If you’re operating a coin laundry, you may think that you don’t have many opportunities for creative marketing. After all, you’re providing a necessary service that most people consider a tedious chore. But if you’re hoping to grow your business or draw attention to your establishment, it never hurts to think outside the box a little bit. Use our laundromat promotional ideas to get your business noticed.
Laundromat Promotional Ideas
Schedule Promotions for Slow Times
No matter where you are located, you will start to notice traffic patterns for your laundry. There will be certain days or chunks of time in which business tends to drop off. Once you have identified these times, determine which sort of promotion would be the most effective for drawing in business.
If the store is always slow during certain blocks of time, say in the early morning or mid-afternoon, you can advertise promotional pricing during these times. For example, you could offer “Happy Hour” specials at the end of the workday.
If your profits are consistently low during certain days of the week, consider making those days of the week special events. For example, you could charge half-price on Wednesdays if that’s your slowest day. Or, you could target a certain demographic. For example, if you scheduled “Family Day” every Tuesday, providing toys and coloring books for kids, you could lure in parents of young children. Be sure to advertise your promotion well so that it brings in as much business as possible.
Host a Charity Event
A great way to get your laundromat noticed is by offering to host or sponsor some type of charity event. For example, if you have your own dedicated parking lot, you can host a car wash while patrons wash their clothes. A fun, unusual idea for spreading the word about your business is to contact local high schools and offer your laundromat as a home economics lab for a day so the students can learn how to launder clothes.
You can also offer free or specially discounted laundry services for community sports teams, military personnel, emergency services personnel, the homeless, or people with a terminally ill family member. This can carry over to offering special services on holidays as well, such as washing flags for free leading up to July Fourth or steaming table linens and tree skirts for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Finally, consider sponsoring a charity event or a local sports team, especially if you also do the uniform laundering. These local laundromat promotional ideas may also endear you to the community.
Start Your Own Loyalty Program
Although many stores are now offering some type of loyalty program, that doesn’t mean you should buck the trend. Figuring out your own unique way of rewarding return business can increase your traffic and profits. One simple way to do this is with punch cards. Each time a customer comes in for a wash, punch their card. After a set number of punches, they’ll qualify for a free wash. You can do this with laundry services as well.
You can also host “VIP” events for your most loyal customers. During these events, you can close the store to walk-in traffic and offer discounted rates for your services or have snacks catered. Offering a quiet, exclusive event for your best customers is a very memorable way to thank them for their business and get them talking about your laundromat.
There are plenty of laundromat promotional ideas that can give you an edge over the competition. Use the suggestions above as a springboard for creating your own exciting advertising campaigns, and watch your business grow in no time.
If you’re interested in opening a laundromat, be sure to check out Laundry Solutions Company, a full-service provider of premium vended, on-premises, and multi-housing commercial laundry equipment. Since 1976, we have been providing exceptional sales support, laundry design services, commercial laundry equipment (and leasing options), and laundry equipment service and parts. To learn more about our products and services, please give us a call at 800-383-9274 or contact us online. We look forward to hearing from you!