Research leading auto detailing products, equipment and training centers all from one site. Resources for Mobile Detailing Businesses, Auto Detailing Shops, Dent Repair, Windshield Repair, Headlight Restoration and more...
Let's face it. Mobile devices have drastically shifted the online landscape to the point that in 2010 more than 50 percent of all Internet access was being done via handhelds of some sort. About 45 percent of mobile owners are using their devices to download social networking apps. In fact, 35 percent of Android and iPhone owners in the U.S. use apps such as Facebook before getting out of bed, according to a recent survey conducted by telecommunications equipment vendor Ericsson.
Several companies have a subdomain set up specifically for mobile phones. So, for example, when users type www.ESPN.com into a smartphone, the ESPN site actually figures out that they are visiting the site from a mobile device and redirects them to a subdomain. The user experience from the phone is different than the user experience at a computer. Diane Irvine, CEO of Seattle-based jewelry site Blue Nile, realized the importance of mobile delivery when her site made a $40,000 diamond sale via a mobile device in 2009. She soon learned that she needed to make her site more mobile-friendly for iPhone users. Last year, she introduced a mobile version of the Blue Nile site. Since the launch, Irvine says, "More than 20 percent of our shoppers are using the mobile site." The reason being is that it gives people the flexibility to shop wherever they are. "This will become the future of shopping," she adds.
If you are a Mobile Detailing Business owner and have been looking for new ways to build your client base, one possibility may be a "Mobile Car Wash" event.
Exactly what is a "Mobile Car Wash Event"? It's really very simple assuming you can obtain permission from the business owner or store management.
First contact the store manager of your local home improvement store. These locations are very busy on weekends during the spring and summer months. Ask if it would be possible to set your mobile detailing equipment in an area of their parking lot on an upcoming weekend. In exchange for letting you set up, you can offer to wash employee's cars at a discount or arrange to detail their car for free at a later date. Another option is to donate a percentage of your sales receipts for the weekend to the stores employee fund which is often used for store holiday parties etc. or to a charity of the stores choosing.
Agree on a specific date and with the guidance of the manager, set up in a high visible area that will not disrupt the flow of traffic into the shopping center.
Set up as early as possible, around 8:00 AM would be good. During the weekend only do "Washes" for customers as they are doing their shopping. With 2 people you can get through an exterior wash, do the windows and dress the tires in plenty of time before they complete their shopping. In the event you get back logged (and you will)...have a table with chairs for customers to wait at and have refreshments for them to enjoy while you finish. On the table include brochures of your detailing services and have plenty of business cards on hand.
You may very well find as I did that you have customers lined up all day and many will contact you later for full detailing services.
What you charge for the washes will need to be determined by your current market.
Sometimes you can even get local press coverage of the event. You can also promote the event of your facebook and twitter pages.
This is a great way to increase name recognition in your community for your mobile detailing business.
Be prepared to provide business license (where required) and proof insurance to the property manager.
Have some unique marketing ideas? Share them..just click on the comment tab
We have often been asked what is the "best platform" for designing and hosting your business website?
This is really a difficult question to answer because it will depend on your own comfort level when it comes to designing and maintaining a website.
There are many hosting companies available each offering a wide variety of services and options. In my opinion many of the options that people pay for are either unused or even unnecessary for the average detail business website.
Blogging has become an important element of a successful website. Blogging allows you to quickly and easily update your site with special offers, photos and more without the need to add additional pages each time. If your website does not incorporate a blog, I would strongly recommend adding one as soon as possible and update it on a regular basis.
So, which platform or service to use?
One of the most popular services is WordPress. They are easy to customize with the many themes that are available. Most hosting companies offer WordPress Blogs as part of their service.
The service we use for Auto Detailing Network is called "SquareSpace". I personally prefer this format but that may be because it is what I am familiar with. Like WordPress, it has a variety of themes to help get your site started, though there are substantially less than WordPress. The themes offered can be customized to your personal preferences.
One of the big advantages to SquareSpace is their awesome customer service. You can send a "support ticket" with your question and I have never waited longer than 1 hour until I received a personal response. Of course a general understanding of HTML is helpful with whichever program you select.
Adding pages, blogs, photos etc. is very easy with SquareSpace. There are also helpful tools built in to help you obtain better search engine rankings over time.
Here is a great video with an overview of the SquareSpace service.
You can register on SquareSpace for a 14 day trial without the need to enter a credit card. This can give you a chance to get your hands "dirty" with the system.
Plus, there is now an iPad app for SquareSpace. Unknown if an Android app is coming but the company is receiving many requests for one.
So, take a look at these services and see what you are most comfortable with. As mentioned above, we have used SquareSpace for years and offer website design using the SquareSpace service.
As you can see from the video SquareSpace makes it easy and fun to design your site, but if you prefer, we can build your site for you so you can tend to your business. Don't worry, we'll have a conference call to provide complete instructions to update your site and we are always available to assist after your site is live.
Our rate for a five page site is $500.00. This includes the following pages:
Homepage
Services Page
Contact Page
About Us Page
Photo Gallery (or other page of choice)
Please note: This rate is for the design only. Domain name registration and hosting fees are paid directly to the respective company.
Monday, June 13, 2011 at 3:08PM 
