3 Foolproof Marketing Ideas For Towing Companies

There are over 46,000 towing companies in the US. Does your company stand out from the rest? If not, this guide is for you. Here, you will find three effective marketing strategies for towing companies.

1. Brand Your Trucks

Pretty much everyone can visualize a U-Haul truck or an AAA truck at the snap of a finger because both trucks have a distinctive appearance. It’s an effective marketing strategy because every truck in a towing fleet is basically a billboard. Can other drivers on the road can recognize your trucks without even needing to see the logo? If they can, your brand will stay with them and they’ll likely call your company first when they need assistance.

You can successfully brand your trucks by covering the following two areas:

A. Color

Color is one of the easiest ways we humans learn to identify things. You want a distinctive color or color scheme that makes people instantly think of your brand. If all your trucks are bright yellow, for example, that's a good way to make sure they get recognized and associated with your company.

B. Logo Visibility

Your trucks should have your company name or logo on them, and it should be easy to read. While it’s quite common for tow trucks to have the company name or logo on the side and/or grille, not all company names or logos are easy to read. Can a consumer see your logo or read your business' name from 50 feet away? If not, they're probably not going to see it when they pass one of your trucks on the side of the road.

Speaking of logos, one of the smartest ways to add your logo to your truck is with a custom emblem and grille. That's because the grille is often the first thing consumers see when your trucks are out and about. We offer large custom emblems and grilles that look great and that can really project your brand. We also offer integrated emergency lighting so your custom grille and logo can also be functional. You can learn more here.

2. Shrink The Phone Number On Your Trucks

This advice may seem counterintuitive, but it actually works. A lot of towing companies will put their name in smaller letters so they can make room for a big phone number. For many years this used to generate calls, but it never helped with branding. The booming internet has made phone numbers less important. Since most consumers have smartphones, it's quite simple for any consumer to look up a towing company online. Additionally:

• Many consumers are using phones to access websites and order services without talking to anyone.
• Advertising a phone number, but not a website, can discourage consumers who prefer a web-based process.
• Many consumers look at a website to assess how credible your business is. If your website doesn't project the right image, they won't call.

So, consider emphasizing your business name, logo, and website address instead of your phone number. The more people see your business name or logo, the more likely they are to remember it and look it up online later. If the big phone number makes it hard for consumers to see your company's name or logo, it might be hurting your company in the long term.

3. Set Up A Good Review Strategy

Reviews are crucial to the success or failure of any consumer-oriented business. Consumers often choose businesses based on the reviews they see on Google or Yelp. If your company is going to generate new business, it's important to have good reviews on these sites.

Getting good reviews is easier said than done, but it's not necessarily difficult. Mostly, collecting good reviews comes down to having a good process:

A. Emphasize The Importance Of Good Reviews

You want everyone at the company to understand that reviews are crucial to success. Your customer-facing staff has to emphasize the importance of reviews, or customers won't take the time to give a review.

B. Ask For Feedback From The Customer

You need a 'safety valve' for upset customers. As part of your normal process, someone at the company needs to reach out to the customer after the sale and ask them if they are satisfied. If the customer is unhappy, the best thing is to have that customer complain to your company directly. The worst thing is for that customer to go online and leave a bad review, because that can kill your company's ratings.

C. Ask Your Happy Customers To Leave a Review Online

You need a process for asking happy customers to review you, and you need to make sure it happens every time you have a customer. There are tools that you can use to do this (GatherUp is excellent), but you can also just do this with a phone. Call every previous customer and ask them about their experience. If they have good things to say, ask them if they can leave you a review online.

D. Send Thank You Notes To Your Customers

Don't underestimate the value of a thank you note. If every customer gets a handwritten thank you note that says something like, "your satisfaction is important to us; please call or email me directly if you've had a bad experience," that's a good safety valve. It's also another way to remind the customer that your company cares, and hopefully encourage them to leave you a positive review.

E. Identify Customers Who Are Likely To Leave A Review

Last, as part of your customer "onboarding" process, it's a good idea to identify people who are likely to leave a review online. One simple way to do this is to ask every customer if they contacted you because of a review they read online. People who answer "yes" are far more likely to leave a review than people who say "no" or "I can't remember." When you identify someone that's likely to leave a review, follow-up should be prioritized for this customer.

If you’ve implemented one, two, or all three marketing strategies listed here, please come to our Facebook page and tell us all about it. Don’t forget to share pictures, too!