You would have to be blind to miss the Metro Express Car Wash’s electronic billboard as you get on the connector out of downtown Boise. Yesterday as I was leaving downtown I noticed they were inviting people to “follow them on Twitter @MetroExpress”.
I was instantly curious. Many businesses can benefit from an Internet presence, but a car wash? You can’t get your car clean online! And just what would a car wash have to say on Twitter that would be worth following? Their tweets so far can mostly be divided into three categories; pushing people to their FaceBook page, publicizing their search for local artists willing to show their art on the downtown location’s electronic sign, and providing trivia about their facilities.
The effort is still fairly young, but there is obvious logic in their approach. Their electronic sign, which they claim is seen by 53,000 people every day, is their number one marketing asset. There is simply nothing better to look at while stopped at that last light before the Connector.
But for all its attention-getting power, you can’t communicate complicated messages on it. Twitter can, and what can’t be done on Twitter can be handled from their FaceBook and official web sites. It is a tiered marketing approach, one leading to the other to guide customers as far as they want to go, and rewarding them for doing so. The only problem is that one must be a member of FaceBook to see the FaceBook site. Not everyone (myself included) is willing to sign up just to investigate a business.
Meanwhile, if you’re stuck at the light on 13th, look up. You should be seeing some local artists’ work featured there soon.
Twitter: click here
Metro Express Car Wash: click here
Metro Express on Twitter: click here
Comments
They provide a great car wash, too. I am a late comer to the social networking bandwagon. I didn't even join Twitter until today. I read a book at lunch (Tribes by Seth Godin) that finally explained it all to me. Now I get it. Better late than never. Metro Express Car Wash gets it, too.
Thom, thank you so much for the comments! My company, Alexander and Associates, does the marketing for Metro Express and we have brought them into social media in a big way and encouraged these uses for their 5' by 15' video screens. Metro Express (@metroexpress on Twitter) has always been on the cutting edge in their industry and their marketing is no different. We have gotten great traditional and social media coverage for putting local artists on the electronic signs, where you also noticed our Facebook and Twitter slides. My company has developed somewhat of a niche in car wash PR - sounds strange, but every business can benefit from good PR and a car wash can be a fun client to have. Metro Express is probably the only company so flamboyantly advertising their social media networking. We are looking at other uses for Twitter, such as traffic flow management, e.g., come by during slow times and get a dollar off. Like everyone else, we are waiting to see to what extent our investment in social media will pay off.
Thom, I just wanted to update you that Metro Express received a Trendsetter Award from Washtrends magazine for our social media marketing efforts. The award pleases us, but it's worth pointing out you were the first to independently recognize what we were up to and how it works. From our perspective, you are clearly ahead of the game in recognizing trends and their significance!
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