Firm Management
The 3-Month Marketing Guide to Gain Transportation Industry Clients
Apr. 17, 2019
If you’re targeting transportation companies in your firm’s growth strategy, this Ultimate Guide was developed for you.
Before marketing, research the target market – define who you want to work with; identify specific transportation industries; develop a buyer persona of your perfect client; and pin point the geographic market. Once those items have been developed, leverage the following marketing strategy.
Month 1
- Develop a social media calendar with monthly themes for blog articles and social media posts, e.g., Tax Breaks, Expenses, Payroll Tips, ERP Systems, Inventory, Operational Costs, HOS Rules, etc.
- Generate and implement a content creation schedule to advise your team when to create and distribute a blog post, videos, or podcasts that correlate with the monthly theme.
- Write social media posts focused on that month’s theme. Base posts on your firm’s content, plus research you’re finding on industry-related sites, such as Overdrive Magazine, Road King Magazine, Trucker’s Connection Magazine, Trucker News Magazine, 10-4 Magazine, and other transportation-related magazines.
- Create social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter if you do not have one already. Be sure to use the keyword “Transportation” in the social media profiles. On Twitter, remember to hashtag the term in your profile as well.
- Follow transportation companies on Twitter using handles such as @LoadBoards, @WomenInTrucking, @TruckingdotORG, @HDTrucking, @HandyShipping, and more. See a comprehensive list on Fuel Loyal’s site[1]. Follow the same companies on Facebook.
Month 2
- Develop a slip sheet landing page for your website with a download button and form to help capture leads from site visitors. Share the slip sheet page on social media. Scatter social media posts about the slip sheet over the next few months.
- Create a direct mail postcard to send to top-tier target market executives. Highlight one or more of their pain points and add link to a short video on your site. The video would focus on how you solve some of those pain points and ends with a call to action for a free, 30-minute consultation.
- Investigate conferences or events you and your team should be attending. Create a pitch card to help you plan what you would say to potential leads. Remember to keep it conversational rather than “salesy.”
- If you have more than one service line, create a dedicated transportation Facebook group on your company Facebook page. Invite clients to the group to discuss pain points and potential solutions, encouraging group sharing and information exchange. This group must be monitored.
Month 3
- Explore online advertising, such as Google and Bing AdWords. Define a budget and consider linking to the landing page created in Month 2. Begin developing a monthly budget and plan for online advertising, which may be done for less than $100 per month.
- Update your firm’s website keywords to reflect high-conversion-rate terms discovered during the AdWords research.
- Begin developing a transportation-related event, whether it’s a webinar, happy hour, or participation in a conference. Consider ways to bring in partners to help distribute costs, such as a client you have in the restaurant business, or connections in your Chamber of Commerce with mutual interest in this target market.
- Boost Twitter and Facebook social media posts from your company page to your target market to reach even more potential leads. This can be done for as little as $5 to $10 per day.
With this plan and dedication, you can drive your campaign down the road to lead-generation success.
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[1] https://www.fueloyal.com/top-25-trucking-industry-influencers/