Whether you’re in London or a small town, running a taxi firm can be highly lucrative and rewarding. But in order to make a substantial amount of money you need to be known throughout the area, and to spread your reputation, and your contact details, far and wide. The internet is a powerful modern way to do just that, even more so in an age when people are turning to their smartphones when they need a ride. Here are five simple but effective ways that you can promote your business online.
Your website – A professional-looking website should be at the core of any taxi firm’s online marketing strategy. It doesn’t have to spectacular, and with some basic know-how and some templates, you can quite easily create a decent looking website using WordPress, Blogger or a similar platform. What is important is that it tells web users exactly what you offer and portrays your taxi firm in a positive light. Try to be unique and memorable.
Blogging – Having your own blog is a great way to communicate with customers and encourage them to use your services more often. You could use it to talk about relevant local matters that people are interested in, to promote your latest deals, or to ask people what they think of the service you provide.
Social media – All businesses today need to promote themselves through social media. This doesn’t need to take up much of your time, and by using online tools like Buffer you can quickly cue up relevant tweets and posts about taxi-related matters whenever it is convenient to you. Social media is a great place to build a local following, and you can use it to encourage your customers to interact with you, as well as keeping them up to date with your latest offers and services.
Online booking services – In the past couple of years, people have been more frequently turning to apps and websites to book their taxis. If you run a black cab firm you might register with an app like Freenow so that people in the local area can hail you when they need you. Private hire operators meanwhile can get work through booking websites like Cabmania.
Local online directories – As a taxi firm, the majority of your customers are going to come from your immediate local area, or else be visiting it. So it makes sense to promote your services where local people will see them. Local online directories are the modern equivalent of the village notice board, with the added bonus that people can actually search for what they’re looking for, such as taxi companies, and get in touch with them virtually instantaneously.
By using these channels to promote yourself online your can grow your customer base and increase your profits substantially. As you grow, you will of course need to revisit your taxi insurance requirements, and this is something that Park Insurance can help you with.