Owning or managing a taxi business requires a combination of skill, patience, and determination. This is particularly true these days when ride-sharing schemes – among other modes of transportation – are rampant. You need to think of ways to stand out from your competition. You must have an edge to stay in the game.
Word of mouth – although still one of the best ways to market a product or service – is not enough anymore. There’s certainly a need to widen the marketing net to target more prospects. You have to bring out the big guns to encourage commuters to choose riding a cab over taking the bus or the train.
The hitch that most taxi operators encounter with this plan is money. Not all taxi companies have ample budget for marketing. Small taxi operators find it hard to compete with the companies because of financial limitations. But, this shouldn’t be the case.
Take our company for instance. Universal Taxi in Chicago is not the biggest taxi company in the Windy City, but it surely is one of the most reliable and top-rated. Why? Because aside from providing high-quality service, we reach out to Chicago commuters – locals and tourists alike – in different ways. How?
- We optimize the online world.
The internet is a big, big world. It can be pretty overwhelming if you don’t know how to properly navigate it. But we find ways to effectively promote the services we offer. For example, we now have a Universal Taxi app to make it easy for our clients and prospects to book our services. We use Chicago online forums to reach out to commuters and inform them how we can help make their travel convenient. We have social media channels where passengers can get in touch with us. They can ask us anything – from making a reservation to schedule confirmation.
Social media plays a huge part in marketing any kind of business, especially in the transportation industry. Practically everything can be searched online. There are apps specifically created to provide directions, assess road movement, and spot traffic areas. By getting current with these tools, you can encourage commuters who use online resources and apps to try the services you offer.
- We provide topnotch service.
The online world can only do so much. The bottom line will always be the quality of service you give to your clients. That’s where word of mouth comes in. If you consistently provide high-quality service to your passengers – like we do at Universal Taxi – they will trust you to deliver every time. And then they’ll become regular clients who will most likely recommend your company to others.
There is no marketing strategy more effective than showing your market that you can provide the services they need. And that stems from the efforts of everyone in the company – not just the taxi drivers, but also the personnel who handles bookings, the admin who manages web marketing, and even the all-around help who washes the cabs.
Effectively promoting your taxi business starts with effectively providing the services you offer.