You can’t judge a book from its cover, they say. But many people do. And the same is true of your car wash menu. Paying careful attention to the first thing people see about your wash can have a huge impact on the success of your business. 

Onsite menus will often be the first impression visitors have of your brand. If your car wash menus are difficult to read, unattractive or unmotivating, your customers may switch to a competitor down the road. Whether you’re just breaking into the car washing business or have worked in the industry for some time, it’s certainly worthwhile to explore the basics of what makes a car wash menu stand out from the crowd. Read on to learn more.

Components of Car Wash Menus

Car wash menus, like signage in general, come in a variety of styles. While there are no set rules when it comes to making car wash menus, there are a few key characteristics that all engaging car wash menus share. Ensuring your signage and car wash menu contains these essential three components can make all the difference.

Brevity

The best car wash menus are short, simple, dynamic and easy to read. Remember, the longer customers need to review your menu, the longer it will take to process visitors in your car wash queue. Avoid long strings of descriptive text or unnecessary filler. Providing too much information in your menu will only serve to confuse your customers.

With that said, don’t be afraid to take advantage of space on your menu to showcase distinctive aspects of your business. For instance, you can add logos of various reputable vendors you’ve partnered with or awards your business may have received.

Intuitive Pricing

There’s a good reason why many car wash menus typically only contain whole numbers. Customers don’t want to do complex calculations in their heads to determine which wash option provides the most value for their money. This is why it’s best to price your offerings in a simple, intuitive way. For instance, you can offer a basic car wash for $5, an advanced wash with tire shine for $10, and an all-inclusive wash with shine protectant for $15. At the bottom of the menu, you can specify an additional charge for select services like interior detailing, an undercarriage wash, or full body wax in case these services aren’t included in your wash packages.

Creativity

An attractive menu should also contain a bit of artistic flair. Look for graphics or car wash images that can augment your menu and help illustrate the value proposition of your business. For instance, if your car wash prides itself in following eco-friendly practices, you may want to add some graphics to your menu that illustrate your commitment to the environment. You should also spend some time testing out a variety of color schemes to find a combination that makes your menu look more attractive.

Colors and graphics you use should be consistent with your overall business branding. Ideally this brand is engaging, memorable and distinctive. Your brand should stand out from those in the area – and bring to a customer’s mind a specific image or picture of your business.

How To Design Your Car Wash Menu

Creating a car wash menu from scratch may sound pretty straightforward at first, but there are several important considerations to keep in mind. If you’re having trouble creating a car wash menu that works for your business, don’t get discouraged. Here are some of the fundamentals to creating an attractive car wash menu that can make matters easier for you.

Define Your Target Audience and Services

First, you’ll want to draft a car wash marketing plan that clearly defines your target audience and the kind of car wash advertising that would appeal to it. Start by creating buyer personas of your dominant customers so you can develop car wash marketing ideas that speak to the values and concerns of your patrons. From there, you’ll want to outline the various services your car wash provides, paying special attention to any offerings that can help to differentiate your business from the competition.

Structure Your Menu

Once your various services and wash options are clearly defined, you can move on to developing the basic framework for your car wash menu. If you need help generating car wash sign ideas for menus or zone marketing, NCS can help.We can help you create the perfect TSS signage solutions that speak to your branding, whether you intend to use digital menus or print media for your business. However, if you’d prefer to structure your car wash menus yourself, here are some helpful pointers to get you started.

Start With a Basic Wash

Begin sketching out the basics of your car wash menu starting with your simple, classic wash. This option should typically only cover rudimentary exterior washes, rinsing, and air or towel dry. From there, you can work on calculating the total cost per wash including labor, chemicals, and water usage to find a competitive price point for your express wash service.

Offer Tiered Packages

After outlining the basics of your regular car wash, you can move on to the various other wash options you provide. This is often done by separating services into tiers that gradually increase in price. For example, you can offer a second wash package that includes the express wash plus tire detailing, waxing, and undercarriage cleaning. For your highest tier wash package, you can include everything in tiers 1 and 2, plus an added service such as interior detailing.

Consider Add-On Services

In some cases, your customers may want a basic wash but with one or two extra services from your higher-tier wash packages included. These add-on services may include floor mat shampooing, vacuuming, ceramic sealant, tire shine or a couple of extra air fresheners. Have these a la carte services clearly listed below your tired wash packages so customers can essentially customize their experience at a price that works for them.

Menus in the Context of Signage – Zone Marketing

You’ll also want to think about how your car wash menus and promotional signage are positioned around your car wash. Leveraging strategic zone marketing can help you create a seamless customer experience by separating their journey into specific stages.

For example, when customers first pull up, you’ll want to have a welcome area set up where customers are greeted before being guided into the education zone. Here, you can set up one or more menus that contain all your wash packages and specialty services. Once a customer makes a decision, they can proceed to the experience zone where all the action takes place.

Strategic locations in the carwash process are great for reminding people of membership or loyalty perks, or for reinforcing the value of your services by playing up well known branded products.

As customers get ready to drive away, be sure to set up signage thanking them for their visit.

Revamp Your Car Wash Marketing

With all the work that goes into owning a car wash, it’s not always easy to find the time to develop engaging marketing materials. Our team at NCS is here to help. We provide car wash owners with all the expert support they need to succeed, from equipment installation and maintenance to comprehensive educational materials through our College of Clean program.

Meanwhile, we offer the right solutions to turn your wash into a membership magnet via successful marketing and signage, including menus. When you’re ready to take your car wash marketing to a whole new level, contact us to get started.