The best way to get new local and long distance freight trucking leads is by making sure you have the right marketing plan set. Load boards are not enough to build a long-distance trucking company. Finding customers and shippers that you can work with regularly is the move to ensure your business is going in the right way.
Since you are here, we will assume you have now purchased your truck, signed it with your company name, and installed a dedicated line in your home office.
You are ready to start making money in the trucking industry. The problem is that the phone is not ringing as often as you expected, and this is what we will address.
A solid lead generation campaign will help you make your trucking business a success. It should be fueled by solid ideas and solid lead generation strategies to attract potential customers to your door.
It is important to continue looking for new customers in the freight trucking industry and don’t stagnate with your current ones. Instead, focus on how you can keep getting more and still deliver good services.
You should develop lead generation strategies that are specific to the trucking sector to grow your business. It may seem tedious, but basic marketing strategies will not likely attract your customers.
Trucking is highly competitive. There are ups and downs because of economic conditions, gas prices, weather delays, and breakdowns.
A trucking company must make the most of every marketing opportunity to make a profit. The industry’s normal problems make it more difficult for the company to survive.
Because you can connect with trucking customers, it is easy for your trucking company to be promoted on load boards. These sites are not enough to scale and grow your business whatsoever.
Instead, it is better to look for repeat customers and shippers. You also need a well-oiled marketing plan to keep them coming back.
Where should you start? We go from A to Z with you right below.
You Must Have a Company Website
People go online when they are looking for a provider or service or comparing companies and learning more about them before making a purchase.
To turn potential clients into customers and increase your traffic to your transportation services, you will need to have your own website.
More than 25% of people will click the first Google search result. Therefore, it is important to increase the visibility of your company’s website in the search results after you have created it. Otherwise, it will only get lost in the millions of sites available.
Your visibility will be increased if you rank higher than your competitors on the search results pages by setting the right parameters and playing with Google’s and Bing’s algorithms.
SEO (search engine optimization) allows you to use keywords in your website’s content and design to make your site more visible in online searches. This will increase your potential client base. S
Potential customers can find you 24/7 when you have worked on your optimization and made sure that every aspect is on point compared to your competitors and what Google needs to rank you.
In this way, prospects can access your website anytime they like, night or day, to conduct research on local transportation companies that offer a particular route.
Websites are, first and foremost, a marketing tool. Its purpose is to attract customers and make them pay. Choose a domain name. To host your domain, you will need a hosting account. Install WordPress and select a free customizable theme.
Once you have your website ready, tell potential customers about yourself, the type of service that you offer, and how they can contact you.
To rank your website on the search engine results page, add the address to any marketing materials, such as social media profiles or print ads. Your website should be the center of your marketing efforts, as people can easily access it.
Get More Calls by Utilizing Email Marketing
These days, everyone has an email address, and their inboxes are places where they don’t mind being bothered by some businesses’ messages.
Thus, email marketing allows you to connect directly with clients and keep your business top-of-mind. This is a great lead generation tool to use when brainstorming trucking company marketing ideas.
Emails can be scheduled in advance or personalized individually to build relationships with clients and encourage them to return to your company again.
Small business owners can connect with their customers via email. This is a cost-effective way to communicate new products, sell, inform about changes, or just stay in touch without being invasive.
Although sending an email is easy, it can be difficult for businesses to plan how and what information they will share whatsoever. It will not be marked as spam or overlooked by recipients if it is worth it. To ensure they open it, focus on these elements:
- It should be easy to unsubscribe or subscribe: In essence, you want customers to sign up for your emails but also give them a choice to unsubscribe whenever they want.
- It should be easy to read. People do not have the time or patience to spend reading emails for more than a few seconds. Make your content easy to digest and understandable.
- It should be valuable. Very few people will open emails they consider to be sales pitches. Be thoughtful and offer something of value. Content ideas that include tips, advice, how-to guides, or answers to common queries are great.
- Mobile-friendly: Many people access their email via tablets or smartphones. Make sure you test your emails on different devices. An email may look great on a desktop, but the content, links, and other important information can be lost on mobile devices.
- It is legal! Follow email etiquette. Make sure you only add subscribers to your list. Also, be clear about what they will receive. Sending too many emails can quickly turn subscribers off.
This strategy opens more options, like how it will allow you to offer special promotions that they can ‘unlock’ after signing up with their contact details.
Create interesting direct mail lead generation campaigns once they are in place. Use headlines that catch attention.
Make sure you have all your social media channels set up properly before you do this. This means that you have chosen a simple URL or username and made sure that all visuals are consistent with your brand. This is also true for your company website.
After the foundation has been set, you can have fun with the online world and watch your business grow.
Direct mail is a great way to advertise your small business. While it can be very effective if done correctly, it is not without costs, so you ought to remember this.
In addition to what we have mentioned so far, here are some tips to make sure your direct mail campaigns resonate with recipients and convert them to customers:
- Do your research. Find out who your audience is and what they value. Next, choose images and content that will grab their attention. Direct mail marketing is more effective if you understand your target market!
- Incentives: Everybody loves a discount, a free sample, or an incentive. Direct mail advertising can be used to send small samples, coupons, and loyalty cards to your customers. Be sure to explain your incentive and include details about any exclusion.
- Timing is crucial when sending direct mail. If you are advertising a time-sensitive promotion, make sure the mailings are sent in advance with sufficient notice to allow potential customers to respond.
- Follow up: Although direct mail can help your business get in front of people, it might take several attempts for them to respond. Sending mail to a smaller group of people will yield better results than sending one to a larger audience.
App Development for Your Business
Mobile phones, tablets, and computers have become an integral part of daily life, both on the road and off.
Owner-operators now use their phones and apps to book loads, track traffic conditions, and price gas. According to research, there was a sixteen percent increase in truckers using apps.
When marketing your trucking company, it is important to consider mobile outreach. An app for truckers can increase your interaction with clients and drivers and address their needs. This will keep you top-of-mind.
An app for trucking can contain GPS navigation, a fuel locator, and load management tools. You can effectively meet the needs of your clients while on the road.
Work on Your Referrals and Online Reviews
Referrals from friends and family are a powerful marketing strategy. If you are satisfied with your existing clients, you want them to be more “useful” than just closing deals with them. If you make them happy, they will be more likely to refer your company to their family, friends, and business contacts.
Eventually, your potential client pool will grow significantly. This powerful tool can also be tapped by asking clients for referrals via email or on your site.
You can also get reviews written about your company online. This can be useful in referring people to you. Review sites are a great way to get potential clients to review your company before they make a decision to do business with it.
Positive reviews will reflect positively on your services, naturally. They can also help you keep connections with clients and boost your company’s visibility in Google search results.
Trucking companies are not known for their reviews, so it is more common for clients not to leave them. But if you get the chance to ask and get them, go for it.
A review section or quoted reviews could be included on your website for potential clients to see once they arrive at your landing page will be vital, and you need them for your Google listings and other digital properties.
Infographics show that72% of consumers trust online reviews. 68% of people visit social networking sites to read reviews. 90% believe positive reviews can influence purchasing decisions and generate sales-qualified leads, hence, why you need to work on getting them.
Positive online reviews can have a significant impact, but negative ones come with the same weight, and it will be key to learn how to reply and act in those cases.
You should focus on offering solutions and being polite to those who left negative reviews. Reach out and make sure you show how you care about your clients by replying to those reviews.
On the other hand, listing sites like Yelp or Foursquare can help you connect with existing and potential customers. When they search for your services, these websites will show your profile.
These sites also often offer the opportunity for customers to leave reviews about your business. These reviews can be very beneficial for your business if they are positive. Many customers rely on the feedback of others before making a purchase decision.
Google Ads and Retargeting
Google is the most popular search engine for information. It is also where people go to find companies that meet their needs and where you want to be displayed 24/7.
Google Ads can help you get qualified clients, increase your leads and grow your business. Potential clients can find your trucking company’s products and services online to streamline your marketing efforts, but this can be expensive when you don’t know how to optimize your efforts.
Google advertising will place your website higher in search results and boost your web traffic. This will increase your lead quality and chances of attracting new customers.
The ads allow you to target potential clients by retargeting as well. This helps you increase your client base and promote your trucking business by targeting people already interested in your company.
Retargeting increases the likelihood that they will click on your advertisement, return to your website and eventually do business with your company.
Social Media Management for Long-Distance Freight Trucking
Social media can be a powerful marketing tool, and although many believe it isn’t worth it for many niches, they’re entirely wrong.
It is a lucrative way to market your trucking business since there’s always space for a company regardless of its industry.
You can build your reputation, attract new clients, and generate leads by creating a social media presence. You can make it easy for others to find you by creating each account that benefits you in terms of the audience you’re targeting.
Managing your local and long-distance freight trucking company’s social channels does not have to be difficult. You can start with the simple things and then work towards frequent content that attracts new clients.
You want to create profiles on Facebook and LinkedIn as they work the best for services and small companies for your business.
Make sure you have accurate information when creating your profile. Customers will need to know your address, website, and phone number. You should ensure that all social media accounts have the same information.
You can share updates, photos, and special deals with those who follow you on social media. This gives people more incentive to follow your business.
Social media can also be used to help customers rate you and give you recommendations. It is the ultimate word-of-mouth tool of the 21st century.
After you have everything set, share shipping prices with your followers, link to your company website and add contact information like address, phone numbers, promos, and details on your descriptions and even images.
Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms have amazing marketing power beyond just following tweets about the trucker of the day as well. You can utilize their ads option and work around what people are talking about related to your industry.
Also, your customers can leave reviews about your service, which will help prospects learn more about you.
Unlike industry publications and events, social media makes it easier to find customers looking for transport services. However, this is as long as you start targeting the audience properly after some research.
Paying for advertisements can help you make the most out of the platforms, and sponsored posts allow you to target your audience by geographic location, profession, or interest in the trucking business.
Trade Publications: Traditional Ads
Print ads are as important in the trucking industry as online marketing tools. Trade publications are specific to the trucking industry and provide information about current trends.
Place your ads in these publications, and you will be sure to reach a targeted audience who is interested in trucking services.
Consider which publications are the best fit for your ads when creating your lead generation strategy. If you are looking for drivers, you might consider placing ads in magazines that focus on the trucking industry.
This database contains trade publications organized by industry. It will help you find publications that reach the people you are trying to get as your clients and save you time and money.
Remember that many trade magazines also offer an online version. Many subscribers will prefer to read industry magazines in print, but many will also be able to access the publication online.
Events of Trade Associations
Like trade magazines, trade associations offer the chance to connect with and engage the audience. You could, for example, set up a stand at a trucking trade show if you are looking to hire drivers.
You should attend B2B-focused events if you are marketing your services to other companies.
To attract customers and do lead scoring, create a visually appealing display and send marketing materials home with them.
Expositing at trade shows can be costly and time-consuming whatsoever. Sponsorship is a great option if you do not have time to make a display that stands out or just lay low until you are able to work around this, but always remember to be there.
You should also check the online aspect of these events. Check to see if there are any ads available on the registration site and place ads there.
Blogging Services
It can be difficult to get traffic to your site and increase your ranking through search engine optimization (SEO). But a blog can help you tons, and it doesn’t have to be hard to build and keep one.
Blogs add value to your brand, build brand recognition, and highlight your expertise.
This will increase your website’s visibility and improve your search engine rankings.
Selecting a platform and theme is key to a successful blog, and this should be integrated properly with your website.
You can check out the most popular platforms like WordPress, Snapps, and Joomla. After you have chosen a platform, it is time to design your blog theme to reflect your brand.
But to ensure it is successful, keep these tips in mind:
- Establish a publishing schedule. Some businesses publish blogs on a regular basis, while others do so every other day. Some people find that a weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly schedule works better. No matter how often you post, it is important to set a schedule, so readers know when new content will be coming.
- Decide what voice you want: Is your blog lighthearted and humorous? Or will you be serious and data-driven? Do you prefer to write in the third person or first-person? You need to pick a voice for your blog in order to keep the content consistent. This allows readers to get to know the author better and helps them connect with the content.
- Brainstorm topics: Start by creating a list of topics you might cover on your blog. It is a good idea to have titles for all the blogs that you will be writing for the whole year. It makes it easy to plan your content and avoid repeating topics.
- Engaging content is key: Create educational and captivating content. Make sure you are thinking about your audience before creating posts that you believe will be of value to them.
The Local Lead Generation Process for Your Local & Long Distance Freight Trucking Business
All right! So, everything is about building properties and generating leads. But how does the process actually take place? Are there other steps I need to know?
The steps I mention below are what students from our local lead generation program follow to generate leads for businesses like yourself. So I’ll help you see what we do. And how if you join our program, you can simply generate leads for your own business (unless you want to start a side hustle and build a laptop lifestyle business).
Essentially, our lead generation can be divided into four steps:
The first is prospecting. You need to take the time to do market research on a niche (industry) and determine how many phone-driven businesses are there.
Keep in mind that this is local research as you need to know how many companies need leads. For example, you may search for “plumbing services Youngstown OH.”
You will find dozens or even hundreds of businesses trying to get themselves in front of the customers by ranking on Map Listings, organic results, and even Ad.
The second step, building. When you find a niche (plumbing, tree services, a software company, real estate…), you will need to start building your digital properties. You don’t need to be an expert in HTML or coding. It can be easy with the right tools.
The third step is now taking time to rank your lead gen website. With the site done, you need to work on SEO strategies and start dominating those Google search results. If you’re new to SEO, it stands for Search Engine Optimization.
To keep it simple, it consists of the entire process of growing a company’s visibility on search engines like Google and generating organic traffic. And remember this, local lead generation is part of the strategies.
Moving on to step four, once you rank the site, you will start getting your ROI and profits. You only need to rent it out to a local business interested in the leads the site generates. You can offer a couple of free leads to their move on with the actual pay per lead.
To review steps 1-4 above, I described it to a normal student who is building a lead gen business to help local service providers generate more calls. But replace the student with you as the business owner. And replace sending the leads to a business to simply siphoning the leads to your personal business.
By the way, fun fact, about 20% of our students in our local lead gen program are actually business owners who went through the program. And they use the skillsets we teach to generate leads for their own business.
An Example of Lead Generation: Home Advisor
You must be thinking, “if lead generation sounds so good so far, how come I haven’t seen any company?” That’s the thing; there are many out there. You just don’t know they are dedicated to it.
HomeAdvisor is one of the best examples you can find on the Internet as it is a top lead generation company that has spent millions building its brand but also earned even more zeros for this same reason.
They started small as everyone else but invested in building their brand awareness to make people who are looking for home services go to their website and find what they need. They are over 75% of people’s first choice when they need those services.
If you don’t get HomeAdvisor that much or need a refresh, users need to submit their information to request a service and get a professional or expert who can provide it.
HomeAdvisor’s job is to share your information, which makes you a lead, with local companies so they can contact you and offer the service you’re requesting. For sharing this lead information, HomeAdvisor gets paid by the companies. This happens for every single lead they send to multiple businesses.
Business owners who don’t have marketing skills or don’t even know how to have any online presence will always rely on those pages to list their services. They will save time and effort, but companies like HomeAdvisor can make them spend lots of money as leads aren’t exclusive (one lead is sent to multiple companies after all).
Using Facebook Ads aka Paid Ad Platforms: Do They Generate Leads?
They DO generate leads. If not, no one would use them.
However, you need to remember two facts:
- Paid ads or platforms can be expensive.
- They don’t generate “natural” leads.
Whenever someone sees or clicks in one of those ads, over 80% of them did it by accident or are trying to close/report it.
Why? Because they aren’t looking for those services. At least not at the moment.
What those ads do instead is interrupt their time on the platforms. Users aren’t there to find companies or businesses unless they are searching for a specific company’s user, and for that, there’s a search bar. This is why it is hard to convert them to actual customers who will show interest in the companies’ services. Also, you’re limited by a budget.
When using lead generation, everything is organic. You aren’t forcing others to pay attention to your business but rather being there when they need you. This is why Google’s organic traffic will always beat paid ads, and the reason companies continue investing in it, which is a lot cheaper as well.
What Is Local SEO?
Don’t worry… I didn’t get it at first either. Following the short explanation, local SEO focuses on scaling businesses’ visibility on search engines. However, this is only for those who serve their communities face-to-face.
What does this mean?
Experts and professionals like painters, plumbers, and dentists (but not only them) offer their services to their local customers. Why? Because they can’t deliver them unless they are located in the same area of their customers.
To make sure those businesses get more leads, you need to rank them locally by claiming the business listing on Google to place them on Map Listings. Local SEO also involves online reviews, citation management, and how you manage your entire online presence in the local area.
If you are going to bet on lead gen, you need to adapt yourself to today’s world: The Internet.
Keep in mind that although traditional channels and methods like billboards, warm calls, and pamphlets still work, they aren’t part of your tools. Whenever someone needs a service, they go to Google and search for it.
“Dentist in Miami” or “plumbing services in Orlando,” etc. And you can keep coming up with services or professionals people need and look for. Thus, you need to make sure you’re using Google to get the companies in front of their clients.
Users will always click on the first search results (those near the top), and many of them will be either Ad links (people paid to place their websites there), Map Listing, and then you get websites. Almost all of them are your goal and where you should always aim to place yourself.
Can My Local & Long Distance Freight Trucking Business Utilize a Local Lead Generation Strategy?
If you want customers, you better know you need it. Following the previous explanation, lead gen is all about placing businesses in front of their customers, choosing them over their competitors.
Put it simply – it’s all about closing deals and having clients for those companies to make money. The main difference with the usual methods companies use for this is how lead generation approaches different channels to get them in the right place of the market to get customers.
Those channels are all focused on the Internet as most people are searching for products but also services across the net. The issue is that the Internet is way too broad, and businesses don’t know how to place themselves. They usually try, but they get one common result: losing money and time.
How Powerful Are Organic Local & Long Distance Freight Trucking Leads from Google?
For companies looking for customers, it’s everything. For you? Pretty much the same. When you build a business with digital properties, you get to make thousands of dollars a month.
This isn’t a “get started today and get rich tomorrow” thing, but it is HIGHLY scalable, and ROI + positive results are guaranteed. Learning a fairly decent and very needed set of skills to create your digital properties and start ranking them on Google is required.
I have invested in several online businesses over the years, and if there’s something uncertain, whether you will get your ROI or not, even more than the actual profit.
However, this business moved my earnings from five figures a year to a month in ONLY passive income while sitting comfortably at home.
On my laptop. Anywhere. Anytime.
You can look at one of the first sites I built back in 2016, and it continues making me over $1.000+ every month. The best part is that I don’t need to touch it or the rest I’ve built over the years, just like this digital property.
What Makes Lead Generation SO Alluring?
Here it goes: you can work from home.
The main issue with regular business opportunities is how much you need to invest in staff, equipment, or rent to have a place to sell your products or offer your services.
We all know the hassles of traditional businesses that involve regular expenses, which are extremely high. Can you afford it? I don’t think so, and even if you can, is it worth it? Now, it isn’t only about the money. You also need to put in a lot of work, and it isn’t only during the first couple of months or years. Usually, it is as long as you continue running it.
You can save yourself those headaches and bone-breaking tasks and expenses with lead gen since it is more about generating leads with digital channels—mainly websites.
Websites can be VERY cheap to build, and with many tools online, you get to do it in a couple of hours instead of days. Any virtual or digital business is scalable and won’t need constant maintenance.
So, let’s summarize this:
- You save money in regular expenses with traditional and most online businesses as what you need is yourself and digital properties (websites).
- You can bet on passive income.
- There’s no need to hire more people to get started.
- You can generate leads in multiple industries, which allows you to work on any niche you want.
How Can I Get Started in the Local Lead Generation Program?
Anyone can start and learn. That’s the beauty of this business model. I knew nothing about SEO, Map Listing, and everything I’ve mentioned so far. It is all about learning the skills, gaining experience, and deciding to take the step.
Remember that this business model will never get old as business owners are always looking for leads. They need to do business and scale their companies. Why not do the same while helping others and still making money?
You can start with this local lead generation course highly recommended for anyone wanting to grow in the business. It is a close training that will take you through each step and make sure you are able to get your ROI, profits and take control of your life.
You will be added to an incredible lead generation family ready to help you 24/7 when asking questions on the group. Anyone is welcome who’s willing to put in the work. Click here to watch the lead gen webinar.