Best Promotion

[Dave_in_Minnesota]

I recently purchased a dry cleaner / laundromat combination. I am the only laundromat in a city of about 10,000. I am anxious to get started with laudromat promotions. Based on everyone's experiences, what is the single promotion which has returned the best return on investment?

[PeterH]

The phone book! I too am in a town of 10,000 (even tho' Atlanta isn't too far away), but get many phone calls from people all over the county wanting to know about my store & services.

Second is word of mouth. When I bought the store, once I cleaned it up, replaced all the light bulbs, got ALL machines working, and responded to customers as quickly as possible, business increased substantially. I have one real competitor and several others about 5 miles away, but people like my clean, well lit, working store.

I'm getting new dryers soon, and I plan on having lawn signs made up to put in front of the shopping center and near a busy intersection close by.

You might want to run an ad in the local paper announcing "under new management" or "new owner" once you get the store set up to your liking. People will come check out "the change".

With your drycleaning, you are more flexible with specials, like 99 cent shirt Wednesdays, or specials on down comforter cleaning, now that cold weather is upon us. Watch out for the free soap or free dry specials, because it seems like once you start, it's hard to back off.

-ph

[petefritz]

just hang around your store and say "thanks for comming in" or is "everything working ok for you" when you walk buy a customer. buy thier kids a soda. offer to carry out her laundry to the car. Keep the place clean, and machines working. word of mouth will spread quick enough And it is cheap!

[Dave_in_Minnesota]

The ideas that you have shared are excellent. I have read some of the articles in CLA about Senior Day w/free donuts & coffee or a punch card for a free wash... has anyone tried these mechanisms?

How do you reach the new residents in apartments? (just yellow pages?) This is a passive approach... I am wondering if there is a more active approach which is cost effective?

Thanks for your ideas...