4 Cost-Effective Ways Small Haulage Companies Can Get Noticed

Often, the old ways are tried, tested, and preferred - even in the fast-changing world of business. Word-of-mouth advertising may be seen as primitive in an age of search engine optimisation, social media marketing, and advertising campaigns even small businesses can utilise. But it still works, especially in the services industries, and especially for small-to-medium sized businesses.

Transportation is one industry that has stuck to old ways more than most. But while many SMEs in this sector rely on networking and a solid reputation, the competitiveness and volatility of the market means you need to be smart when it comes to advertising.

Simple and Cheap Strategies

The origins of an intelligent marketing plan lies in identifying simple and cheap strategies that can work for you. Most small-to-medium sized haulage companies have some organic connection to their market. That is, they tend to develop out of their local area and thus have an understanding of local supply and demand. Tying this understanding to options for social media marketing, website optimisation, word-of-mouth networking, the use of pamphlets and flyers, and other such cost-effective means of marketing is highly advantageous. You end up with a strong range of options and channels for advancing your brand recognition.

Know your Market

You may, as mentioned, think you know your market due to your proximity to it, but this knowledge should be tested. Just as haulage companies wouldn't risk hypothesising about the safety and integrity of their vehicles, so to they shouldn't reply on unresearched, unverifiable assumptions about customers and clients, potential or past. Market knowledge is not a matter of paying for experts to perform analysis. There are now numerous websites and research papers that analyse transportation in general and a target market's demographics in particular.

Sharpen Your Brand

Once haulage companies spend a little time counting up a few efficient marketing options and measuring them against their market's demands, it is tempting to seize the opportunities that will no doubt become evident from such research. Before you do, however, sharpen your brand. Many small-to-medium sized companies shape their name, image, and mission statement from their own personal ambitions and tastes. While personal drive is vital to the sustenance of any business, it is better to tailor your personal brand to meet market demand and differentiate yourself from the competition.

A Diverse Yet Simple Plan

Armed with a smart brand and channels through which you can reasonably penetrate the market, it is time to piece together a plan. Simply letting loose with a flurry of website activity and shiny business cards and numerous cold-calls or flyer-drops can be an inefficient use of the precious time of haulage companies. Take into account the cost and the return of the most viable marketing strategies, and create a timeframe for the implementation, assessment, and reinvestment of your advertising efforts.

Norman Dulwich is a Correspondent for Haulage Exchange, the leading online trade network for the road transport industry in the UK and Europe. It provides services for matching haulage companies with jobs in road transport and haulage work in the domestic and international markets. Over 4,000 transport exchange businesses are networked together through their website, trading jobs and capacity in a safe 'wholesale' environment.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.