I recently read an article from an operator asking what trade bodies do for the industry and what government should also be doing to assist us. While it was very interesting and made some valid points, it did not cover what *we* as a sector can do to grow and promote ourselves.
We should not be relying on the government for help. Ultimately, it has got bigger fish to fry at the moment. We have been asking for help for years – and has anything really come to fruition? We need to work together to promote ourselves from within, support ourselves, and grow our own industry.
We always seem to be late to the party. Look at PSVAR. Years of notice, yet when the deadline arrived, we asked for an extension. That is echoed when adopting new forms of contact with our customers. We have had years to adopt new ways, but many are still stuck in the 1990s.
How many operators have a Facebook page, for instance? How many operators post relevant content there, and how many consider the reach that these posts can have when done correctly?
We try to be as active as possible on our socials; we showcase the good, but also let the bad be known. Nobody likes delays and cancellations, but they do not like knowing about them even more. Our business advertises vacancies on our social media. Take the last advert; it reached just short of 40,000 people and we had plenty of choice among candidates.
Look at Jet2 and its marketing. Everyone knows the song, and that is only through some clever, targeted marketing that sticks in people’s minds.
I am not saying we need to take a smash hit, apply a voiceover and everyone will come flocking to our industry. But for those doing coach holidays and tours, you are trying to pull from the same pool as the airlines. As such, sometimes there may be different ways to get your offerings to customers.
We talk a lot about how much trade bodies should be doing for us as an industry, and I hear all too often about some being very bus-oriented. We as the coach sector are not afforded the same luxury as bus in that our customers do not actively seek us out. They do not have to use a coach to get to work; they use us for holidays and social events.
This is where trade bodies can help. Recently it was announced that the UK Coach Operators Association (UKCOA) has taken on Ian Jones as Business Development and Marketing Consultant. That is a very smart hire. Ian has decades of experience in marketing, and nobody in the industry can say they have never heard of Backhouse Jones and the ‘BACK’ brand.
We as a sector can learn a lot from this influential figure with a proven track record. I hope Ian and UKCOA offer some sort of support to operators looking to develop their marketing without the costs of hiring professionals or consultants in that field.
That said, I imagine a lot of younger industry members in family businesses will come up against a certain amount of hostility from elders when social media is mentioned.
We have all heard the age old adage of ‘we have always done it like this so why change now?’, which is usually closely followed by ‘why is it quiet?’, ‘why are we not generating more work?’, and ‘why does so-and-so down the road seem to be filling their trips?’.
Maybe the golden oldies need to let young blood loose with the advertising and see how it goes. I think you would be pleasantly surprised.
