Chatting to a taxi operator in Oxfordshire and he explained to me the company had regular business into the City of London and he would love to be able to pick something up back towards Oxfordshire and beyond via pre-book?
So I wheeled out the old trawler analogy. When a trawler wants to catch more fish they attach bigger nets and set off for distant fisheries?
Right?
I used it to illustrate to him what’s possible if you show some creative marketing flair?
“Sell your own service coming out of London” says me?
At this stage, as is often the case when I start talking about Internet marketing, the blinds come down in the eyes of the person I’m chatting to. They’re no longer listening.
OK I get it? This stuff isn’t the most interesting. But it is important?
Check this out?
Local Search
Optimising your business to take advantage of Local Search doesn’t necessarily mean marketing in your own locale? If I were that operator, I would have invested a few quid in establishing a virtual base in London, and ventured into the mosh pit that is Google local search marketing?
Anyone with a modicum of knowledge on manipulating search for your own ends, could find ‘local’ business in any location?
Local business which, for a good deal, would happily call a company in Oxford to pre-book, (via their London, or Manchester, or Glasgow virtual office) and pay a slightly lower rate as a ‘back load’?
All perfectly legal so far as taxi licensing is concerned.
I know I know. This isn’t going to be popular with London operators? I’m just using it just as an example?
But lets face it? Its only what Uber have done?
Internet Marketing
They have used the Internet to disrupt a stable and long standing industry? And while its fair to suggest you can’t fight Uber (or in our case Stobart, GXO, DHL etc) as a single operator?
But as a single operator you can certainly defend yourself? Against anyone and everyone?
Driver Shortage?
Lets face it? It matters not the worth of your contracts, the newness of your fleet nor the price of your fuel? If you got no drivers, all that other stuff doesn’t matter.
Currently few in our industry recognise how potent social marketing is as a recruitment tool. With this firmly in mind now is a great time to take the initiative.
The longer you put off jumping on the local search bandwagon the further behind the curve you will be?
If you don’t? Someone else in your region, or your industry, will.
So cast your marketing nets further? Acquire new business (and new drivers) anywhere you want?
Or, get someone to do it on your behalf?
#business #marketing #creative