Marketing your laundry can be kept simple. Just be sure it’s well thought out before, during, and after the ad campaign.

The Four P’s of Marketing

1. Product
   1. What are your strengths
   2. Size
   3. Cleanliness
   4. Technology
   5. Big machines
   6. Other
2. Pricing
   1. Specials, promotion
3. Promotion
   1. Actual advertising
   2. Be repetitive
   3. Keep track of customers during promotional periods
   4. Try new things
4. Placement
   1. Understanding your market
   2. Who are your target customers
   3. What is your trade area
   4. Metro vs. rural

Who are your customers

• Gender
  • 38% male; 62% female (Industry average)
• Age
  • 37 years is average
• Income
  • $32,000 is average
• Household Size
  • 2.6pp
• Average expenditure per visit is $10.70
• Wash an average of 11.6 loads per month
• 64% visit the laundry once per week
• 83% live less than 1 mile from the nearest store.

Who are your customers

• Core Customers
  • Those who use your laundry on a regular basis
• Secondary Customers
  • Renters who use your services occasionally
  • Homeowners who use your service occasionally
• Other target customers
• Students, small business, senior centers, etc…

A few marketing approaches

• Inside Marketing
• Punch cards, free wash tokens, give-a-ways
• Outside Marketing
• Direct mail, door hangers, register receipts
• Make sure your store is the best it can be before starting
• Chose your target customers
• Each new customer could bring in $556.40 per year
• $10.70 x 52 weeks = $556.40

Inside Marketing Budget “Rule of Thumb”

• 1.5% - 2.0% of gross

Outside Marketing Budget “Rule of Thumb”

• 2.0% - 3.0% of gross

Find ways to measure success

• Implement ways to track customers before, during and after the ad.
• Ask customers how they heard about the your store.
• Don’t give up
• As you will see in the next section on advertising, it takes repetition and consistency for your message to take hold.

Advertising: Techniques

1. Any advertising is better than nothing.
2. Use the word “Free” (With restrictions of what free means.)
3. Use “half price wash” instead of $.75 wash.
4. Use A LOT of white space in your ad.
5. Use only a few words (Keep it simple).
6. Always include your store name, address, phone number and hours of operation.
7. Keep everything positive.
8. Always proof read your ad.
9. Be repetitive!

Most advertising experts agree that an ad needs to be seen seven times before a person will act on it.

The Ad Campaign: Print Ads

Register Receipts

• Register receipt coupons are an inexpensive way to reach a lot of potential customers quickly.
• Most registers of tape will offer 100,000 coupons.

ValPak Coupons

• Most common in the laundry industry is to create one in Spanish and one in English.
• ValPak is a little more expensive, but using shades of one color will save money.

Direct Mail

• Remember your stores four P’s of marketing
• Measure results one customer at a time
• $500 per 1000 to print (2-color) and postage.

Advertising: The Basics

• Make your business a place were customers will want to stay until their chore is done.
• Cleanliness
• Safety
• Personal Touches
• Friendliness
• Video Games
• Other Amenities

Sample Forms

Accident/Incident Report (PDF, 10K)

Customer Complaint Form (PDF, 9K)

** Information includes materials obtained from the Coin Laundry Association and other sources.