Simple Laundromat / Coin Laundry Marketing Tip

Simple Laundromat / Coin Laundry Marketing Tip

There are all kinds of marketing methods but sometimes you just have to do something simple and just tell people what to do.

A few years ago I was trying to determine a method to increase my Drop Off Comforter business.

Although there is some fluctuation between months and some changes to the customer list, by providing a professional service in a timely manner we have a developed solid Drop Off customer base.

As many Laundromat and Small Business Owners already know you don’t have to settle with splitting up the pie if you can make it bigger.

So the target was comforters.

I worked with a local graphics company to make up a two-sided banner and put it out by the road.

For the next few days there was no noticeable change in the Drop Off traffic but then a got a call from my attendant asking what we were going to do with all of the comforters.

See for the first couple of days people noticed the sign as they drove past, then they finally made a mental note to grab that comforter in the morning and drop it off on the way to work.

So we had to use some empty pails and plywood to make some quick shelves so we could stack the abundance of comforters. This also allows up to easily move the shelves out of the way when we need to.

One thing you will find is that as much as you can tell your customers it will be ready that afternoon, or they say they will pick it up the next morning, it will probably be a few days before they come back.

We always make sure to get a phone number on comforter Drop Offs, clothes aren’t as bad and they don’t take up as much space if someone does forget.

The next year I put the sign in the same place and was told to move it by the By-Law Officer. My parking lot goes right to the edge of the power poles which is there reference point for signs.

For that year I hung the sign on the front of the building and although visible wasn’t the “eye catcher” that I needed on a busy road by a stop light.

So this year I checked the “reference points” of the power poles and found a spot on the grass at the corner of the lot just inside the wires.

Using an app on my phone called PicPlayPost I was able to combine a picture of my overhead sign with a video of my “Spring Cleaning Tip”

Next, I used this video on the Washin Golden Springs Coin Laundry Facebook page and after receiving about 40 views I boosted the post for the next 5 days.

The demographic I used were women between 40 and 60 who like the local newspaper. Picking demographics can be the hard part if you have a small “like” base on your Facebook page but as I was making the pie bigger I wanted to reach a different audience so I skipped “people who Like my page and their friends”

We are only a few days into this promotion so I will continue to monitor the Facebook results and store activity and determine if I want to continue.

Cost breakdown:

Original sign was about $140, 4 years ago.
Orange barrels- free from behind my store.
A piece of some 1/2″ conduit and some tye wraps.
PicPlayPost app- Free,
and $20 in Facebook ads.