Why do advertising and marketing often fall short of expectations?
And when that happens, what should you do? Dry cleaners use a wide range of advertising and marketing messages, so let’s take this opportunity to look at some examples and examine their strengths, weaknesses, and ways to improve them.
“All work done on premises”
▲ What consumers think:
“So what? How does that benefit me? I don’t care where my clothes are cleaned and pressed as long as they come out well.”
▲ Solution:
Explain to customers that transporting clothes by truck can easily create wrinkles and increases the risk of loss or mix-ups.
“Same-day service dry cleaning at very low prices”
▲ What consumers think:
“Oh, the price is too low—if it’s that cheap, the quality must be lower. They must be cutting corners somewhere!”
With this kind of marketing, don’t expect to attract high-end customers—your “big spenders.” People who buy expensive clothing want them maintained in the best condition possible. This type of advertising will not earn their trust.
There seems to be a belief among cleaners that customers always look for the lowest price, but true “premium customers” do not choose based solely on price or convenience. If they believe they are getting value, they will drive several extra miles to the cleaner they trust.
If consumers only wanted the cheapest price, we’d all be shopping at flea markets, driving the cheapest used cars, and living in trailer parks. Yet cleaners often fail to truly understand this.
▲ Solution:
If you want to promote low prices, explain clearly why your prices are lower.
Is your overhead lower?
Do your customers prefer not to pay for “extras” such as tissue paper or fancy hangers, enabling a lower price structure?
If so, explain that to them.
On the other hand, if you want to establish yourself as a premium cleaner with higher prices, justify the price by explaining the additional benefits you offer—extensive spotting work, fabric classification, solvent management, meticulous pressing, etc. These are reasons customers can understand.
“$5.00 off any dry cleaning order of $25 or more”
▲ What consumers think:
“These days every cleaner seems to be offering some kind of discount. Is there anyone who charges regular prices anymore? Are cleaners inflating prices just to hand out coupons and pretend they’re giving me a deal? How do I know a place like this won’t ruin my clothes? If they’re discounting every day, can they really do good work?”
▲ Solution:
Don’t blindly follow competitors.
Build the perception that you do quality work and charge fair prices. But it must be backed by action, not words. Explain to customers how you maintain quality control. Tell them what to look for when choosing a cleaner. Explain that producing quality takes additional cost, and offer a meaningful guarantee.
Many cleaners say “Your satisfaction guaranteed,” but this phrase means nothing by itself. Customers want to know specifically what will you do if they are not satisfied.
Use a clearer message, such as:
“We guarantee the best, most thorough, and most professional dry cleaning ever—or it’s FREE! That’s right. If you don’t feel our cleaning is the best you’ve ever had, we’ll clean it again for free. And if you’re still not pleased for any reason, we’ll refund ALL your money. At ABC Cleaners, you take no chances. What could be any fairer?”
In reality, very few cleaners have the courage to offer such a strong guarantee. But many cleaners informally do this anyway without advertising it, often because they fear consumers might abuse it.
But the number of customers who intentionally try to take advantage of such guarantees is extremely small. And those few would try to exploit you in some other way regardless.
So, you might as well advertise the guarantee and benefit from its marketing impact.
If your competitors offer the same guarantee but do not advertise it, customers will assume only you do, and that only you are confident enough in your quality to make such a promise.
I know a cleaner who has offered this guarantee for over a year and has not had even one customer ask them to honor it. Another cleaner has offered it for six years and had to honor it only two or three times. Strong guarantees attract more customers.
“Over XX years of experience…”
▲ What consumers think:
Customers rarely choose a cleaner simply because they’ve been in business for many years. Unfortunately, experience alone does not automatically earn trust.
▲ Solution:
Support your claim with specific, credible customer testimonials.
Also include a detailed, concrete guarantee. The more specific you are, the more believable you become.
“Exclusive Suede Life Licensee”
▲ What consumers think:
“What on earth does that mean?”
▲ Solution:
Explain what conditions must be met to obtain such a license. The same goes for titles like “Master Dry Cleaner” or other certifications.
“Welcome to the neighborhood! $10 free dry cleaning with this card. We specialize in fine fabrics and silk finishing.”
▲ What consumers think:
“Why are they giving away free dry cleaning? What’s wrong here?”
And if you emphasize specialized services such as fine fabrics, silk finishing, wedding gowns, drapery cleaning, or shirt laundry, you must provide additional information so customers can believe in your expertise.
▲ Solution:
If you plan to use free dry cleaning to attract new customers (and done correctly, it can be a very powerful strategy), explain to them that you’re doing this because you’re confident they will love your quality and service and become regular customers. Including customer testimonials strengthens this claim.
And if you highlight specialized services, explain what that actually means—
Did you receive special training?
Do you have professional certifications?
What makes your method different from others, allowing you to call yourself a specialist?
The more specific you are, the easier it is to convince customers.
