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What to Do (and What Not to Do) When Promoting Your Courier Business

If you’re new to the business of freight forwarding, or if you feel you’re going a little stale when it comes to promoting your business, we have some great tips to help get you motivated. It’s a tough and competitive industry out there, so it’s in your best interests to do what you can to get your company (or yourself, if you’re an owner driver) on the radar of potential customers.
Ways to Promote Your Business

A Website

The very first thing you should do if you want to promote your business meaningfully is to set up a website and, if possible, a blog. Although you may think that due to your location you have the potential to get the monopoly on available work, you could be mistaken. Other freight forwarders and owner driver operators may have plans to set up in your local area, so you need to stay ahead of the competition.

If you’re not used to dealing with computers, you may think that setting up a website would be too much of a challenge. But there are plenty of platforms available to help you create a website very easily and with minimal effort. The great news is that it won’t necessarily cost much either.

Get Yourself Online

Following on from getting a website up and running, establishing an online presence is imperative. Get socially active and set up Facebook and Twitter accounts as soon as possible. This not only allows you to reach customers you may not otherwise have, but it also offers the chance to join online communities that are relevant to your business and local area.

The more presence you have online, the more people will know about the services you offer. Online forums are a good platform on which to promote your services, with many allowing you to leave your contact details.

A SWOT Analysis

By doing a SWOT analysis, you can identify the areas of your business that need improving. It is these areas that you will focus on when steering your marketing and promotional strategy. But what exactly is a SWOT analysis?

Strengths – You need to consider what strengths you see in your company and how these have the potential to be a positive benefit to the community in which you are working.

Weaknesses – Equally important are the weaknesses. You must find ways of dealing with these.

Opportunities – You need to stay aware of potential opportunities to enhance your company. If you’re an owner driver, hand your business cards out whenever you can so you can be in front of people when it comes to potential work.

Threats – Check out the competition and make the necessary changes that will not only keep your existing customer base but also encourage the customers of other companies to consider switching to your services.

What Not to Do

Don’t Spam People

This will only infuriate potential customers. People hate to be bombarded with promotional material, so be careful not to be tempted to do this.

Don’t Ignore Price Comparison Sites

There is so much information available online and customers often turn to price comparison sites when making a decision on which firm to use. Register with as many of these sites as you can, so people are aware of the great offers you provide.

Don’t Get Lazy

You can’t rest on your laurels and stop networking. Online promotion is all very well, but the old school method of talking to people is a hugely successful strategy as well. Conduct yourself professionally and make yourself amenable to potential customers and you could win more business than you ever thought possible.

This might all appear to be simple advice when it comes to promoting your services, but it’s surprising how many businesses get complacent. Getting your company’s name and reputation out there is paramount if your business is to be healthy and flourish for years to come.

Whether you’re an owner driver or a company manager, you need to stay on top of your company promotion at all times and these tips will help.

Author Plate

Norman Dulwich is a correspondent for Courier Exchange, the world’s largest neutral trading hub for same day owner driver courier jobs in the express freight exchange industry. Numerous transport exchange businesses are networked together on their website, trading jobs and capacity through what is now the fastest growing Freight Exchange in the UK.

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Biogas Benefits: A Green Future for the Transport Sector

All businesses face pressures to innovate and none more than haulage companies. For decades now, issues around climate change have pushed the development of new and alternative fuels, and these debates are only intensifying as evidence piles up.
This can be stressful, especially as transport firms find themselves caught between regulatory limits and commercial pressures to innovate. But it can also open new opportunities. Biogas might just lead to major benefits for the transport sector, so read on to find out more about this exciting alternative fuel.

What is Biogas?

There’s a lot of science behind it, of course, but in short biogas is exactly what it sounds like: gas produced by biological processes. Waste materials such as industrial, domestic and food waste are put into a container. Inside, they undergo a process of anaerobic digestion, producing a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide. Or, more simply, organic materials go in, organic processes occur, and organic fuel comes out.

But how can all this affect haulage companies?

Benefits

Biogas has a number of significant advantages over traditional fuels, which makes it a serious contender to power the vehicles of the near future and beyond.

Firstly, it’s classed as renewable, both because waste products are so plentiful and because the carbon dioxide released when it’s burnt helps grow the organic material that eventually goes into the gas’s manufacture.

Secondly, it’s clean-burning. Where something like diesel belches out a mixture of harmful substances, including sulphur dioxide and miniscule particulates, biogas produces only carbon dioxide, water and energy.

On top of this, and connected to these two points, it seems to be carbon neutral, as all the CO2 produced in burning it is absorbed into the organic materials then used to produce more gas.

The benefits to haulage companies are increasingly clear, and indeed this new fuel is already starting to transform the transport sector.

How it’s Changing the Industry

As we’ve noted, this fuel is easy and uncontroversial to source and use, making it good news for environmental concerns. There is encouraging evidence on this front already, with haulage companies that switch seeing the following results:

• Nitrogen oxide emissions halved • Particulate emissions nearly eradicated • Carbon dioxide output reduced by as much as 95%

More than this, though, it also has tangible benefits to firms. Firstly, it makes operations much quieter – a crucial boon when working in residential areas. Secondly, it can save you money, reducing expenditures on fuel by around a third.

The Future of Fuel?

Some have raised concerns about the long-term sustainability of biogas, but gas and infrastructure supplier Roadgas believes this is not the case. Their managing director David Rix described a ‘highly organised supply market with a structured supply chain’, also noting that recycling in this way could offer ‘a solution for our waste problems.’

Roadgas also argues that growing demand will see infrastructure improve to meet it, but haulage companies might still have reason to be sceptical. Assurances that supply issues will be solved before they arise may well prove correct, but they aren’t enough to base logistics on.

In short, current trends are encouraging, and processes of production, storage and refining continue to improve. Transport industry observers would do well to keep an eye on the development of this exciting field. Author Plate

Norman Dulwich is a Correspondent for Haulage Exchange, the leading online trade network for the road transport industry. Haulage Exchange provides services for matching drivers or haulage companies with available jobs. Over 5,400 member companies are networked together through the Exchange to fill empty capacity, get new clients and form long-lasting business relationships.

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Haulier Helpers: Bringing Your Pet on the Road with You

Haulage work can involve long days on the road with little to keep you entertained, but there’s no excuse to be bored during your time on the road if you can take you pet along with you! What may seem like an ordinary drive to you will be an exciting adventure for them, and their enthusiasm will rejuvenate your energy no end.
Whether you’re keen to bring your cat or dog (it may be wise to leave the more unusual creatures such as rabbits or snakes at home), this guide offers top tips and advice on what supplies to bring with you for a comfortable journey for you and your furry companion.

Top Tips:

• Pet proof your vehicle. Be sure to block off the driving area, particularly the pedals, and create a designated space for them inside the truck. • Be prepared for emergencies. Plan for any surprise expenses you might need to make and keep a list handy of all emergency care facilities and vets. • Put together a file of health and vaccination records to bring in the vehicle and take extra medication (should your cat or dog require it). • Make sure their collar has in-date contact information, and it is always a good idea to microchip your pet so that if they get lost they can be easily identified. • Plan ahead. If you are bringing your dog, allow time on your journey for it to get plenty of exercise – it will be very beneficial for you, too!

Cats vs. Dogs

As the age-old debate proves, there are pros and cons to owning both cats and dogs, and the same applies when considering which animals are suitable to take on a journey.

For instance, cats may require litter boxes, which can be messy and inconvenient and also creates the problem of odours in a confined space. Cats, by their nature, may also be less inclined to be content to travel in a vehicle than dogs. Should they become distressed, they might scratch your interiors or cry, causing a driving distraction. However, on the other hand, if your cat is a keen traveller, they don’t need as much exercise as dogs so it will cut down the amount of stops you’ll need to make, and they will often happily curl up alongside you and be a great travel buddy.

Both cats and dogs can be excellent driving companions, just make sure they do genuinely enjoy the experience.

What to Bring:

Although bringing a furry driving companion with you on haulage work has its advantages, you will need to be prepared to bring extra supplies in the vehicle – in which there is usually limited space. Here are some ideas of what you should consider bringing:

• Extra cleaning supplies and air fresheners – trust us on this one. • Lots of water and a container your cat or dog can drink out of – rubber collapsible water bowls can be great space-savers. • Food and treats. Bring more than you will need in case of a breakdown or other emergency. • Toys. Dogs in particular may need to be kept entertained. • Lead. Any time you exit the vehicle your dog (or cat) should be restrained.

Bring Some Fun to your Haulage Work

You may not usually get to spend time with your furry friend if you have a job driving all day, so you can enjoy their company if you do decide to take them on the road. After all, there is nothing a dog can’t get excited about, so it will love being alongside its best friend while they’re at work. And a cat? Well, probably the most thanks you can expect is tolerance, which is high praise indeed!

Author Plate

Norman Dulwich is a Correspondent for Haulage Exchange, the leading online trade network for the road transport industry. Connecting logistics professionals across the UK and Europe through their website, Haulage Exchange provides services for matching haulage work with available drivers. Over 5,400 member companies are networked together through the Exchange to fill empty capacity, get new clients and form long-lasting business relationships.

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