Marketing Strategies for Your Gas Station Franchise

No matter what part of the country you’re in, you’re bound to find a gas station franchise set up to service motorists. Since competition can become pretty stiff, it’s important for any enterprise to come up with strategies to not only attract new customers but to keep olds one from leaving them. So before you embark on your dreams of running your very own gas station business, be sure to incorporate the following marketing strategies into your gas station business plan to help you increase customers and revenue.

Create Your Own Loyalty Program

One of the many things a gas station business owner should focus on is to maintain customer loyalty. What better way to do that than by coming up with a program that rewards customers for sticking it out with you. The program doesn’t have to offer expensive items. Freebies such as a free oil change, car wax, detailing, or even food can entice your customers to keep coming back to your gas station.

Spruce Up Your Gas Station’s Amenities

Gas station business amenities often come with a bad reputation for being dirty and not being complete. So make yours different by offering what other stations can’t provide its customers. You could add a fast-food section that provides quality food which customers can stop at before hitting the road. You could also set up a 24/7 convenience store filled with a variety of products such as medicines, food and drinks, alcohol, and other vital supplies. Clean bathrooms are also a plus since there will be some motorists who will need to stop by to get themselves cleaned before going on the road again.  .

Set Up Regular Contests for Your Customers

Ask any customer if they love participating in contests and more often than not, you’ll hear a resounding “yes.” For your contests, be sure to offer something that people would consider rewarding. This could be a one-year supply of free fuel, a package of car essentials, gift checks, or even free coffee if your station offers them. What’s great about these contests is that customers who participate and win can tell their friends about your gas station business, giving you more potential customers.

Develop a Partnership With Other Establishments

One of the trends currently developing is gas stations tying up with other establishments to provide discounts for their respective products and services. These could be groceries or fast-food chains near your gas station. Set up a partnership with them that will allow you to offer discounts to customers of that establishment and in turn, they can offer something coming from you. By working with another business, you not only help each other out, you also increase your chances of bringing in new customers into the fold.

Keep Your Pricing Fair

Knowing how to buy a gas station business isn’t the only thing you’ll need to be familiar with in the gasoline business, you also have to be updated with the latest fuel prices. By being aware of the current trends in pricing, you’ll be able to determine whether the amount you’re charging customers is fair. By consistently charging them a fair price, motorists won’t think twice about coming back and doing business with you.

Online Strategies for Your Gas Station Franchise

The Internet has become the new medium of marketing products and services, with TV, radio, and print, almost taking a backseat. So for those who have passed the stage on wondering how to buy a gas station business and are now managing their own gas station franchise, it’s important to look into this medium to help you market your company better. To get you started, here are some of the things you could consider incorporating into your gas station business plan to help you establish yourself online.

Create Your Own Website

One of the first steps to marketing your gas station business online is to establish a web presence and there’s not better way to do that than by creating your own website. This will give your customers a portal they can go to if they want to get updates about your latest product offerings and services. To make your website effective in getting customers and garnering attention online, make sure to submit them to niche sites and specialized link directories. These directories not only increase web traffic, they also help improve link popularity as well.

Take Advantage of Email Marketing

Before, businesses had to send out brochures and flyers to get their message across to their customers. These days, providing customers with the latest news about your business can be done through email marketing. Using email marketing, you can provide customers with information about the latest products you have in store, your current promotions, and the latest updates about your company. Be sure to make opting-in optional so it won’t appear that you’re forcing customers to read the emails you’re sending out.

Use Social Media

With the advent of Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Tumblr, more and more people have started using social media to promote their businesses and the services they offer. So if you’re one of those people running their own gas station franchise, using these social networking sites to market your products and services can help you reach a wider audience, increasing your chances of not only driving in traffic but also boosting revenue as well.

Tap Into Local Listings Websites

While setting up a website can help you establish your presence on the web, one way to reach a wider audience is by tapping into local listing websites. These websites are currently being offered by popular search engines such as Google, Yahoo!, and Superpages. It helps shoppers find you and provide them with information and directions on how to find you. These local listings even get to provide maps and the store hour information of your business.

Interact With Your Customers Online by Blogging

The main reason why people visit a website is to find valuable information. So to draw in customers, one of the strategies you should include in your gas station business plan is blogging.  Simply provide regular updates that are engaging and useful and you can expect your customers to keep coming back to your website. Remember, customers love to get things for free, including useful tips and advice. By engaging and interacting with them through your posts, they’ll feel more involved with your company allowing you to establish a better business relationship with them.

I would love your feedback and thoughts, I am new to this, please post your advice and comments, it will help me improve this blog.

You Can also Subscribe to my Newsletter so I can keep you posted on any upcoming blog post that is newsworthy. Just Click the Link Below.