For most of the country, winter usually means cold temperatures, snow and ice. And in the midst of severe weather we tend to start longing for warm and sunny days. As you start dreaming about spring, remember National Car Care Month is in April. While it seems a ways down the road, it’s never too early to think about ways to leverage the Car Care Council’s national consumer media campaign to help grow your business. A quick visit to www.carcare.org can help you get started with plans for National Car Care Month.
After a harsh winter, customers’ vehicles will need extra attention to make sure they are ready for the spring and summer driving season, meaning more business for shops throughout the country. Participating in National Car Care Month is time well spent and gives you a chance to build awareness of your business, increase car counts and educate consumers on how much of their vehicle’s maintenance is going unchecked.
Plus, with gas prices relatively low, motorists have a few more dollars in their pockets to spend on essentials, like vehicle service and repair, making National Car Care Month the perfect time to reach out to current customers and potential new ones. Having a proper plan in place is essential and the Car Care Council can help.
The Car Care Council’s website (www.carcare.org/industry-tool-box) has an assortment of promotional tools designed to help you take advantage of the opportunities National Car Care Month can create. In addition, since there is no one-size-fits-all template for participating in National Car Care Month, the Industry Tool Box also offers additional information on how to incorporate National Car Care Month activities into your plans on a smaller scale.
Many shops throughout the country celebrate National Car Care Month by hosting community car care events. At these events, businesses volunteer their time to check components on vehicles that typically get overlooked, including tires, air filters, lubricants and fluids, belts and hoses, battery cables and lights. The free vehicle inspection events emphasize the importance of preventive maintenance and educate consumers about how to take proper care of their cars.
Inexpensive to conduct, these community events also provide an opportunity to raise awareness of your business in the community, interact with current customers, attract new ones and demonstrate how an investment in auto care will keep their vehicles running better and longer.
Visit www.carcare.org/industry-participants/host-an-event to view a video on how to host an event, register your event on the Car Care Council’s website and request up to 100 inspection forms free-of-charge. The council has a map feature to make it easier for motorists to find an event in their area. To make your event more visible, the Car Care Council will also promote registered events through its various social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
A giveaway idea for your customers during National Car Care Month is the newly-redesigned Car Care Guide, which features 20 additional pages of new information to help motorists “Be Car Care Aware” by better understanding the when, why and how of caring for their vehicles. Available in english and spanish, the 80-page Car Care Guide uses easy-to-understand everyday language, rather than technical automotive jargon and fits easily in a glove box. The guides can be purchased in bulk to hand out to customers by visiting www.carcare.org/car-care-guide. Custom printing with a company logo on the back cover is also available in bulk quantities.
Get one of the council’s newly updated point-of-sale kits containing banners, mirror danglers, posters, handouts and other items to help shops celebrate National Car Care Month. Popular items include “Car Care Month” and “Event Today” banners. The special point-of-sale kits are available at http://www.carcare.org/pos-starter-kit/.
Recommend your customers check out the Car Care Council’s free service schedules at www.carcare.org/car-care-service-schedules and sign up for the customized service schedule with email reminders. Print out car care tips at http://www.carcare.org/car-care-resource/car-care-tips/ and leave them out for customers to read while they are in a waiting room or standing at the counter. Car care tips are also easy to share across all social media platforms.
National Car Care Month is the ideal time to build awareness of your business, increase car counts and educate consumers on how much of their vehicle’s maintenance is going unchecked. The time and energy spent on National Car Care Month will not only help your shop this April, but can lead to additional business for years to come.
Don’t procrastinate or sit out another year. National Car Care Month can be a lucrative business opportunity if you have the right plan in place.
RICH WHITE is the executive director of the Car Care Council. For more information about the Car Care Council and the “Be Car Care Aware” campaign, visit: www.carcare.org
