Attract More Customers with Special Events

Who says doing laundry has to be boring? Fun and engaging special events and promotions can be a great way to foster customer loyalty and attract new patrons to your laundromat. If you want to kick things up a notch at your coin laundry facility, here are a few types of events you may want to try.

 

Senior Saturday

Senior citizens are often an overlooked group who visit laundromats. If you have a lot of elderly people living in retirement communities and rentals surrounding your coin laundry business, you may want to consider a day of the week that specifically caters to them. You could give visitors age 65+ a discount on each load or special coupons to entice them to do their laundry at  your facility. Along the same lines, you can also try Early Bird Specials to attract seniors during non-peak times at your laundromat.

 

Suds & Study

Students are a big demographic who occupy rentals and frequent laundromats. By keeping in touch with what’s going on at the local university, you can host events that cater to their needs and schedules. For example, when finals week is approaching, it’s the perfect time to attract students who are stuck cramming for tests. Stay open late, provide free coffee or energy drinks, turn on some calming background music, and turn your laundromat into the perfect study spot. Students will love it because they can kill two birds with one stone by tackling laundry while hitting the books; and it’s a win for you because patrons will stay longer, spend more money, and likely bring their friends along.

 

Free Laundry Day

Started by the Laundry Cares Foundation (part of the Coin Laundry Association), Free Laundry Days are hosted around the United States in an effort to provide laundry services and education to those in need. As a way to give back to the community your laundromat serves, you can host your own “free laundry” event. It’s a great way to promote goodwill, raise awareness for your business, and make a real difference in the lives of those who may be struggling. Don’t forget, you can also donate funds or volunteer directly with the Laundry Cares Foundation.

 

Food/Clothing Drive

As another way to foster brand awareness and make a positive impact on your community, you can host a food or clothing drive at your laundry facility. Save your customers a trip to the thrift store or food pantry by encouraging them to bring in non-perishable food items or clothes they no longer need. Then you can either take care of donating them to the appropriate location, or set up your own mini-thrift store for people to browse right in your laundry business and donate the funds. Specifically tying these drives in with the holiday season, spring cleaning, or students moving in and out of university housing is a great opportunity to reach new customers who may be downsizing or in the giving spirit.

 

Of course, these are just a few types of events to try. By digging into the audience you want to target, you can really narrow in on promotions, themes, and events that will hit home and excite those customers. Overall, using special events to turn your laundromat into a destination – rather than just a place to complete a mundane chore – can go a long way in helping create buzz, attract and delight customers, and make a difference in your community.