CHICAGO — In today’s digitally driven marketplace, delivering high-quality content is almost essential. For laundry businesses looking to connect meaningfully with customers and stay competitive, a strong digital presence powered by strategic content can make all the difference.
By publishing valuable, engaging material on company websites and social media platforms coupled with smart search engine optimization (SEO) practices, brands can do more than just attract attention. They can inform audiences, build trust, and even entertain, turning casual browsers into loyal customers.
American Coin-Op interviewed two digital marketing experts to ask how laundromats and laundry businesses can harness the power of content marketing to elevate their online footprint and drive measurable results. (Editor’s note: Their responses have been edited for length and clarity.)
Dennis Diaz is president of EVI Industries company Spynr, a digital marketing firm that specializes in supporting laundry businesses through its “W.A.S.H.” strategy: Website, Audience development, Strategy (search and social), and How did we do? (measuring and tracking). Spynr serves roughly 250 vended laundry clients.
Charles Measley, who owns two laundromats and a vibrant pickup-and-delivery operation, is a partner in Suds Digital, a full-service digital marketing agency for laundromats. The firm enables store owners to maximize revenue by generating or expanding their online presence; it serves some 350 clients throughout the country.
Q: What role does content creation play in attracting and retaining customers in the self-service laundry industry?
Diaz: It’s a perception, right, so you have to carry the correct tonal language that fits the audience you’re trying to attract. That can be a lot different, depending on the audience, whether it be self-service, wash-dry-fold (WDF), commercial, or a pickup/delivery customer. So when I think about content as one of those pillars in that marketing strategy, I’m really focused on what do you want your audience to do and then what do you do to educate them to do it.
If you’re looking for commercial clients, how do you help prove that processing is more efficient in larger volumes with a partner? If you’re looking for self-service, how do you provide that you have a safe space for families in order for them to actually show up at your laundry? Or if it’s a WDF client, how do you talk about a lifestyle that saves time, so that they can enjoy that time and you’re the solution?
You start to develop content that caters to each of those specific needs or pain points. Then you have a conversational tone, depending on the customer. You can have a formal tone if you’re going after a little bit more of a commercial client. It all depends on how you want to convey that and how it matches your brand.
Measley: Laundry is a personal thing, right? Somebody is coming from their house into your business to wash their clothes. If I just move into an area and I’m looking for a place to go, I’m a little nervous. I want to make sure the place is clear, the machines are good. When you have a lot of content, whether it’s photos or, more importantly, videos, you’re taking away what I call the “fear of the unknown.”
The customer knows what they’re going into. They know what the store looks like, how the machines work, where things are located. You’re taking away that fear, and that is something really important to get that customer in there for the first time. If you do a good job, they’re going to keep coming back again and again.
Q: What types of content resonate most with customers who use self-service laundromats?
Measley: You start off with the outside of the store. While they’re driving, they want to know where they’re going. Then once you get into the store, show what you’ve got. Let your staff or — more importantly — you as the owner of the business be its face. Do a little welcome video. Show them around the store, where the card or coin machines are, and then a little tour of the washers and dryers by capacity. Talk about what makes your store unique from the others that are around you.
Diaz: If you’re talking top of the sales funnel — “I want to attract someone to my laundromat” — I would say the best thing to do is tell them everything that they care about: a safe environment, lots of machines, letting them know you’re open and accessible. If you’re unattended, tell them how to get in contact with you if there’s an issue.
When we move to the middle of the funnel, actually coming into the store, helping them navigate things clearly as a new customer is important. Telling them how to use a card system, how to use a kiosk. Maybe you do that front and center with content that illustrates as they come in, there’s this to the left-hand side and here’s how to use it.
If they don’t know how much soap to put into a washer, make sure you have content that explains proper soap usage. Those are things that are going to really matter operationally to the owner but also make a better customer experience.
In Part 2 on Thursday: The importance of user-generated content or customer testimonials, and some strategies that work well for targeting local customers
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Bruce Beggs at [email protected].
