Just like insurance, marketing is an essential element of any successful business. Automotive fleet businesses are no exception. The modern fleet operator needs to maintain high-quality relationships with existing clients, whilst building a strong database and nurturing potential new clients. As the demand for fleet vehicles increases, so does the need to market your business to help you stand out from your competitors.  And the best news is, marketing doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive.

I’ve tried marketing and the results I got weren’t worth the money

If you’ve already tried marketing, but didn’t have great results, it might be time to take a step back, assess your goals, and understand the best way to spend your time and marketing budget.

This is where a well-honed marketing strategy and plan are crucial.

Marketing strategy and marketing plan – the long and the short of it

A marketing strategy is a long-term plan of action that aims to promote your products and services, gain a competitive advantage, and meet your business goals.

An effective marketing strategy is essential for business growth. It should:

• encompass your businesses mission
• include your overall business goals
• meet your target audience’s needs
• help you build brand loyalty.

A marketing plan supports the marketing strategy. It includes more short-term activities and tactics such as advertising campaigns.

When developing your marketing strategy, it’s a good idea to start with your goals. Once you understand your overall business goals, then you can map out your marketing goals. Goals should always be S.M.A.R.T:

• ‍S – Specific. A specific goal answers questions like what needs to be accomplished, who’s responsible for it, what steps need to be taken?
• ‍M – Measurable. Goals need to be measurable. For example, if one of your goals is to increase the number of cars rentals, how many rentals do you want to achieve?
• ‍A – Achievable. Goals should be ambitious, but realistic. Before committing to a goal, be sure it is something you and your team are likely to achieve.
• ‍R – Relevant. Think about the big picture. What’s the purpose of the goal – why are you setting it, what’s the benefit to your fleet business?
• ‍T - Time-bound. When do you want to achieve each goal by? Set a designated timeframe for your goal to be completed in.

Marketing goals can include things like:

• increase awareness of your fleet’s brand
• generate new leads
• increase the number of new subscribers
• grow your social media presence
• receive a certain amount of online reviews
• grow the number of times people rent your vehicles.

The next steps in planning your marketing

Other crucial things to consider when marketing your fleet business include:

1.   Know your target customer. Depending on whether you have a rental car fleet, rideshare fleet, subscription fleet, or Peer2Peer fleet, your audience needs will vary. Identify what their problems/needs are.

2.   Know where your target customer is. The first step in standing out from the crowd is understanding where your prospects are. For example, a rental car fleet’s target audience could be people flying interstate for business or pleasure. So, it’s likely you’ll find them:

a.    on travel, airline and accommodation websites

b.    reading travel magazines, newspaper inserts and blogs

c.     in online groups and social media sites.

Different audiences will use different platforms and mediums. Work out which one your audience frequents and use this information in your marketing plan.  

3.    Look better than your competition. Research your competition and assess their strengths and weaknesses. See how they’re marketing themselves and what they’re doing to build a presence. Find out what’s working for them … and then you do it better.

4.    Produce engaging content. Give your customers a valuable reason to visit your website and social media accounts. Share and create content that is useful and entertaining.  If you give them helpful information that solves their problem (for example, how am I going to get from location to location?), they will be more likely to spread the word about your fleet company with enthusiasm.

5.    Be consistent. For fleet companies to grow and maintain a brand presence and reputation – online and offline – you need to communicate consistently. Posting regular content and using a consistent tone of voice is key to impactful marketing.

6.    Provide quality. The best marketing that you can do as a fleet operator is provide high quality service. The better-quality service you provide, the more repeat customers and reviews you’ll get.

Easy practical tips for marketing your fleet business

1. Build trust with customer reviews
2. Invest in Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) to get your website to the top of Google Search results
3. Optimise your Google My Business listing to help you show up specifically in your businesses’ location/s
4. Be present on social media channels that your target audience uses
5. Promote your business and your own profile on LinkedIn. And encourage your employees to do the same
6. Invest in digital advertising. Google Ads and social media advertising can be very targeted and can achieve great results.
7. Advertise in relevant publications. You can choose from a variety of mediums including online, print and broadcast publications.
8. Use your email database wisely. Promotional offerings seem obvious here, but they’re not the only reason for sending emails to people on your database. Emails provide a great a opportunity to grow relationships by sending useful and practical information to your audience.

The more you understand the importance of marketing strategically and planning accordingly, the more effective your marketing will be, and the easier it will be to see your fleet grow.

Insuret is committed to helping you strengthen your business. Contact us today and to find out how we can help you achieve your goals.