How to Promote a Dry Cleaners
As far as new businesses go, dry cleaning is one that is fairly recession proof as people tend to clean old clothes rather than continue to purchase new ones in hard times. According to a 2009 industry report, however, most dry cleaning companies gross less than $200,000 a year. What can you do to increase your customer base and overall sales? The answer lies in promotion. If you successfully promote your dry cleaning business, you may find your bottom line is much higher than your competitor's.
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Instructions
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Establish an online presence. This is particularly beneficial if you live in a large city where visitors and newcomers will be searching the Internet for services, although an online presence can help your company regardless of where you are located. Develop a simple website that offers promotions such as printable online coupons and an email club through which customers can get special discounts. Use social media such as Facebook and Twitter to further promote your dry cleaning business.
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Develop a direct mail campaign. Target individuals who fit the geographical and financial demographics of the customers you already have. Send postcards with coupons printed on them so that potential customers will keep them instead of consigning them to the trashcan. If you offer a pickup and delivery service, send out free magnets so that your company will be visible to potential customers every time they hang their 4-year-old's art on the refrigerator.
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Offer free initial service. If you offer to clean women's skirts free for a month, you can establish new clientele. The next month, you might target a different potential customer and offer to clean men's shirts for free. Once your dry cleaning business is well established, continue to promote it by offering the occasional free day as a perk for regular customers and an incentive for new ones.
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Reward your customers. Give customers a punch card they can redeem for free dry cleaning. You can also set up a frequent customer reward program where customers can earn gift cards, donations to their favorite charity or gift certificates to favorite local restaurants. Another way to reward customers is to have a referral program. Give customers $10 of free dry cleaning for every customer they refer. Word of mouth is one of the best business promotions there is.
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Give away branded laundry bags. Offer customers a discount on any dry cleaning or laundry that they bring to your establishment that is in the bag.
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Advertise on company vehicles. This works especially well if you pick up and deliver customer's dry cleaning. Use magnetized signs on van doors, decals, even an automotive wrap with full graphics if possible. If you are a small business that doesn't deliver, you can still place advertisements on your own car.
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