Originally posted – Nov 14, 2012
As we all know, big businesses have big marketing budgets on which they spend big dollars and, often times, achieve big results. So, here’s the big question: can a small business – like your coin laundry – use big-business marketing techniques without spending the farm and also get big results?
The short answer is yes – but the longer version is much more intriguing.
Habits are the toughest things to break. And, when we own a small business, we commonly fall into the habit of looking at our business as just that… a small business. As a result, we tend to focus on only the traditional, time-honored “small-business marketing methods,” rather than think out of the box and use some “constructive plagiarism” and perhaps “borrow” some ideas from the marketing departments of large companies.
Think innovative.
After all, innovation is derived from great vision, not conventional establishments. Or, as Google CEO Larry Page says, “Happiness is a healthy disregard for the impossible.”
The idea is to harness the power of big company marketing techniques without spending the big bucks to do so. There are many big companies, so there are literally thousands upon thousands of marketing ideas to copy (oops… borrow), and nobody will accuse you of a major theft. It’s time to start hanging with the big dogs. Big company marketing ideas are everywhere you look – start adapting them to your small business.
Stop marketing the same way every other self-service laundry owner does. Stop it right now! Take conventional wisdom, and try the polar opposite. Poke your finger in the eye of the complacent incumbents by doing what everyone else is afraid to – and set yourself up for huge success.
I’m hoping your adrenaline is flowing now.
The concept is actually relatively simple. If you want to be successful, do what successful people do. Seems pretty logical, doesn’t it?
OK, let’s examine four successful big company marketing techniques and see how easily they can be adapted for use in your laundry business.
Outback Steakhouse: “No Rules, Just Right”
Don’t you love their advertising tagline: “No Rules, Just Right?” Have you ever tried to substitute fries for a baked potato at a restaurant, just to have the wait person respond with a look of shock and the phrase, “Well, that’ll cost you an extra buck, you know?”
I have, and it turns me off big time. The restaurant is making a big deal over a potato and putting itself into the absurd position of tripping over pennies on its way to dollars.
At Outback restaurants, whatever you want to substitute in terms of various reasonable food categories is fine with them. And the result is a happy customer who will be a repeat customer – and likely tell others about how great the attitude is at Outback. Simple, huh?
Why not use that philosophy at your coin laundry? Train your attendants to use the “No Rules, Just Right” philosophy, but modified and customized to fit your laundry business.
For example, if some customers have large loads and look like they could use some help carrying clothes from or to their cars, just do it. A sign in your store could read: “Need Help Carrying Your Clothes To or From Your Vehicle? Just Ask One of Our Friendly Attendants Who Will Be Happy To Assist You.”
Perhaps your store’s policy is that the last load must be in by 10:00 p.m. Now, let’s say that an obviously hassled customer arrives at 10:15. Instead of giving her a lesson in how to tell time, let her know you understand that sometimes people get caught in a time crunch and that she may simply go ahead and use your machines.
There are many other situations that can occur in a laundry where the “No Rules, Just Right” philosophy can be used without compromising your business. Doing so will endear you to your customers, and the word will get around – which is free marketing that’s invaluable.
The main lesson here is customized flexibility, and customers love it. Also, just imagine how few signs you’ll need on your walls if flexibility is your overall marketing philosophy.
Kmart: “Attention, Kmart Shoppers…”
Remember Kmart’s famous “Blue Light Special” in-store announcements, which were introduced by the retail giant back in 1965? What a great concept – announcing specials to customers already in the store and in a buying mood.
At random times, a blue light (actually, a mobile police light) would light up in a specific section of the store where the discount was being offered. At the same time, over the store public address system, customers would hear, “Attention, Kmart shoppers…” announcing what the exact special was and directing the customers to the flashing blue light.
The company’s iconic marketing promotion was one of the most successful in retail history. This is because it focused on two of our major senses – auditory and visual – and was almost impossible to ignore. People loved it.
Now, imagine this: you install a blue light and a public address system in your laundry, and every so often a “special” is announced (“Attention, Wishy Washy customers…” ) by your most vocal attendant. Your specials can range from deals on snacks and drinks to machine vend prices. It will certainly create some excitement for customers there doing laundry.
Deciding on your specials will require some creativity, but there are many options – discounted snacks or drinks, a drawing for tickets to a local concert or sporting events, free soap or other laundry products, and so on.
Southwest Airlines: “Highly Creative Customer Service”
The brand promise of Southwest Airlines is: “Dedication to the Highest Quality of Customer Service Delivered with a Sense of Warmth, Friendliness, Individual Pride and Company Spirit.”
The airline was started in 1971 by Rollin King and Herb Kelleher with one simple premise: “If you get your passengers to their destinations when they want to get there, on time, at the lowest possible fares, and make sure they have a good time doing it, people will fly your airline.”
Let’s change the words in the premise just a bit, to fit the laundry business: “If you help your customers to get their laundry done under the conditions that they want to get it done, in the fastest time possible, at the best possible prices, and make sure they have a good time doing it, they will use your coin laundry.”
Southwest Airlines employees take their business seriously, but not themselves; in fact, the pilots and flight attendants often use humor to amuse their passengers. I suggest you do exactly the same.
Over your public address system (which you installed for your version of the Blue Light Specials), you and/or your attendants can periodically make amusing and funny announcements. This will keep your customers entertained and make their time spent in your store seem shorter. It works on airplanes where people are very time-conscious, so it will certainly work in your laundromat.
Costco: “The Best In-Store Customer Experience”
Costco has a lot of customers because it sells an enormous amount of products at discount prices packaged in large quantities. Also, they give away free samples of food to shoppers.
Yes, I know the supposed premise: if you taste the medium hot salsa sample in the little white paper cup, you will like it so much that you won’t be able to resist buying a bottle of the stuff.
However, I believe most people don’t do that. Instead, they simply take advantage of a free snack while shopping, which puts them in a good mood. I think Costco knows this too, and that’s why it’s a brilliant strategy.
You can do the same in your self-service laundry. Why not work with your vending suppliers to get large bags of the snacks (either free or at a reduced price) and have your attendants walk through the store on a periodic basis, offering treats to customers doing their wash? This will not only make your customers happy, but it will also get them thinking about actually buying the product out of your vending machine. After all, it’s really tough to eat just one potato chip.
Certainly, there are many other big company marketing and customer service methods that you can adapt to your specific laundry.
Since all laundries are somewhat different in terms of demographics, customer diversity, format, hours of operation and so on, the ideas you select must be applicable to your particular format. But, believe me, it’s absolutely worth the effort to explore this approach.
Here’s the grand plan: push your creative envelope, become a brilliant, quirky, bold and audacious marketer – and develop a total service-focused mentality. Not just meeting but actually exceeding customer expectations will add the “Wow” factor to peoples’ perceptions of your laundry.
Here’s the (not-so-secret) secret: if you focus on making life easier and more interesting for your customers, they will return the favor and make yours easier and more interesting, too.
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