My First Offline Gig -- Help With Taxi Marketing

Hi there Bert! Here's a plan you can consider. We all know that most of the world has a cell phone. And we all know that most people open up their cell phones within a few minutes receiving a text. In regards to mobile marketing here's what he can do:

- He can create a Facebook Fan Page that advertises his taxi cab services and generate mobile leads from there. By using mobile service like Trumpia, from Facebook he can tell his fans to "Text xxxx to xxxxx" in order to receive updates on what part of town he's in etc...there are many functions for mobile marketing in this sense, but it's all about making more than your spending....a LOT more than your spending.

- Also, Google Places alone, won't always cut it. He should drive traffic via yahoo, bing etc but in this scenario you target to only local areas.

Overall, there are many ways you can use mobile marketing to be implemented in your marketing plan for the taxi driver. My best recommendation is: 1) Create a FB fan page and put the "TEXT XXXXX to XXXXX" stuff on there 2) Drive traffic to that Fan Page so his clientele base can be increased. 3) Clients will input their numbers in the mobile list 4) When he has updates he sends it out to his list. And since their local there is a higher probability of responding to it.

If you have any questions regarding mobile marketing in particular, feel free to ask

Wow, congrats on getting such a great gig!

I think for $600 a week you should have no problem getting this taxi service to the front of Google. I definitely like Dwaynes idea of using mobile marketing combined with social media.

Here's an idea....a very common reason for getting a cab is drinking. Why not invest in some bar coasters or hooking up with local bar bouncers to promote the cab service. This is going straight to where people are in need of taxis and promoting your client there. A great way to drive some business and make you look good.

Also social media could really come into play here. Using Twitter or Facebook places you can identify who might be out in your town. Reply to them and just let them know if they need a cab where to call.

I know when I'm out, especially somewhere I'm not familiar with, I always like to have the number of a cab company I can call. Use that to your advantage.

Wow, I was expecting some a bit of help, but I got some great ideas! Thank you so much for those. I'm super stoked to get this going, especially when I've got experts helping me out with some friggin' awesome ideas. I like those.

I was also thinking about using the SMS to send out messages on Friday and Saturday nights with a message or coupon for people who they get to subscribe.

Thank you. Thank you.

1. You may have better luck moving this post over the the offline marketing forum:
Offline Marketing Discussions

2. Repeat business is going to be the lifeblood of any taxi service. I used to work in hotels and I can tell you repeat business always accounted for a large part of their business. Maybe have some simple cards made up that he can hand out to all his passengers offering them a discount off their second fare or something similar. Have a big QR code on those cards that has all his contact information so people can easily scan it and add his details straight into their phone. They are much more likely to call him if they have his details stored. He could also make a point of getting people to add his number into their phone whilst they are driving along - make a sort of joke out of it. This would definitely increase his business.

3. I agree about the bar coasters. You could get some free coasters made up and offer them to bars in the area he works. I would probably put a big QR code on the coaster because those who have had a few drinks are going to find it easier to scan a code than to type in a phone number or booking details. Have an image of a big sexy lady with a slogan like... "Need a lift home? Call me!"

Yeah, I always come to this forum looking for marketing info, I didn't even think of the offline section. Thanks for pointing that out to me.

Also, LOVE the coaster slogan. I laughed out loud when I read that! And you're right, although the company doesn't really have a website at all...hmmm...

TIME OUT -

$600 a week? I would put him on top of the world ;-D

That is an awesome deal for you, I would outsource the crap out of it, and still clear PLENTY for the month.

I love the QR coasters idea for taxis, that is nice. I have an app on my phone for local taxis.. but if I saw the qr code I would definitely use that in lieu of.

All good ideas so far--I really like the coaster. Get the solution out in front of a problem! One concern that I can think of is that coasters often get wet...will this blur a code? Maybe ask the bartenders to issue 2 at a time.

You could also try billboards at supermarkets. Lots of elderly people (or even people like me, who got stuck for a week without a vehicle recently) shuttle themselves and their groceries via taxi. Other places to advertise could be event venues...community centers...

Great idea's for sure. WillR, that savvy guy, took the idea I was going to suggest before I read his post, which was to get business cards with the reverse side have a discount on their next fair. I've had a cab driver give me a couple of those before and we used them for our next ride.

You can also negotiate an exclusive deal with a bar in the area that when they need to call a cab they only call his company. You could do that when you get the coaster deal the others were talking about. You could even do that for a few bars in the area. Maybe even figure out some kind of kickback you could give them.

Also, definitely think the mobile website idea is great. A ton of ppl have cellphones now and by using a QR code they could scan the code and pull up the site. Just make sure there is a tap to call option on the mobile site.

Good luck this seems like a real good opp!

Sean

In addition to the bars which have already been mentioned, think about other places people will often want/need a taxi and place advertising there, or work out a deal with the owner to call your client's cab company exclusively. If you're in an area where a "doorman" is common, try to hook up with some of them to call your client when cab services are needed.

Hotels
Airport
Convention Center
Sports Venues
Concerts
Retirement Communities
Hospitals
Prison (released inmates might need a ride)

Great ideas all around, and if you're considering advertising with local bars or hotels etc...why not work out a joint venture with them?

The cab owner has a captive audience for at least a few minutes at a time and could easily display some ads for local businesses or personally give out business cards when people are looking for recommendations for places to eat or stay etc...

Cheers,

Steve

I am a former cabbie myself so I understand the industry very well.
The ideas suggested here sound great. All cabbies want repeat personalised business if possible and many have themselves set up that way. If you can get him more customers, then he will be over the moon.
If you need more taxi info, let me know.

As a newbie in the offline field I found this thread quite informative with regard to my sms campaign. All suggestions are worth considering, but I personnally would start with Dwayne's answer... All the best

Do not forget to market your business offline as well.

Don't forget to have him display his QR code prominently in his cab and have people scan it, possibly give them a discount on their next ride.

Also, put the QR code on his business card and have them scan it.

DTaylor