Marketing help for minicab service.

[Minicabby.com]

[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]I have setup a website and minicab service, where we are connecting our customers to the safest minicab companies, we currently only operate in london, here is the transcript from the flyer:

"MiniCabby is Britains first minicab network that is run to ensure the safety of passengers over the uk.

Wherever you book, their are always companies that have unlicensed drivers, we are here to change that. Booking through minicabby connects you to the safest minicab companies. we put the safety of our customers first and run our company on 100% customer satisfaction.

24/7, 365 - book anytime, your safety is our priority
mpv's, saloons, estate cars, executive cars
advanced bookings

be safe, be smart - book through minicabby and ensure you get to your destination safely."

etc etc.

I then have the telephone number and website.

What I would like to know is what is the best procedure for marketing this company, the budget is low, we have 5k leaflets that have been printed.

Would it be a good idea to go to networking events to give out the flyers? Or put them in resturants, bars clubs etc

Thank you for your help[/FONT][/FONT]

 

[buzz-promotions]

Hi,

I think that you have a great idea here!

Have you considered advertising in "Metro" which I believe is given away on all public transport, although I'm not sure whether it is distributed in London:|

I also think the bars and clubs idea would be good, especially if they have a payphone, advertising around the payphone would be useful for an impulse booking.

I have also sent you a PM

Good luck!

Matt

 

[DuaneJackson]

You haven't really printed 'their' instead of 'there' on 5000 flyers have you?

I don't think networking would be ideal for these - but restaurants, clubs, etc would be.

Have you said on your flyer how you determine if a company is 'safe' ?

 

[Minicabby.com]

woops, no I haven't and I have used capitals and punctuation where required i just typed it quick missed a bit out took to long to type lol.

Thank you guys for the boost in moral, I will put them up in the phone booths, i forgot about these, especially around pubs and train stations, there are no legal aspects to that is their?

I have not put in detail on the flyer its only A6, it would take a lot of text to explain how and make it very hard to read.

I'll check your pm now Buzz, I haven't thought about advertising in the Metro, but I'd assume it would be quite expensive.

 

What about supermarkets, you usually see those business cards stuck on boards etc.

 

[Minicabby.com]

Yes that is a good idea, infact I can do those tommorow, would you think leisure centres would be worth distributing there?

I didn't expect such a swift response guys, thank you very much.

 

Possibly, supermarkets / leisure centres may charge I'd imagine.

How about local bingo halls (for those OAP's)

 

[Minicabby.com]

Now that one is interesting, we have a gala bingo. I wouldn't of imagined that the supermarkets charged for that. I'll pin it up anyway.

 

Now that one is interesting, we have a gala bingo. I wouldn't of imagined that the supermarkets charged for that. I'll pin it up anyway.

I should move into marketing.

 

[Minicabby.com]

, I have to say though, marketing to me, is the most important part of the business especially in this industry. It should be quite easy to market though, the materials look quite outstanding.

 

[Cornish Steve]

I travel a lot internationally, and one of the banes of international travel is local transportation. In developing countries, I have to arrange for a driver in advance. Even in Western countries, I stick with the official taxi line, which can often be horrendously long. I adopt these habits because of personal safety, and other international visitors do the same.

This is a large and lucrative market, yet it's one that is not well organised. While I make all my other arrangements through a travel agent, I have to contact a local office to get the name of a driver. The only exception is when a hotel can arrange a driver, and I'm sure they'd appreciate your service too. So here are my suggestions:

- Contact some of the big international travel agents to see whether they would delegate a cab-finding service to you.

- Contact some of the mid-size hotels that cater to the business world to see whether you can tie in with their reservation system.

 

, I have to say though, marketing to me, is the most important part of the business especially in this industry. It should be quite easy to market though, the materials look quite outstanding.

You could also get some keyrings made, to give to people who use your service so they always have your number with them.

 

[Minicabby.com]

I travel a lot internationally, and one of the banes of international travel is local transportation. In developing countries, I have to arrange for a driver in advance. Even in Western countries, I stick with the official taxi line, which can often be horrendously long. I adopt these habits because of personal safety, and other international visitors do the same.

This is a large and lucrative market, yet it's one that is not well organised. While I make all my other arrangements through a travel agent, I have to contact a local office to get the name of a driver. The only exception is when a hotel can arrange a driver, and I'm sure they'd appreciate your service too. So here are my suggestions:

- Contact some of the big international travel agents to see whether they would delegate a cab-finding service to you.

- Contact some of the mid-size hotels that cater to the business world to see whether you can tie in with their reservation system.

This is one of the gaps I saw, it is very very unorganised at the moment, and also the safety of passengers has got to be one of the most important things. Maslows hierarchy even shows how important safety is.
I will be contacting some hotels, local ones so that we can expand at a steady rate, this kind of service has a large demand, so I don't want to overwhelm myself at the speed of the expansion, and compromise on quality.

The places of marketing I felt before were:
Hotels
Resturants
Pubs
Nightclubs

But thanks to the people here, they have given more ideas.
I will definately contact some travel agents to see how we can tie in with them.

 

[Minicabby.com]

You could also get some keyrings made, to give to people who use your service so they always have your number with them.

That is right on time, I was just talking to a fellow UKBF member about that, but the current budget does not allow any mass promotional items, I'm expecting the leaflets to do the trick for now, and definately hope to use those promotional items within the next few months.

 

[FreeLocal]

Good Idea. Take a look at www.seeitlocal.co.uk/localmap and send me an email if you are interested in our network.
Keith

 

[Minicabby.com]

I've added it to the site above.

What is better is that I will now be getting the drivers to be doing the marketing and distribution, this will get it done a lot faster. Team work, always good in business.

 

[Mike by the Sea]

Have you thought about contacting local support agencies - Help the Aged, Hospices and the like. Safety and security is important to them.

 

[directmarketingadvice]

"MiniCabby is Britains first minicab network that is run to ensure the safety of passengers over the uk.

Wherever you book, their are always companies that have unlicensed drivers, we are here to change that. Booking through minicabby connects you to the safest minicab companies. we put the safety of our customers first and run our company on 100% customer satisfaction.

24/7, 365 - book anytime, your safety is our priority
mpv's, saloons, estate cars, executive cars
advanced bookings

be safe, be smart - book through minicabby and ensure you get to your destination safely."

This doesn't really work.

Firstly, you should have gone on to explain the negative consequences of riding in a cab driven by a unclicensed driver.

Secondly, you don't explain how what you do eliminates these dangers.

Thirdly, is the reader meant to understand what "[we] run our company on 100% customer satisfaction" means, other than being one of those unspecified and unsupported "we go the extra mile and care about your satisfaction" type of comments?

Steve

 

[Minicabby.com]

This doesn't really work.

Firstly, you should have gone on to explain the negative consequences of riding in a cab driven by a unclicensed driver.

Secondly, you don't explain how what you do eliminates these dangers.

Thirdly, is the reader meant to understand what "[we] run our company on 100% customer satisfaction" means, other than being one of those unspecified and unsupported "we go the extra mile and care about your satisfaction" type of comments?

Steve

Maybe you could give me pointers on the next marketing round. You cannot fit so much information on an A6 flyer.

For now I need to try and concentrate on getting the most out of the current marketing materials.

__

Mike, I have not contacted those support agencies but that is a good idea, seeming as I will now be able to get the drivers to market in the other areas. I appreciate the help.

 

[Cornish Steve]

I've been thinking about this. Because I fly I lot, I travel to and from the local airport all the time - which is a 30-mile ride. Taxis are quite expensive (about $75 each way), so I rent a car from a local office that also has a base at the airport (depending on how busy they are, it's between $30 and $45 each way). It's a bit of a hassle because my wife has to drop me at the local car rental place, which is about five miles away. The nice thing, though, is that I'm not paying for airport parking or tying up my own car unnecessarily.

I used to take a shuttle bus, but that was less convenient. The drop-off point was further away, and the bus left only once every hour. If I missed it, I was in trouble. Anyway, the service was little used and the company shut down. (The fact that the same driver drove the bus each day did encourage loyalty, a plus for this approach.)

This led me to think that, with an appropriate software program that ties into local maps, it ought to be possible for a company to use taxis to pick up two or three people en route to the airport. By sharing the ride, the cost would drop from $75 to $45, say. While the price is still higher than a rental car, the convenience makes it worth it. Obviously, I wouldn't want to be driven around for hours while the taxi picks others up from their homes, but this is where the maps come in. The system would automatically assign taxis and choose routes based on the relative proximity of each person requesting the service.

If you take this one step further and dissociate it from airports, I can imagine that a scheduling program could invite taxi drivers to pick up the next customer while taking the previous customer on his journey. This would make better use of the driver's time and of the seats available in the cab. Customers get a price break for being willing to share a ride. From a safety perspective, customers would register for your service ahead of time; unregistered callers would pay the usual full fare and would not share.

Does this make sense? Is it practical? Would it apply in your case?

 

[directmarketingadvice]

You cannot fit so much information on an A6 flyer.

If the medium you've chosen to promote your business doesn't allow you to properly express your key selling point, is it possible that you may have chosen the wrong medium?

Steve

 

[Cornish Steve]

Anyone should be able to explain the essence of their business in one or two sentences (an "elevator pitch"). If it takes more space than a single A6 flyer to get your message across, maybe your current message needs distilling.

 

[movingforward]

I work at a minicab company in london. It is of a moderate size and all cars are modern with gps tracking etc. It would be nice to attract new business to the company.

Whilst most work is undertaken for cash, some work is on account (esentially an invoice account wherby work is priced reasonably higher and a priority service is provided). It is a prioity to gain more account work. We are still extremely keenly priced in the market, especially on journeys to the airport. It would be wonderful to attract some of the market who are looking to downsize/rethink their expenditure.

Any ideas on attracing account custom?

To continue to thrive in the cash sector, it as been decided to flyer local areas. Does anyone think a letter with a business card inside a good idea?
What kind of things should be emphasised or how can we structure a sucessful outcome?
Any example of what/what not to do?

Thanks for any help

 

[phillip@ysatisfy]

Hi
In regards to leaflets, anywhere relevant to your business is a good idea. It maybe worth trying to get your leaflets into some of the larger businesses in your area. Use your friends / family etc... to help here. Plenty of businesses have noticeboards for staff so its worth using connections to help get your leaflet on them.

I'd also recommend using the internet for marketing as probably a lot of businesses use the internet to find cab services, so the usual yellow pages is always a good bet and have a simple site to drive users to, demonstrating the services you offer. The longer your site has been live on the internet, the more traffic your likely to get and therefore potential business.

cheers

Phillip Hunt
Ysatisfy customer satisfaction and centricity consultancy

 

[Textlocal]

This would be a perfect place to use SMS text marketing - people may read the fliers - but at that moment don't have a use for your services.

If you printed "for more information and special offers text CAB to 07783200xxx" you could collect mobile numbers of potential customers. You can then call them back the next day to explain the services 1-to-1.

This kind of service is 100% free (see my site) - honestly, it won't cost you a penny. Every time someone texts in you capture their mobile number in your free account and you also get an email notification in your inbox - you can call them back, introduce yourself and answer any questions they may have.

Once you have a list of say 100 people, you can then purchase an SMS bundle (£5 for 100) - and target a promotion to them at 9pm on a Friday night "Hi, don't forget, if you want to book a safe Taxi home tonight call Minicabby on 01684554447 - www.minicabby.com".

They will then have your number delivered to their hand at a time that is useful for them. It cost you just £5 to contact 100 people - and if just 1 person takes up the offer you have covered your costs!

Al
Txtlocal

 

[taxiwebsites]

Well you can utilise website and market is effectively with little cost. I know it seems like a marketing message, but do some basic work, ask the design and marketing how you can profit from your investment and ask him/her to demonstrate from their previous work on taxi related business.

 

[virtuallysorted]

Does Transport for London not have an approved list of cabs? I'd try and get on there!

 

[the king]

ask 'em how they're doing - what worked and what didn't; hopefully they're not waiting on further UKBF advice ...the OP was 2006