Is your laundromat located close to a college or university? College students can be a loyal and very profitable customer base for many coin laundries. If you have a school in your area, here are just a few ideas on how to market your commercial laundry to students.
Tour the dorm halls and slip coupons for your laundromat underneath the doors or place them on door handles.
Post flyers on bulletin boards around campus and the dorms. Be sure to hit the campus laundry rooms (if there are any).
Offer free wireless internet and promote it in your advertising for students who would like to do their homework while waiting for their laundry.
If you offer wash/dry/fold and have a delivery vehicle available, consider offering special rates for pick up and delivery at the various dorms and housing on campus. Be sure to promote it as an “exclusive” offer for students of that university.
Consider offering a special discount to university students to keep them coming in. Ask your Dexter Authorized Distributor how you can offer various discounts to students and other groups through Dexter’s Easy Card System. With Easy Card, you could even sell pre-paid cards at the university bookstore for students and parents to purchase.
If you’re close to campus, consider making the décor of your laundry tied to the university. Paint or decorate your laundry in university colors, and hang university sports posters, banners and memorabilia. If you sell laundry related items such as laundry boxes or bags, consider imprinting them with the schools colors and/or logo (if you can get permission) as well as your own logo. These items can become very valuable among college students.
Offer special events to drive in business such as free food, live music, “Happy Hour”, a “Single’s Night” or more. Your Dexter Authorized Distributor can help you out with many ideas to help promote certain times of day, days of the week or more. Ask them for more details!
Drive students to your website by including helpful laundry how-to tips, as well as coupons. You can also post on line your promotions (such as free dry Fridays), your hours of operation and other helpful details.
- Tape flyers for your laundromat on the inside of bathroom stalls in dorms and other campus buildings.
See if you can partner with the local pizza parlor to put coupons for your laundry with the pizzas they deliver. You might even be able to work out a trade by allowing them to sell slices or whole pizzas at your laundry.
Advertise your laundromat in the college newspaper, sports programs and yearbooks. These are usually very affordable and have very high readership in your neighborhood.
Work with fraternity and sorority leadership to offer their members a special discount. Ask your Dexter Authorized Distributor.
Exhibit in the university union at the beginning of the semester or during the college’s open house.
Partner with the university bookstore to distribute coupons inside their books at the register counter.
Check with the university’s student union for advertising opportunities for your laundry.
Host “How to do laundry” seminars for students and offer a free wash for all who attend. It’s a great way to get new customers in the door and to keep them coming back.
Check into sponsoring campus events. It’s a great way to get your name in front of this valuable customer base.
Promote to new students: Some colleges prepare packets of information and freebies for the incoming freshman class that include flyers from local businesses. See if your local university offers this, and if so consider offering flyers and or coupons to promote to this new incoming audience.
Do cooperative marketing with other businesses that attract students, such as copy shops, inexpensive restaurants (taquerias, sandwich shops), coffee houses, bars, night clubs, and video stores.
Offer vending, a snack bar or other concessions. College students love their caffeine and snacks. This is a great service to offer customers and helps your laundry make more profits with these ancillary sales!
