{"id":3707,"date":"2017-01-25T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-01-25T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kim-loderbauer-cla-member\/2018\/02\/26\/marketing-your-laundry"},"modified":"2019-01-18T03:28:52","modified_gmt":"2019-01-18T09:28:52","slug":"marketing-your-laundry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planetlaundry.com\/marketing-your-laundry\/","title":{"rendered":"Marketing Your Laundry"},"content":{"rendered":"

Six Steps to Developing and Executing a Promotional Plan Tailored Specifically to Your Business<\/strong>It doesn’t take an outrageous investment to market your self-service laundry business. However, it does take consistency, planning, and execution.If you don’t currently advertise very much, you certainly aren’t alone. But sometimes it’s just the getting started that’s the hardest part.In this article, I’ll outline a step-by-step plan for developing and following a marketing plan unique to your laundry operation.1. Define your brand message.<\/strong>A brand message is the underlying value proposition conveyed in the language used in your content. It’s what makes consumers relate to your brand. Don’t worry, not everything you communicate must have the exact same message. However, every content piece should point back to your brand message. Your brand message should inspire and motivate consumers to want to buy and use your products and services.<\/p>\n

2. Identify target markets.<\/strong>No one can afford to target everyone. Focus your marketing budget on a narrowed group that’s most likely to use your laundry’s services. Or, target a specific segment you want to grow. This is a more affordable way to reach customers and generate business.For example, let’s say that a rural laundry in Kansas enjoys excellent self-service business from the people who rent nearby. However, the owners would like to improve the self-service business from non-traditional, higher-income customers who own homes. To more specifically target this non-traditional demographic, it must clearly define a targeted geographic area (within 20 miles), gender (female), age group (30 to 50 years old), income ($100,000 to $500,000 annually), and family status (families).To get started on targeting a specific segment of potential customers in your marketplace, access your laundry’s surrounding demographics. You can access detailed demographics from the U.S. Census Bureau at: www.census.gov<\/a>. In addition, demographic reports can be ordered directly through the Coin Laundry Association at: www.coinlaundry.org<\/a>.3. Establish a marketing budget.<\/strong>As a general rule of thumb, new laundries should establish a marketing (grand opening) budget from cash-reserve project planning. Established laundries might define a marketing budget based on yearly gross revenue. Keep in mind that, as your business grows, your marketing budget should grow as well. What’s more, remember that new and emerging competitors are working every day to gobble up market share. Dedicate dollars to your vended laundry’s growth. Start small so that you aren’t overwhelmed.4. Identify the best and most cost-effective channels for reaching your target market.<\/strong>Now that you have your target market and brand message clearly defined, analyze which channels (media) you’ll use to reach that market (digital\/web, social media, direct mail, news releases, TV, radio, door hangers, signage, etc.). Keep in mind that frequency is critical to getting your message across. The more you connect with your market, the more effective your marketing will be. How does your target market receive communications? Consider sketching out your ideas.Medium (Description\/Frequency\/Cost)<\/strong><\/p>\n