Social media gives Metro Express a human face--and an award

Photo: Alexander and Associates - used with permission

Metro Express Car Wash has won WashTrends magazine's Trendsetter Carwash award for a layered social media campaign we first covered in April. The campaign uses Facebook, Twitter, and the company's electronic billboards to attract new customers and reward loyal ones.

Metro Express runs locations in downtown Boise and in Meridian, and recently announced plans for a third location in Nampa. The company is owned by Bill Martin, a 40-year veteren of the car wash industry, and who also operates a consulting firm for car wash entrepreneurs.

What is most interesting about Metro Express' marketing approach is that while the delivery channels are new and trendy, the principles behind it are time-honored basics. They use their most widely-seen platform (their electronic billboard) to deliver short, concise calls-to-action to drive customers to other platforms where they receive more information and incentives to buy the company's services. This could be done successfully with any platform, as ABU Games has proven.

What is more unique and valuable about the social media channels used in the campaign, however, is the ability to interact with the customer base. In the case of Metro Express, their main service advantage--automation--can also be a obstacle. Other than the brief encounter with personnel who help customers select your purchase and guide your vehicle into the track, there is no significant human interaction. It's easy to associate the car wash with impersonal machinery. Their social media channels allow them to present a human face and build a community of customers--many of whom leave testimonials on their sites, which is marketing gold.

Ultimately, however, one key to Metro Express' marketing success may be that they engage in conscious marketing in the first place. While car washes are everywhere in Boise, it is difficult to identify any that have engaged in marketing to the extent that Metro Express has. Establishing a brand image can be another effective form of differentiation.

Another key to success is building on strengths. One of Metro Express' main strengths is a good location. Their downtown location at Front St. and 13th is next to one of the busiest stretches of road in Idaho. While most of the drivers going by are unlikely (and mostly unable) to stop in for a car wash, they do have time to look at a short message. Adding electronic billboards to the location provides the means to draw attention and deliver that message. Social media then provided the means to draw customers to the next level of marketing messages.

Of course any businessman can tell you that marketing is only part of the challenge. It is important to ensure that the customer has a good experience with the company and receives value from their purchase once you convince them to come in. Marketing can get customers in your door. Good products and service helps make sure they leave happy.