Advertising can often be one of the most difficult business aspects for carwashes, yet it is the key for the growth of your business. Whether you have one wash or several, a self-serve operation or full-service facility, a stand-alone wash or a wash and detail shop, deciding how to advertise your business can be challenging. For some businesses in the carwash industry, yellow page advertising may be the right move - for others however, it may not be worth the time and money spent.

Don Blair owner of the self-service Don's Car Wash in Susanville, CA, feels yellow page advertising does not present any advantages for his business. He compares it to buying gas _ you don't need to look in the yellow pages to find out where to go for it.

Joel Lomberg, senior partner at Image Works, a yellow pages advertising firm in Voorhees, NJ, agrees. He says that for the most part, it may not pay for carwashes to advertise in the yellow pages unless they are in a transient area or a resort area. He does believe however, that detail shops or a combination carwash and detail or lube business can find value in advertising in the yellow pages.

"The carwash is very much like a pizza place or video store - it's an every day recurring type of business," says Lomberg. "Businesses most successful in the yellow pages are the ones you need right away."

The yellow pages do have their benefits and operators should weigh the pros and cons before deciding whether or not to use them as part of their advertising plan.

According to Lomberg, the yellow pages is the only advertising medium available that, when a potential customer is ready to make a decision, they go to that book.

On the downside, advertising in the yellow pages also submits the operator to "advertising clutter."

"In the yellow pages everyone that is competing against you is on the same page," explains Lomberg. "Because of the clutter you have to somehow make your ad stand out. You need to reflect the quality of your business and at the very least, compel the customer to give you a call."

Stand out from the crowd

If you decide to use the yellow pages for advertising, your ad can help create a company image that people will notice. The use of pictures, proper headline placement and text layout all add up to a clean, attractive and eye-catching ad that will bring new customers into your wash, lube or detail shop.

Keep in mind the following guidelines for a successful ad:

· Graphics. A good ad must have a graphic of some sort - and that doesn't mean some 1950's type clip-art. According to Lomberg, approximately 95 percent of ads are still using boring clip-art that looks like it's been around for years, or have no graphic or art at all.

· Shape. Most ads are squared off, but Lomberg suggests making the shape of your ad a little different. One way to do this would be to make the graphic or picture jump out of the frame of the ad.

"The combination of a graphic plus the different shape should be just enough to absolutely draw the eye to that ad," advises Lomberg.

· Headlines. Each ad should have an eye-catching headline.

"Unfortunately, 95 percent of ads have a headline that is usually a company name," says Lomberg. "And for the most part people don't care what your name is. What they care about is `What are you going to do for me?'"

The only time the company name should be in the headline is if the name is recognizable; otherwise eliminate it from the top of the ad.

The main purpose of the headline is to grab the attention of the reader and pull them into the ad.

"Your headline has got to give them a reason to continue to read that ad," says Lomberg. "It's got to give them a benefit of why they should go there."

Most importantly, the headline should explain what makes your company different from the people you are competing with.

· Text. The text in the ad should answer the customers' top questions as they look at your ad. They want to know what you do, the hours you're open, how you do it, brands that you have, etc. But beware! If you have too much copy, people won't read it and will move along to the next ad.

"You have to decide what is the most important thing to put in that ad, and what is the least important thing to put in that ad," says Lomberg. "If you can get everything in and it doesn't look crowded - great."

Lomberg suggests the use of bullets to highlight specific information that you need to stand out. In addition, certain words -free, certified, insured and guaranteed - should be included in the ad. They are attention-getters.

· Logos. If at all possible, use a logo of some sort in the ad.

"The reason for this is that people equate logos with stability, someone that has been around for a while and will be around for a long time," says Lomberg.

Logos can include the way the company name is scripted, as well as the familiar brand names of products used at your facility or accepted methods of payment such as Visa or Mastercard.

Emotion vs. logic

According to Lomberg, when designing an ad, be it yellow pages or any other type of advertisement, you need to recognize that people make decisions based more on emotion than logic.

"Most businesses are selling something more than what is obviously being sold," he explains. "You would think a flower shop is selling flowers but what they are really selling is love, caring and sympathy."

In making an effective yellow page ad, you need to consider what the customer is actually getting from your wash or detail shop. Then, you need to use that emotion to bring them into your ad, and eventually, into your business. Remember however, the yellow pages aren't designed to sell your services.

"An effective ad should be designed to get people to walk through your door or give you a call. Then, once they walk through the door, it's up to you to sell them," Lomberg explains.