CHICAGO — Almost three-quarters (73.3%) of operators say they now use a website to market their businesses, this month’s Wire survey says, and almost two-thirds (63.3%) say they e-mail customers directly.
What’s more, drycleaners are rapidly coming up to speed with social-media tools — 46.7% report using Facebook, and 20.0% use Twitter. Just 13.3% of respondents do not use any new-media tools in marketing their businesses.
Asked why they use these new-media tools, 15.4% say “To educate customers about the business,” 7.7% say “To attract new customers,” and 7.7% “To increase customer loyalty.” While no operators say they use the tools only “To publicize sales and promotions,” 69.2% answered “All of the above.”
When asked if they feel that their efforts are satisfying their marketing goals, one-quarter (25.9%) answered “Yes,” and just 7.4% say “No.” About two-thirds (66.7%) say that their new-media marketing efforts succeed “Sometimes.”
“There are so many ways to spend marketing dollars, and any medium is diluted,” one operator says. “Today, more and more people are getting their information digitally, [and] traditional marketing reaches only a small segment of the market. Social media is cheap, easy and leveraged.”
“Social media is a must in the new, digital advertising environment,” says another operator. “We use it for PR, business-to-business, and in reaching out to potential customers with great success.”American Drycleaner’s Wire surveys readers every month on a variety of issues facing the industry. While the survey presents a snapshot of readers’ viewpoints at a particular moment, it should not be considered scientific.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Dave Davis at [email protected].