If you are in an aviation service business at an airport which is not as busy as some of the busiest airports then you need to be extremely aggressive with your marketing to ensure that your business has new clients and is successful. Just having a certain number of clients is not a smart idea because aircraft owners change overtime and the attrition rate of customers is about 20 percent per year.

One of the best ways that we have found to market our aircraft washing and cleaning service is to go down to the county courthouse and look at the tax use records. In many states the county charges a small assessment fee on aircraft. If you get a list of all the aircraft owners it is smart to send them one of your flyers and business cards to recruit them as possible clients.

Most savvy aircraft washing and detailing companies will tell you that word-of-mouth use their best advertising. This is true. It also makes sense to advertise on airport bulletin boards and in local airport newsletters. Insert in one of your flyers in a newsletter that goes out to pilots is a good idea and following up with the direct marketing piece through the mail makes sense if you have a list of all the aircraft owners.

If you cannot get a list there are other ways to get a lists such as the Federal Aviation Administration record of all pilots, sort by zip code. You can also get a list sometimes from aircraft service businesses such as fixed based operators at the airport. Sometimes the airport manager will give you a list that you can use with addresses only.

Either way it is good to contact each and every aircraft owner and pilot in the area to alert them of your aircraft washing and detailing services through the U.S. mail. Please consider all this in 2006.