a rural area and I'm the only wash in a 10 mile radius and this tiny "town" wants all the business they can get.

 

[mjwalsh]

Do you illuminate only one side?
Or would you put four on each side?
Do you have the flashing arrow part?
There's no problem with a local ordinance I guess because I live in a rural area and I'm the only wash in a 10 mile radius and this tiny "town" wants all the business they can get.

No arrow on mine. 2 led fixtures for each side(4 total)...better than 2 for both sides (2 total) like I have.

 

[Nuphoenix]

No arrow on mine. 2 led fixtures for each side(4 total)...better than 2 for both sides (2 total) like I have.

I'm really considering it as a new permanent sign is wicked expensive.
What messages are you planning on posting?
Maybe offering interior disinfection for 5 or 10?

 

[mjwalsh]

Since mine is mainly "name of biz" & "directions" south & east ... I am sure you would come up with a message that fits your location & promotion goals.

Let us know how you make it so the characters do not blow off in an extreme wind storm.

Waxman may have more in mind with his "brand new?" similar sign.