Effective Marketing and Advertising Plans Don’t Have to Break the Bank
Marketing can sometimes seem like a hit-or-miss proposition. Some efforts will fall flat, while others quickly will become indispensable ways to bring in customers.
The key to an effective marketing plan is to constantly monitor every aspect of your campaign – who you’re marketing to, what products or services you’re marketing, and how effective the effort is. In today’s competitive industry, marketing your self-service laundry business is becoming more crucial to your bottom line. Determine what your laundry does better than the others, and then figure out how to spread the word throughout your marketplace.
Yet, whether you’re a single-store laundry owner new to the business or a multi-store operator with years of industry experience, you both share the same dilemma – how to effectively market and promote your business on a budget.
Of course, this can be especially challenging if – like so many laundry owners – you run the business on your own or with just a few others.
The good news is that you’re not alone. There are nearly 30,000 self-service laundries in the United States, each of which are trying hard to stand out from the crowd. And, although this very often can be an expensive proposition, there are a number of ways to market your laundry business without breaking the bank.
Below are some simple, cost-effective tactics today’s successful laundry professionals are leveraging to get an edge on their competition…
Laura Cucco
Family Laundry Solutions
Antioch, Ill.
I recently tried advertising through Facebook, and I’ve seen a dramatic increase in store traffic. We have several people come in each week, saying they never knew about us until they saw us on Facebook. The cost is minimal, depending on the length of time the ad is up and how far you set it to advertise. I even used this method recently to advertise that I was hiring – and I received five times the amount of applications I usually get, and it was a higher quality type of candidate that was applying. It also increased my “likes” on the Facebook page, which has brought added exposure and traffic to that page, as well as to my website.
Additionally, I’ve made sure that my Yelp page is up to date as far as store hours and current pictures, because I get several hits on that per week, with potential customers searching for a laundry in their area. In turn, I also make sure that my Google page is up to date. Yelp and Google are both free services and will pop up rather easily if customers generically search.
Online marketing the best thing I’ve ever done. Facebook provides “insights,” which tells me how successful an ad was. For example, the last ad I ran was to promote our “Roll Back” prices on Tuesdays. I advertised for 48 hours. The ad hit 719 people – and, from that, three people clicked on additional information about the laundromat and one person “shared” the ad. It cost me less than $20. I couldn’t get a flyer to hit 719 people for anywhere near that cost.
In addition, my Google page had 680 hits in June – 25 people asked for directions to the laundry from the page, and 16 people called the store from Google. Again, that’s free.
What’s more, my Yelp page had eight people click on it last week alone, and one person “saved” it to their Yelp favorites. Of course, Yelp only works if you have positive reviews. If you have one-star reviews, you don’t want people finding you on Yelp, as it will deter them from coming in.
Clearly, these marketing avenues must be managed and kept current for them to drive business. If your hours, phone number, address and so on are incorrect, it will push people away.
These days, I advertise on Facebook at least twice a month, and I can’t tell you how many people indicate that they’ve discovered my business this way. The return on investment on Facebook advertising has been the best I’ve ever received. Including Yelp and Google, which are free, I spend way less on advertising today than ever – and I get so much better response.
Ed Ellis
1 Clean Laundry
St. Cloud, Fla.
We have an active Facebook page and use their targeted marketing tools, which are specific to gender, age range, area and so on. For instance, we will promote to a target market within a five-mile radius of our store. For Mother’s Day, we ran a promotion, targeting men to bring in the laundry and give mom/wife a day off using our wash-dry-fold service.
We also have a video commercial on Yelp, a Google Plus page and our own website. In addition, the laundry is easily found on Google Maps and Apple Maps.
With regard to in-store marketing, we have our specials posted on an A-frame sign at the front door, as well as on our Wash Alert video monitor. On Tuesdays, we run a discount on our double-load washers, which has helped to alleviate some of the over-crowding we’ve experienced on the weekends.
Also, our attendants place “love cards” in each drop-off laundry order. The cards say: “Your laundry was prepared with love by:______________.” On the back of each card is a coupon for $2 off that customer’s next wash-dry-fold order. This gives the attendant a sense of ownership of the product, and it encourages the customer to return with more laundry.
The only expense with the “love cards” is the cost of printing, which is negligible; the return has far exceeded the cost. Google Maps, Google Plus and Apple Maps cost nothing, and they literally drive traffic to my store. I spend about $10 per Facebook campaign, or $100 per year. This keeps the store in customers’ news feeds.
The best advice I can offer other store owners is to claim your Facebook, Google and Yelp pages. Even if you’re not on these social media sites, your business is – and you need to be able to react to and interact with your customers. Being able to address negative reviews and any concerns your customers may have publicly and professionally will inspire confidence in your business. Of course, it’s also important to recognize positive reviews, as this will encourage more positive reviews and counterbalance the negative.
Brand your store. Set yourself apart from your competition. Be the laundry that your community talks about.
Gary Miller
Wash-N-Fold Express
Edgewood, Md.
Beyond our store’s website, we have created a Facebook page, where we feature stories about our customers, tout our store promotions and rewards program, and include laundry tips. We also have actively claimed our Yelp listing.
In addition, we’ve designed a store logo to be used in all advertising, as well as on signage, attendant uniforms, merchandise and our full-service thank-you cards.
We distribute flyers to hotels in the area, along with all of the households within a half-mile of our store. We’ve also created outdoor vinyl banners that promote our wash-dry-fold service and outdoor roadside flag banners that advertise the laundromat.
We’ve created the “Join the Fold” Rewards Club, where customers can sign up for an account number, and after they’ve logged nine washes, the tenth wash is free on any size machine in the store. We also hold monthly in-store raffles, where customers receive a free entry for each store visit. Some past prizes have included a personal laundry cart, a laundry sack filled with supplies, gift certificates to local restaurants, baseball tickets, $10 in-store vouchers and a bus trip to New York.
The store’s other co-owners and myself have strong backgrounds in business and education, which has helped us understand that promoting other local businesses and giving away prizes that our community members can use, helps us get our name out. It also brands our business as a strong supporter of our community and is a great way for us to thank our patrons for frequenting our business.
We’re actively involved in local non-profit organizations and represent our community on its local advisory board. You have to genuinely care about your community and know about what motivates your community. If your patrons feel you are a strong supporter of the neighborhood and that you give back to the people who spend their money in your establishment, they will tell others about your business and spread the word about what you are doing.
For example, we host a monthly “Story Time” event for 2- to 4-year-olds, in partnership with the local public library and the Judy Center, which is a community program that promotes early childhood literacy. Parents receive two free washes, while their children learn in our store. Also, during the school year, we host students with disabilities, teaching them valuable work skills. By participating in these valuable educational partnerships, it’s a win-win for all parties. The kids get to learn, and we get to promote our business in the community newsletter.
Tom Rhodes
Sunshine Laundry Centers
Vero Beach, Fla.
One low-cost promotion we run tends to blur the line between marketing and goodwill. We distribute $10 gift certificates to local charities, which they in turn give to the people they believe should receive them. Because I personally believe in giving people a hand up rather than a hand out, I ask the charity to “sell” these certificates to people for 10 cents on the dollar. If the recipients don’t have a penny to their name, they can do some volunteer work at their charity. This way, the recipients leave with their pride intact.
Although this sounds like goodwill and philanthropy at first, I also consider it part of our marketing efforts, because of the goodwill generated in the community. When the recipients of the certificates can afford to use a laundromat, our store will be top of mind. When the volunteers at the charity need a laundromat, we again will be top of mind. And, when the donors to the charity need a laundromat, our laundromat will be top of mind, because they have heard of our good works. While we donate the gift certificates to the charities expecting nothing in return, we understand the law of reaping and sowing at work here.
In addition, if our utilities are, let’s say, 20 percent of sales, that $10 gift certificate for a free wash and dry really only costs us $2, before wear and tear. That’s a huge return.
Michael Finkelstein
Associated Services Corp.
Baltimore, Md.
Placing colorful, eye-catching banners in front of our stores is simple and very effective way to attract customers for minimal cost. These banners can be placed in your window or on the road – depending on whether you’re store is located in a shopping center or is a stand-alone building, and also depending on what your landlord will allow.
Also, it should go without saying that keeping your website current – including photos and directions – is another outstanding way to drive traffic and build awareness of your laundry business.
Both of these cost-effective methods have worked well for my business.
Karl Hinrichs
HK Laundry Equipment
Armonk, N.Y.
I had a store-owner customer who showered his city with self-standing, plastic signs. They advertised his newly opened laundry and were strategically placed at stoplights and stop signs, as well as on major roads where they received a lot of exposure.
The disadvantage of this campaign is that his competitor kept taking down the signs. However, overall I believe this was a real “guerilla marketing” tactic that worked and helped this owner with his initial grand opening.
A second idea is to talk with the largest cab company in your town, offering to supply each taxi with a holder and “palm cards” that promote the benefits of your self-service laundry. They provide the space and refill your palm cards, and you offer free taxi phone calls from your laundromat and post a sign in your store advertising that specific cab company.
You can even place a sticker on the back of the card, saying: “For new customers, show this card and receive free drying for one load of laundry.” This would be the advertising hook to bring in the customers.
Jim Whitmore
Sunshine Express Laundry Centers
Gloucester, Mass.
I am absolutely religious about my refund policy. We provide refunds quickly, graciously and completely. It’s one place where I don’t cheap out. I’ve heard story after story about owners who don’t give refunds or are argumentative about it, and I think that’s crazy – because it’s a situation where goodwill can be created.
For example, we recently received a glowing online review from a customer who previously had a bad experience at one of my stores. We went to great lengths to take care of him. I generously refunded his money and then some – even though he never asked for anything back. And then he wrote this wonderful, unsolicited online posting.
I have refund card boxes in each store, near our change machines. Of course, if someone calls, I’ll take the information over the phone; we’ll even take customer information via text.
Another low-cost yet extremely effective marketing method I utilize is allowing my attendants to serve as my goodwill ambassadors by enabling them to perform “random acts of kindness.” They have cards they can use to start the machines. For instance, if an attendant sees a mom struggling with a bunch of kids and a huge pile of laundry, digging through her purse for quarters, that staff member can start a machine for someone – at random and free of charge. This program have worked very well for us.
Last but not least, I have employed people who were homeless and in need. One woman in particular had to be relocated with her family and had no work and five children to feed. I put her to work, and she’s now become one of the best ambassadors for my laundry business.
Daryl Johnson
Giant Wash Laundry
St. Ansgar, Iowa
There are a few low-cost promotions that we have consistently taken advantage of.
We typically like to get in on any type of local fundraisers or community benefit events. We’re always sure to participate in those. We’ll auction off laundry bags, soap or gift cards to be used in our laundries.
Also, we own a small sign company, so we hang a lot of banners and signage in and on our stores. This have been effective for us. We change our stickers and vinyl signs on the windows relatively frequently, certainly more than most laundries. We like to keep it fresh.
We have a lot of in-store signage because we tend to market more to our current customers, rather than try so hard to draw in new customers. I think it’s just easier to get the people who are already doing business with you to do just a little bit more, to spend a little bit more. It’s significantly cheaper to get your current customers to spend more money than it is to entice a brand new customer to come into your store.
As for these regular customers, who are coming to us frequently and obviously love our store, we will ask them to give us online reviews in exchange for a free wash or a free dry. Most customers are more than happy to do that. Of course, we always tell them to be completely honest; we don’t want them lying or saying anything they don’t believe just to get the free wash.
My next low-cost marketing move probably will be to have a sign waver outside of the store – someone who stands on the corner twirling a sign. I’m considering having an attendant do it for a few hours a day, so it would only cost the price to make the sign. We’ve got a couple of employees who are outgoing and friendly enough to do it. Clearly, the success of this promotion will come down to choosing the right person, because you don’t want someone out there who is feeling and looking embarrassed.
Beverly Blank
Concierge Laundry Services
Los Angeles, Calif.
The following are some inexpensive ways in which a laundry owner can promote his or her business. Personally, I have embraced most of these ideas, some with great success:
• Create clever flyers to be included with take-out/delivery orders for local pizza, Chinese, Mexican or other popular area restaurants. In return, place the restaurant’s promotional literature on your counter. Presto… you’ve just expanded your customer base.
• Partner with a local drycleaner to exchange services. You take in drycleaning and deliver it to them; in return, you do their wash-dry-fold orders. There are many ways to create a profit center for both of you. This was a very successful money-maker for me.
• Place a simple ad – with a special discount offer – on the local church bulletin board. Many people prefer doing their laundry where they can socialize with others from their same community.
• Coin Laundry Association members can take advantage of the organization’s website services. In addition, your store will be included on the CLA’s findalaundry.org site for additional exposure. By the way, I would estimate that approximately 20 percent of laundry owners nationwide have a website, so this is an inexpensive way to put yourself among the industry’s leaders.
• Yelp reviews can be helpful, and you don’t have to pay for the listing. My wash-dry-fold business really flourished with the help of Yelp.
• For a nominal amount – and perhaps a tax deduction – support a local charity. It offers great publicity and a feel-good opportunity.
• Connect with a local public or private school to become a sponsor of an athletic program. You might offer discounted wash-dry-fold services, in exchange for having your business’ name included in their publicity campaigns.
• If properly targeted, inexpensive flyers, door hangers and postcards can generate new customers. A word of caution: print and place small numbers, although it’s a bit more costly. If your expectations are not met, your investment will be minimal.
• In smaller communities, free radio, television and newspaper publicity can be generated when you create special activities or promotions at your laundromat – for Veterans Day, the 4th of July, clothes collection drivers for homeless shelters, etc.
• Provide a gift coupon – for either self-service laundry or wash-dry-fold – for a charitable event or fundraiser. I did this on numerous occasions and the exposure generate some new business.
• Place bright, neon flyers on parked cars. Of course, first check your city codes to avoid any issues.
• Permission-based emails offer endless opportunities, and the price is right.
• Exterior store windows offer a great opportunity to promote specials – the messages should be colorful and changed regularly.
Clearly, much of your marketing success will be predicated on your demographics. Whichever tactics you try, be sure to maintain a spreadsheet to determine whether or not the results were worth the time and effort. What worked for my location may not work for yours.
However, all in all, if you’re not reaching out to your customers and potential customers through advertising and marketing, it’s doubtful that your laundry will ever produce the maximum revenue it could – or should.
It’s like business author Steuart Britt once commented, “Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you’re doing, but nobody else does.”
