Textile/Uniform Rental: W. Kirby Wagg, Performance Matters, Sarasota, Fla.
Establishing a strong brand presence is not just beneficial—it’s essential for long-term success.
As your operation gears up to enhance its brand strategy in the marketplace, there are several strategic steps you can take to strengthen your position, attract new customers and foster loyalty among existing clients.
As the 4th generation of Wagg’s Linen & Uniform in Ontario, I entered the company at a time when our brand was not clearly defined.
Begin by clearly defining what your brand stands for, which involves understanding your company’s core values, mission and vision. What sets your company apart (unique value propositions) from competitors?
Evaluate your current brand perception by engaging with employees, customers, and stakeholders to gather insights into how your brand is perceived, what its strengths and weaknesses are, and where improvements can be made. This will provide valuable guidance for your rebranding efforts.
Consistency is key to building a strong brand. Craft a compelling brand message that communicates your company’s values, quality and reliability across all touchpoints.
Whether it’s through marketing materials, customer interactions, or online presence, ensure that your messaging remains consistent and resonates with your target audience.
In the textile rental industry, customer experience plays a pivotal role in brand perception. Aim to exceed customer expectations at every touchpoint, from order placement to delivery and beyond. Implement customer feedback mechanisms to gather insights and continuously improve your services.
Embrace technology to streamline operations and enhance customer convenience by investing in user-friendly online platforms for ordering and tracking services. Consider implementing RFID or other tracking systems to improve inventory management and ensure timely deliveries.
Your employees are ambassadors of your brand. Provide comprehensive training programs to ensure they embody your brand values in their interactions and foster a positive work culture that aligns with your brand identity, as engaged employees are more likely to deliver exceptional customer experiences.
Finally, regularly monitor the effectiveness of your brand strategy through metrics such as customer satisfaction scores, brand awareness surveys and market share analysis. Be flexible and willing to adapt your strategy based on evolving market trends and customer feedback.
In conclusion, elevating your textile rental brand in the marketplace requires a strategic and holistic approach.
By defining your brand identity, enhancing customer experience, embracing technology, and staying true to your values, you can establish a compelling brand presence that resonates with customers and drives business growth.
Remember, building a strong brand is an ongoing journey that requires dedication, creativity, and a customer-centric mindset.
Equipment Manufacturing: Chuck Anderson, Chicago Dryer Company, San Diego, Calif.
This question is timely considering the notable rebranding that has taken place in our industry recently.
The first step, if we are only looking to improve and not completely rebrand, would be to determine what parts of your brand foundation are working and which are not.
Are you still aligned with your target market? Does your brand properly identify your services and or products? Are you fulfilling your customers’ needs and expectations with the products and services you’re offering?
Understanding and focusing on your target audience is paramount.
This can be achieved through analytics and may require an outside firm that specializes in this data if you are not already capturing it through your website or social media. This data should be updated frequently to stay on top of your competition.
Research your competitors’ brands and strategies. Don’t copy what they are doing but get a feel for what may or may not be working for them and then focus on what sets your company or product apart and build off that.
Make sure you are taking advantage of all the social media platforms and keeping your message clear and consistent across all platforms. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter/X should all be used at a minimum.
Make sure your website is visually consistent with the rest of your marketing materials and vice versa and possibly incorporate an SEO program into your website if web traffic is vital to your brand strategy.
Use testimonials and customer endorsements where possible on social media and your company website. Testimonials are vital for building trust and credibility in your brand.
Getting involved in the community and giving back time and or money on a local or national level can help with your brand strategy and awareness. This is often less expensive than direct advertising and showcases your company’s (brand) culture and values.
Equipment/Supply Distribution: Ross Sanders, Streamline Solutions, Orlando, Fla.
Marketing yourself today is certainly much different than it was years ago, but many aspects of it are still very basic.
Laundries have to continue to keep their names and “faces” in front of their customers to not only remind them of who you are and what you do for them but to continually discuss what makes you different and stand out.
Some of that is nothing more than basic back and forth in meetings, phone calls and e-mails. If there is something that you do differently than your competitors, don’t be afraid to tell the world.
Today, social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter and others are easy ways to do so.
A site like LinkedIn allows you to not only promote your brand and services but it also allows you to easily connect with potential customers and other contacts.
Of course, I certainly don’t need to mention your own company’s website. You and your people have the power to promote what you think is best for your target audience.
The question is on your end: do you have people internally who can handle it, or do you need to look for an outside source?
It’s also not as simple as making changes to your site, but how frequently and also when done, how do you make it stand out on sites like Google and Bing?
Then it comes down to how much money do you want to spend in doing so. It’s just a question of how fast of a return on investment (ROI) can you get with that investment?
Old school ways such as direct mailings are not used as frequently, but who doesn’t love getting something in the mail that is exciting to read and look at? I know I do.
How about something that people don’t like doing anymore such as phone calls? E-mails rule in today’s world, but what better way than to connect with current and potential customers and have an actual real conversation with them?
If it isn’t in person, what better way to promote your company and brand than by having an actual conversation with someone over the phone?
In this industry, you certainly need to get involved. Join industry groups that would benefit you.
If you are a healthcare laundry, find out who the local and regional hospital and medical groups are that you can be a part of. Same on the hospitality and industrial side.
Get involved. Meet people. Advertise and promote your company at the meetings and in their circulars and sites.
As a company, we try to cover all the bases mentioned above. For localized and regionalized laundries, it’s certainly a lot different than national ones. That goes without saying, of course.
As a national company, we try to continually promote “our brand” anywhere that we can in almost any direction. We always try to respect our current and potential customers and always try to do our promoting without continually throwing it in someone’s face.
And you can make the argument that being respectful in how you sell yourself and your brand actually shows someone how good your brand really is!
Click HERE to read Part 1 with thoughts from uniform/workwear manufacturing, healthcare laundry and commercial laundry experts.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].
