June 14, 2024

Let's cut to the chase: You're opening a new site and want to hit member milestones and drive recurring revenue fast.  

If you are thinking along these lines, you're already on track. A healthy membership program is at the core of a successful wash. The faster you can get members, the earlier you generate monthly recurring revenue (MRR) that drives ROI on your wash investment.  

At SUDS, we've found that the member count you reach in your first 90 days can predict your entire year-one performance with about 90% accuracy. In other words, the first 90 days of your wash being open are critical to your first year's success. 

After running thousands of go-to marketing campaigns, we've discovered the best ways to quickly ramp up membership revenue. In this post, we're reflecting on one particular customer, a brand-new wash in California, and what strategies we used to help them get over 1,100 members in just three weeks. 

Applying these strategies at your new wash can help you propel your wash plan to success, too. 

Leverage the First Visit 

Our data shows that roughly 48% of members sign up for a membership on their very first visit! This is the ultimate example of "You don't have a second chance to make a first impression." 

Customers may only stop because you're offering free grand opening washes, but with a warm welcome and a great membership offer, they may be happy to join your plan.  

There is no "right offer" that will effectively entice new customers to sign up in all cases. The success of an offer depends on your wash pricing, the time of year, competition and your strategy. Typically, however, we find that offering a substantial discount (think 50% or higher) on the first 1-3 months of membership works well for most washes. 

Another great tactic to boost membership sales is to make the discounted membership price the same or even cheaper than buying just one wash – this makes the membership decision a no-brainer for your customers.

Catch and Keep Their Attention 

In the sea of endless content, it's increasingly difficult to break through the noise. To catch customers' attention, you need next-level creative that pushes traditional boundaries while still aligning with your brand. Bold, bright colors with a charming mascot character helped our California client's ads stand out and drive action.  

Once you have their attention, you only have a few seconds before they move on to something else. Therefore, it's critical to be super clear on what your offer is or what you want them to do. Our rule of thumb is to keep your ads to just one message and rotate creative throughout the campaign.  

Collect Customer Data 

We all know there's nothing free about a free wash, so as you're promoting complimentary trials of your best wash, be sure you're collecting customer data like name, email and phone number in exchange for coupons.  

Our client directed free wash ads to a landing page where the consumer filled out a form with their contact info to receive a coupon delivered to their inbox. We recommend using a similar strategy with print ads and direct mailers, directing consumers to a landing page with a QR code. 

If you're not collecting contact information from your customers, you will miss the opportunity to nurture leads into loyal, long-term customers and members. Getting an email and phone number from a customer adds email and text marketing to your repertoire so you can retarget a warm audience already familiar with your services. When it comes time for your next promotion, you'll be grateful you took the extra step to collect customer contact info during your grand opening. 

You Can, Too! 

We applied these strategies through a go-to-market campaign designed to maximize our customer's new site. We know that these strategies can help any wash – including yours! Let's strategize to see how we can hit your membership goals faster than ever.