There’s a question I’ve heard circling around recently after the Laundry CEO Forum.
We just finished renovating one of our locations. How can we get more people back in the store to see what’s changed?
A renovation is a great opportunity to host a Grand Reopening event!
Think of it like an open house — you’re inviting the neighborhood to stop in to see your renovations by hosting fun events, a raffle, and collecting people’s contact information.
Here’s how to pull it off.
Pick a Grand Reopening Date
This could be a day, week, or, if you’re ambitious, a month-long event. Choose your dates in advance, but only when you have a good idea when the renovations will be completed.
Plan Your Event
Figure out what you’ll do for your Grand Reopening event. Here are a few ideas to attract people from the local community:
- Kids events: Think face painting, bouncy houses, games, or hosting a local kids celebrity
- Raffle: Raffle off one big item, like a TV or iPad, throughout the event. Sell tickets to help recoup the cost.
- Win a Free Wash: Require people to give their contact information to enter for a chance to win a free wash. If you provide wash and fold or PUD services, consider offering a free wash. Doing so will give you a list of people interested in your services.
- Hire a local DJ
- Partner with a local food business to provide great food
Send a Local Direct Mailer
Work with a designer to create a postcard-style direct mailer you can send to all the homes in your local area. Your post office (everdoor direct mail) should have a breakdown of all the addresses. Make sure to include information about:
- Dates, times, and location of the event
- Raffle item
- Any highlighted event
- Win a Free Wash
- All the entertainment you will have there
Email Existing Customers
Already have the email addresses of your customers (you should!)? Create an email campaign for your event. You’ll want to send multiple emails to remind people of what’s coming up.
- Announcement Email - 1 week before the event with all the details
- CountDown Email - 2 days before the event
- Daily Reminder Emails - an email every morning with that day’s special events
- Final Email - last day of the event!
SMS Campaign
If you already have an SMS platform, create a similar campaign for your list.
Posters in Your Store
Hang signs and posters in your store with details of the event. This is a great way to let existing self-serve customers know what’s happening.
Banner Outside Your Store
Get a large banner printed to hand outside your store with “Grand Reopening” and your event dates to inform people driving past your store.
Run Social Media Ads
Do you have social media accounts? Run some ads about your event in your local area! Consider creating fun and entertaining videos that give information about the Grand Reopening event as they tend to perform the best.
Share on Social Media
Share the events on all of your social media accounts. Make sure to take pictures daily and publish at least one post each day of the event to drive excitement and engagement with your brand.
Here's a great example.
See how Stephen Gramaglia of Clean Fresh Laundromat gets the word out on social media about his new store.
I can hear you already. “But, Waleed, we just spent a lot of money on a renovation, and now you want us to spend MORE?!”
Yes, I do. But wisely.
As much as you may not want to hear this, renovating your store is not going to attract a wave of new clients alone.
But, if you use it to send them marketing materials and invite them into your store, you may just land some new clients and introduce people who just moved to the area to your business.
Don’t let a renovation go to waste. Host a Grand Reopening event to get new people into your store.
That's all I got for you today.
Waleed
🏴☠️ ✌️
P.S. For more thoughts on the laundry business, follow along on Linkedin.
From the words of novelist, playwright, and poet, Milan Kundera
Business has only two functions—marketing and innovation.
Thinking about, the thinking of laundry
A shiny renovated store should attract clients like bees to flowers. Make sure the bees know where your flowers are planted.
