Do you run a laundry company and want to promote it? If YES, here is a sample laundromat business marketing plan template and ideas to attract clients.
Okay, so we have considered all the requirements for starting a laundromat. We also took it further by providing an in-depth sample laundromat business plan template. In this article, we will be analyzing and drafting a sample laundromat marketing plan backed up by actionable guerrilla marketing ideas for laundromat businesses. So put on your marketing hat and let’s proceed.
A Sample Laundromat Marketing Plan Template
1. Our Present Business Situation
Presently, all hands are on deck and plans have been finalized to officially open Las Vegas City Laundromat to the general public on the 4th of January, 2016 and we have legally registered our business under the law of the united states of America and we have also secured the necessary permits to operate this type of business in the city of Las Vegas, Nevada.
Our Laundromat is located in the heart of the city of Las Vegas which is less than 30 minute drive from McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, and 10 minutes minute drive from Mandalay Bay Event Center. We are strategically positioned in the world’s headquarter for casinos and games; a commercial center and we are set to services the whole of the community as well as visitors and travelers alike.
Our Laundromat is standard Laundromat which is situated in a 6,000 square feet facility; we have one of the biggest Laundromat with the latest and easy to use washing machines and dryers. We have a coffee bar in our facility, we cigar lounge, we have children’s fun center and video games and snacks bar et al.
At the moment, we have concluded on the recruitment and training of all the employees that will kick start the business and we have successfully put all the necessary equipment and structure in place that will enable effectively run the business.
This is so because we how vital it is for every one of our team members to be on the same page in terms of running with our visions.
2. Our Product and Services
Las Vegas City Laundromat is a standard Laundromat with state of the art facility specifically positioned to become the market leader in the industry.
Our major purpose of starting this business is to provide a suitable and comfortable facility where people can easily do their laundries with little stress at an affordable fee. Much more than providing a facility where people can do their laundries, we also offer complementary services; services that will get our customers hook to us.
Bottom line is that we will go all the way to help our customers maximize their time when they patronize our Laundromat. These are the services and amenities that will be made available to our customers;
- Self – service washing
- Dry cleaning services
- Ironing
- Folding and packaging of clothes
- Home delivery services
- Coffee bar
- Cigar lounge
- Snack bar
- Children playground
- Video games
- Big screen movies
- Free Wi-Fi
3. Our Mission and Vision Statement
Our Vision is to operate one of the most successfully Laundromat in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Our mission is to develop a highly successful and profitable Laundromat business with state of the art facility in the heart of Las Vegas, Nevada; a business that will not only meet the needs of her clients but also supersede their expectations.
Our Marketing Goals
We are in the laundry business not just to make money. But also to build a successful business that will become one of the leading Laundromat businesses in the whole of the United States of America. From the onset, we have perfected our marketing strategies on how to penetrate the available market in Las Vegas which is why we invest in training our marketing team.
We are well positioned and we will definitely attract clients that will not only patronize our Laundromat but clients that will also patronize our coffee care and snacks bar, and cigar lounge et al meaning that we will generate additional income from these sources.
Here are our marketing goals:
- To generate a minimum revenue of 80,000 US dollars within the first 12 months of operations
- To generate a minimum revenue of 120,000 US dollars in our second year of operations
- To generate a minimum revenue of 180 US dollars in our third year of operations
We aim to achieve the followings from our marketing efforts:
- To become the number one choice when it comes to Laundromat business in Las Vegas
- We aim to achieve a sustainable growth at the rate of 25% annual sales growth
- Aside from winning customers, we will also ensure that we work hard to retain all the customers that we are able to secure during our marketing activities.
- We want to build a self – sustaining Laundromat business that will contribute to the growth of the economy of the United States of America.
- Lastly, we will work towards encouraging our loyal customers to give us referrals and recommendations.
4. Our Marketing Budget
The fact that we want to build a Laundromat business that will become a standard for Laundromat business in the United States of America makes it mandatory to set aside a reasonable marketing budget that will help us achieve our business goal hence we dedicated a total sum of 15,000 US dollars as our marketing budget for the first year of operations.
Subsequently, we will budget between 5 percent and 10 percent of our annual income towards marketing and promoting our Laundromat business. In future, if there is any need to increase the budget in order to explore other means of improving sales, we will gladly do that.
5. MARKET ANALYSIS
- Our Target Market
Before choosing a location for our Laundromat business, we conducted our feasibility studies and market survey and we were able to identify those who will benefit greatly from our service offerings which is why we deiced to settle for Las Vegas. Our target market cut across people working class people and elderly people.
Essentially those who will benefit from our service offering are busy corporate executives, business owners, households, students and travelers/visitors. These are the category of people that we intend marketing our Laundromat to;
- Busy Corporate Executives
- Business Owners
- Household
- Bachelors
- Spinsters
- Visitors/Travelers
- Students
- Sport clubs
6. SWOT Analysis
No doubt starting a Laundromat is indeed capital intensive, especially for aspiring entrepreneurs who may not have huge sum of money saved up in a bank.
We are aware that it will require loads of cash to set up a standard Laundromat business in Las Vegas, which is why we decided to do all that is required to build a profitable business; we don’t intend to invest our hard earned money in a business that we know we are not truly cut out for.
One of the tools that is required to position us in building a successful Laundromat business is SWOT Analysis. We hired the services of Mr. Coleman Carrington, an HR and Business consultant who is based in Las Vegas, Nevada, to help us conduct SWOT analysis for our company and he did a pretty good job for us.
Here is a of the result we got from the SWOT analysis that was conducted on behalf of Las Vegas City Laundromat, Las Vegas, Nevada;
- Strength:
Las Vegas City Laundromat is centrally located in a densely populated area in Las Vegas; our location is in fact one of our major strengths. Aside from the basic service that we offer, we also offer complimentary services that most of our competitors do not offer.
Our Laundromat facility is located inside a very big facility. We have the latest washing machines, dryers and equipment and our attendants are well groomed to handle various classes of customers.
- Weakness:
The weakness of Las Vegas City Laundromat could be the fact that it is a new business, which is owned by an individual (a small family), and we may not have the financial capacity to sustain the kind of publicity that can give us leverage.
- Opportunities:
We are centrally located in one of the busiest areas in Las Vegas and we are open to all the available opportunities that the city has to offer.
Our business concept has also positioned us to attract people who like doing their laundries and catching some fun at the same time. Las Vegas is one of the densely populated cities in the United States, and indeed the population translates to opportunities.
- Threat:
One of the major threats that confronts businesses all over the world is economic downturn; when the economy is bad it affects consumers spending which in turn impacts businesses negatively. Another threat that we are likely going to face to confront us is the emergence of a new Laundromat within the same location where Las Vegas City Laundromat is located.
- Our competitive advantage
From our recently concluded feasibility studies and market survey, we observed that there are several laundry businesses scattered all over the city of Las Vegas, as a matter of fact, there are two or more laundry / Laundromats in same locations in some areas. This goes to show that there are stiffer competition in the industry.
Before launching our Laundromats, we have critically studied the market and we know that we have some form of competitive edge. Our competitive advantage is that we have a standard Laundromat facility that offers additional complementary services that will definitely help us attract and retain customers.
Las Vegas City Laundromat can boast of having state of the art Laundromat facility with latest and easy to use laundry machines (washing machines, dryers, industrial irons et al). We specifically, we leased a big facility, so as to enable us achieve our aim of building a well – equipped children’s playground, coffee and snacks café, cigar lounge amongst others.
7. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY
- Sources of Income
Las Vegas City Laundromats will generate income from the following service offerings;
- Self – service laundry jobs
- Ironing, folding and packaging of clothes
- Sale of detergents, laundry bags and other useful laundry products
- Sale of Coffee
- Sales of Snacks
- Pickup and Home delivery
- Cigar Lounge
8. Sales Forecast
It is important to state that our sales forecast is based on the data gathered during our feasibility studies and also some of the assumptions readily available on the field with reference to similar business in Las Vegas.
We know that we are well positioned and we will definitely attract clients that will not only patronize our Laundromat but clients that will patronize our coffee care and snacks bar, and cigar lounge et al meaning that we will generate additional income from these sources.
Below is the sales projection for Las Vegas City Laundromat, it is based on the location of our Laundromat and the type of services and products that we will be offering;
- First Year-: $80,000
- Second Year-: $120,000
- Third Year-: $180,000
N.B: This projection is done based on what is obtainable in the industry and with the assumption that there won’t be any Laundromat offering same additional services like us within 4.5 miles radius from our Laundromat facility.
9. Our Pricing Strategy
At Las Vegas City Laundromat, our pricing system is going to be based on what is obtainable in the industry, we don’t intend to charge more (except for premium and customized services) and we don’t intend to charge less than our competitors are offering in Las Vegas.
Be that as it may, the management of Las Vegas City Laundromat have put plans in place to offer discount services once in a while and also to reward our loyal customers especially when they refer clients to us. The prices of our products (snacks, cup of coffee, cigar, detergents et al) will be same as what is obtainable in any part of the United States of America.
Our Unique Selling Point; What Makes Our Laundromat Business Superior to Our Competitions
Our unique selling point is anchored on the fact that we are centrally located in a densely populated area in Las Vegas; our location is in fact one of our major strength. We are also a Laundromat company that offers variety of services.
We have a conducive environment that will encourage our customers to always choose us as their number one choice. We have a coffee bar in our facility, we cigar lounge, we have children’s fun center and video games and snacks bar et al.
We intend giving our customers every reason to always come back which is why we have customized our services. Our customers will definitely maximize their time when they visit our Laundromat.
We are quite aware that in order to become the number one choice in Las Vegas, we must continue to deliver quality services and that is exactly what we will do.
We are open to the use of latest technology and machines in the industry. Without a shadow of doubt, our excellent customer service and the range of services we offer will position our Laundromat to always welcome repeated customers.
Benefits Our Client Stand to Gain When They Patronize Our Laundromat
Before setting up a Laundromat in Las Vegas, we have done our homework and we know that one of the key factors that will help our business to grow and continue to thrive is offer services that are of great benefit to our clients.
As a result of that, we have been able to put machines and structures in place that will help us deliver excellent services to all those who patronize our Laundromat. These are the benefits that a client stands to gain when they patronize our Laundromat business:
- Availability of easy to use washing machines and dryers
- Availability of easy to use industrial pressing irons
- Competitive prices and discounts based on loyalty and referrals
- Flexibility of service delivery to fit into the schedule of our customers which is why our Laundromat will be open from 6 a.m. and close 10 p.m. from Mondays to Thursdays and will run a 24 hours services from Friday to Sunday.
- Professionalism and excellent customer service delivery of the highest order from our highly trained staff members.
10. Guerrilla Marketing Strategies for Our Laundromat
- Creating Brand Identity for Our Laundromat
It is a fact that any business that wants to grow beyond the corner of the street they are operating from must be ready and willing to utilize every available means (conventional and non – conventional means) to advertise and promote the business.
We are quite aware that boosting our brand awareness will a go a long way to endear us to the available market in Las Vegas, Nevada.
We have been able to work with our consultants to help us map out publicity and advertising strategies that will help us walk our way into the heart of our target market. First and foremost, we want our brand to be visible and well communicated which is why we have decided to work with different class of people in the society.
All our publicity materials and jingles are done by some of the best hands in the industry. Below are the platforms we intend to leverage on to promote and advertise our Laundromat;
- Open our Laundromat business with an open house party.
- Advertise our Laundromat business on community newspapers, local TV stations and local radio stations
- Promote our Laundromat business online via our official website and all available social media platforms
- Hire the services of experts to make our brands the first choice for residence/household in Las Vegas
- Delivering consistent customer experiences to all our guest; making our first impression count positively
- Make use of attractive hand bills to create awareness and also to give direction to our Laundromat
- Adopt direct mailing coupon marketing approach
- Position our signage/flexi banners at strategic places
- Create a loyalty plan that will enable us reward our regular customers
- Engage on road shows within our neighborhood to create awareness for our Laundromat business.
Strategic Marketing Alliance with Our Competitors in the Laundromat Industry
Ordinarily, it is usually not visible to form strategic marketing alliance with competitors in a same industry simply because every organization will be striving hard towards gaining their own fair share of the available market in the industry.
Come to think of it, no Laundromat that operates within the same location as yours would want to form a strategic marketing alliance with you.
In view of that, if at all there is any strategic marketing alliance that can be formed in the Laundromat industry, it will be between a Laundromat company and a washing machines/industrial dryers/industrial pressing irons manufacturing company and also between the manufacturers of detergents et al.
For instance; as a Laundromat company you can form a strategic marketing alliance with a manufacturer of washing machines/industrial dryers/industrial pressing irons and also between the manufacturers of detergents et al.
Your duty will be to help them advertise their products and perhaps also help them sell as well and you will attract discount when you buy from them or commissions when you sell for them. They can as well refer clients to you. This type of marketing alliance is a win – win for both business partners.
11. Our Client Retention Strategies (Ways to Improve Our Customer Experience)
It is one thing for a business to continue to attract new customers, but is entirely a different kettle of fish for a business to rent a large chunk of their customers which is why most business/organizations do all they can to ensure that while their front doors are wide open, their back door is permanently shut. Any business that can successfully retain a large percentage of their customers will surely do pretty well.
We are in business simply because we want to make money and we know that we cannot make money without having customers to patronize our Laundromat, hence we have been able to map out strategies not only to win customers, but also to ensure that we retain them and make them our loyal customers.
These are the ways we intend utilizing when it comes to improving our customer experience so that we can create a good impression and generate repeated businesses from them:
- Ensure that all our washing machines, dryers and industrial pressing irons are fully functional at all times
- Make available money changer that will help client convert their notes to coins
- Retail laundry supplies at affordable prices
- Ensures that we give out freebies from time to time especially on special occasions
- Make use of effective customer relationship management (CRM) software to effectively manage our clientele base.
- Ensures that we carry our clients along when making decisions that directly affect them.
Possible Ways We Intend Offering Incentives to Our Customers/Clients (Bonus, Discounts, etc)
Research shows that there is hardly any customer who would not appreciate it when he or she receives incentives from a business they patronize hence we were able to make provisions to give out incentives from time to time to all our loyal clients and also to new customers in other to win over their loyalty.
When it comes to giving out incentives (bonuses and discounts et al) to our clients, we will first and foremost reward loyal customers who have patronized our Laundromat consistently for a period of 6 months and above. We will make room for our clients to earn commissions from referrals and recommendations et al.
We will also ensure that we create a loyalty plan that will enable us reward our loyal customers especially those who are able to helps successfully market our bar to their family members, friends and colleagues.
Part of what we intend doing to reward our customers is to give them discounts anytime they patronizes our bar and also give them gifts during special occasions like Christmas, New Year, Thanksgiving, Independence Celebrations and Easter et al.
- After Sales Service or Customer Support
The nature of Laundromat business does not give room for after sale services which is why we usually go all the way to provide excellent services to our clients whenever they visit us.
The only reason why we may decide to offer after sales services is only when we start selling washing machines, dryers and industrial pressing irons for our business partners (ordinarily or business partners should be the one to help it with home delivery, installations, servicing and maintenance
As regard customer support services, we will ensure that we maximize our customer relationship management software applications so as to keep in touch with all our customers to make sure we carry them along when we have any promo that we know will benefit them and also to make sure they are satisfied with our services and to give them the opportunity to lodge their complaints if they do have any.
Possible Questions We Intend Asking Our Clients during Our Market Survey
These are the 10 possible questions we are going to put forward when conducting marketing survey on our customers/clients:
- Are you satisfied with the washing machines, dryers and industrial pressing irons in our Laundromat?
- Can you conveniently operate our washing machines, industrial dryers and industrial pressing irons?
- Are you comfortable with our contract terms and conditions?
- If you are not satisfied with our contract terms and conditions, what areas would you want us to work on?
- How much are you willing to pay for a Laundromat self – service/
- When you visit a Laundromat, what other complementary services would you also want to patronize?
- is our Laundromat visible enough and easy to locate?
- How would you want us to communicate to you when we want to pass useful information about our Laundromat business that will be of great benefit to you or someone you know? Through letters, text messages, e – mail, or via mobile apps (BBM, twitter, 2Go, WeChat, WhatsApp et al)
- Can you comfortably recommend our Laundromat services to your family members, friends and colleagues?
- Are you satisfied with our customer service delivery? If no what areas would you want us to improve on?
12. Actionable Marketing ideas for Our Laundromat
Cost Effective Ways We Intend to Advertise/Promote Our Laundromat Business without Using the Internet
Here are the platforms we intend leveraging on when it comes to advertising and promoting our Laundromat business in the marketplace;
- Open our Laundromat in grand style with party for all in the neighborhood
- Place adverts on local TV stations, Radio Stations and Newspapers/Magazines
- Sponsor relevant community based programs
- Install our Bill Boards on strategic locations in Las Vegas and environs
- List our Laundromat business on yellow pages/local directories (both online and offline)
- Make use of attractive hand bills to create awareness and also to give direction to our Laundromat
- Ensures that our workers wear our branded shirts at all times during working hours
- Engage on road shows within our neighborhood to create awareness for our Laundromat
- Encourage the use of word of mouth by our loyal customers to advertise and promote our Laundromat brand
Low Cost Ways We Intend to Advertise/Promote Our Laundromat Business on the Internet
Beyond every reasonable doubt, the internet is known to be the biggest platform when it comes advertising/ promoting any business/brand and one good thing about adverting on the internet that is far cheaper than other conventional advertising platforms.
This is why we will ensure that we explore all available means on the internet platform to promote our Laundromat business. Here are they ways we intending leveraging on the internet to advertise/promote our Laundromat business:
- Leverage on social media platforms such as; Instagram, Facebook , Badoo, Snap chat, YouTube, Twitter, Google + et al to promote and advertise our Laundromat brand
- Make use of mobile apps to promote our Laundromat brand
- Design an interactive corporate website and use the platform to promote our bar business
- Place adverts on high traffic websites
- Engage in blogging and make use of the platform to promote our Laundromat business
- Leverage on direct email marketing strategy and bulk SMS to advertise and promote our Laundromat business.
Creative Marketing Ideas Specific to Our Laundromat Business
No doubt any business that has planned to survive must ensure that they employ all the creative marketing strategies that are available to them. The truth is that if you don’t go out there to market your goods or services, you are likely going to struggle to generate sales for your goods and services.
As regards our Laundromat, some of the creative marketing strategies that we will adopt to drive traffic towards our business are;
- We will ensure that we offer free Laundromat services on the day we are going to be opening our Laundromat business officially to the general public and we will also make it a culture to once in a while offer freebies to our loyal customers.
- Part of our market drive is to offer freebies as much as we can within the first three months of officially opening our Laundromat business.
- Another marketing strategy that we will adopt is that we will send out introductory letters introducing our Laundromat business to residence and businesses in Las Vegas and environs.
- Lastly, we will leverage on the internet to market and promote our business; we will engage the services of professionals to help us target our internet marketing efforts towards our target audience.