“How do I get more customers?”
In the book of most frequently asked questions by small business owners, this is likely number one. While all businesses are different, we are happy to report on one marketing strategy that works pretty universally. Using this strategy, you can begin to expand your customer base right away – as long as you have the right tools.
The most influential form of marketing today is arguably word of mouth marketing. It’s a concept worth investigating, especially in the age of social media. After all, statistics show that people are already talking! Nearly all consumers (87%) have made a product or brand recommendation to their friends or family in the past six months, according to the 2024 Bizrate Insights report The State of Customer Loyalty.
Why Word of Mouth Marketing Works
It’s fairly obvious why word of mouth marketing, as a strategy, is so effective. The statistics show that conversations between consumers can be extremely swaying. In fact, according to the Nielsen 2021 Trust in Advertising survey, 88% of consumers trust recommendations from people they know more than any other channel of marketing. This makes sense, if you think about it. It’s targeted advice, given by a trusted source, when the message has increased impact potential.
In today’s world, we are all exposed to thousands of ads each day. That’s what makes recommendations so exceptionally powerful: they cut through the noise of generalized advertising and strike a personal cord with consumers. As a result, this style of marketing tends to have a much higher impact than even the best paid advertising efforts. That’s why keeping your customers happy and willing to talk favorably about your brand is so important.
So, how do you begin to drive word of mouth marketing efforts? Especially when there’s so much you can’t control? You can’t make your customers communicate your brand with friends and family. That’s correct. But, you can incentivize them to talk about you.
How to Get Your Customers Talking
In previous blog posts, we’ve explained the perks of loyalty programs. Loyalty programs grow your customer relationships, and make your customers feel appreciated and valued. This enhances their willingness to choose your business over the competition as well as speak favorably about your brand.
Having a loyalty program in place is the easiest way to incentivize your customers to spread the word. When customers are acknowledged for their loyalty, they feel better about the money they’ve spent at your wash. When your customers are rewarded for referring, they’re more likely to tell other people about your business. After all, they’re working toward a goal: trying to earn free washes! Those referred to your wash also need their vehicles washed and maintained. They’ll likely join your wash, knowing they too will get rewarded for their business.
Easily Engage Your Customers with UWashApp
We know referrals and word of mouth marketing are powerful strategies when it comes to building your business. That’s why UWashApp makes rewarding your customers for inviting their friends and family to join your wash easy! To earn “stars” on their virtual punch card, UWashApp encourages registered customers to send a text invitations to new users. Once the new user washes their vehicle, the existing customer gets their star(s). Once users reach a certain amount of stars, they are able to redeem a free wash (of your choosing).
Our statistics show that, like other word of mouth marketing reports prove, referrals via UWashApp work, too! In 2023, one-third of referrals sent via UWashApp actually became members. This is huge news! Especially knowing this group consists of the most attainable prospective customers you could ever wish to find. Remember, this group can likely be swayed by a personal recommendation. This makes them the ideal audience to target when building your business base.
Start Rewarding TODAY!
Convinced you need to start rewarding your customers for their referrals? No problem – UWashApp is the easiest, quickest loyalty program solution. And once you’ve got UWashApp, you can kickstart any of our reward programs, including Business/Fleet Accounts, Memberships, Wash Packages, and more.
While you can purchase UWashApp capabilities separately, we’d highly recommend upgrading to our exclusive Tap&App bundle instead. When you buy Tap&App, you get the best-in-industry WashCard All-Access Payment System – a payment equipment upgrade that gives your customers the option to pay with every payment method on the market today, including the widely used tap-to-pay by phone/card AND mobile app options… as well as a completely customizable UWashApp for your business.
But the best part of Tap&App is that you get UWashApp for FREE! That’s at least a $1,195 per bay value. But, honestly, can you really even put a monetary figure to how much value having a loyalty program in place will bring to your business?