News
FireTide Creative Launch, a Sister Company to Iowa Techniques, Affirms Commitment to Outstanding Creative Marketing and Advertising.
Dateline July 14, 2008, Hutto, Texas — FireTide Creative, a Marketing, Advertising and Definition Firm, announces it's launch and it's purpose in providing great marketing, focused specifically to the dry clean and laundry industry.
"For years, we've been serving our clients with excellence at Iowa Techniques Inc., developing unique dry clean and laundry products. On the inside, we've always been a creative, cutting edge company. But, on the business end of our clients issues, marketing has always seemed generic and ordinary, or completely nonexistent. I decided that it was finally time to make our clients' outside reflect what has always been true about our clients on the inside," said Matt Kool, President of FireTide Creative and Iowa Techniques. The new company, formed as a sister company to Iowa Techniques, which features the "Fire-swoosh", is already receiving praise from clients and peers.
"It has been a major hit with everyone," said Kool. "Our clients are realizing that marketing equates to dollars. Anyone can build a hamburger, but there is only one McDonalds. When we get clients to realize the potential of standing out from the millions of cleaners across the board, they see the value in what we do for them at FireTide".
"I saw right away that Matt Kool is an inventive leader in the industry, boasting over 20 years of stellar customer service. I couldn't wait to partner with him in this venture. FireTide Creative is following in those same footsteps. We have a full package of innovative marketing solutions, and twice as many creative ideas that the industry still hasn't seen yet. Now, FireTide Creative can brand and build cleaners of tomorrow with the corporate innovations our clients have desired all along," said Martin Merida of FireTide Creative.
"We are all very happy to finally have the marketing capabilities to offer our clients. It has been a long time coming," Kool said.
About Iowa Techniques
Iowa Techniques is a manufacturer and distributor of unique products that work in a wide variety of industries and applications, and currently focuses on helping dry cleaners make smart choices that impact the bottom line in their plant operations.
For more information visit: www.iowatechniques.com
About FireTide Creative
FireTide Creative is a Marketing, Advertising and Definition Firm developing creative and unique graphic design, web and video solutions that currently provide proven marketing for the dry clean industry.
For more information, visit: www.firetidecreative.com
Upcoming Events
Be sure to visit our trade show booths:
October 25 - 26, 2008: Drycleaning and Laundry Expo, Booth # 521, sponsored by the Pennsylvania/Delaware Cleaners Association (PDCA), Atlantic City, NJ.
June 18 - 21, 2009: World Educational Congress for Laundering and Dry Cleaning, a.k.a. The Clean Show
Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Marketing 101 by: Matt Kool, CEO
July 7, 2008:
Get more business from your current customers. We all know this is one of the ten commandments to marketing but what are you doing to capitalize on your existing customer relationships? If you clean wedding gowns why not put a wedding gown in the corner of your call office during wedding season? Your customers come in to pick up their clothes, see the beautifully cleaned and finished wedding gown and whoa, they now know you clean wedding gowns. Ask around, those of you who do this in your stores know, it really works. Second thought. Start a ball cap cleaning service. How many times do you see young boys and girls with filthy dirty ball caps? Think their mothers would be interested in having these hats cleaned? I'll bet most cringe when they see their son or daughter head out the door with a filthy dirty ball cap perched on their heads. How do you clean them? Most put them in the dish washer, but you don't have to tell anyone how you clean them, just get them clean. Third thought, clean and preserve Teddy Bears. I read the other day that F.A.O. Schwartz has partnered with Macy's to take over their toy departments in selected locations. Guess the price of Teddy Bears just went up? Promote Teddy Bear cleaning and preservation in an heirloom box and see what happens.
If you are wondering why a manufacturer is offer suggestions on marketing to dry clean customers, please keep this in mind. It boils down to this; if you have a slow Monday, Iowa Techniques has a slow Tuesday and Wednesday. We are one day behind you. If you have a great Monday, we should have a great Tuesday or Wednesday. Our business is dependent on your success, so our job is to make you look good. You make your customers look good, so let us help you look good to them.
We are launching a new program on our web site that will help you market these ideas to your customers. The ideas are free, but you have to act on them and try something different. Here's how it works:
• Go to www.iowatechniques.com/downloads.html
• Find a flyer/poster that fits your needs, then download it
• Go to a printer and have thousands of the flyers printed, www.clubflyers.com has great deals on printing
• Put a flyer on every order. your customers will see it at home, where they can immediately act on it.
• Smile when they come in, and treat them right
• Check back to our site often, we will change up the material so you always have something new to market.
IQ Points by: Matt Kool, CEO
February 1, 2008 — Current:
IQ Points are pearls of wisdom from the life experience of Matt Kool and others in the industry. Most relate to running your drycleaning business; some relate to running your life.
Here are the IQ Points from the first half of 2008, re-organized here for your reading enjoyment. We will add a new IQ Point every week.
IQ Points, weeks 1-24, 2008:
- Unique is not just about being different. It is about being memorable!
- Customer service starts new each day.
- Have business cards printed, and pass them out everywhere you go.
- Have an employee of the month program.
- Buy lunch for your staff. You will be amazed at their reaction!
- Invest in training your people. They are your greatest asset.
- You get the best results by rewarding success, not by punishing failure.
- Don't like a customer? Get to know them better.
- Having a really bad day? Maybe you should go home.
- Proper tire pressure increases gas mileage. Check your tires.
- Cleaning the windows at your shop will give a great first impression.
- It's time to run inventory on your racks. Great opportunity to call customers with old orders!
- Send a hand-written thank you card to the top 20% of your customers.
- Networking pays you back ten fold.
- Know your customers by name. They really dig that!
- "Sorry Tags" ...There has got to be a better way to explain to your customers that something has gone wrong with their order.
- "We are not responsible for garments left over 90 days" ...there has to be a better sign...click here to see a few of our ideas!
- Suede and leather cleaning is a simple business you should be in. What could be easier? Get to know your local wholesaler.
- You need three bankers. Yesterdays, today's, and one for tomorrow.
- Update your insurance policy. Get a free audit from a competing insurance company.
- Credit card fees are less expensive than bounced checks. Accept credit cards. This is the 21st century.
- It’s time to change your furnace filters (at least mine need changing)
- Fresh flowers in your call office make for great conversations
- Who in your company has a birthday this month?
- Change your oil every 3,000 miles. Change your life everyday.
- Outdated voicemails really suck!
- Collar Cones should always be heated. Cuffs have double layers, but collars are tripled layered and need extra heat to properly cure.
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