Build Your Moving Company Content Strategy in 7 Steps

Did you know that content marketing generates approximately 3X as many leads as traditional marketing? With ad costs on the rise, movers are looking for new ways to increase their marketing ROI. And investing in a content strategy is a great place to start.

But successful content marketing is about more than blogs and search engine optimization (SEO). We're sharing real tips and examples of moving companies scaling content across video, email, social media, and more.

How to launch a content marketing strategy

Next to word-of-mouth, inbound marketing is one of the best ways to get quality leads without a massive pay-per-click (PPC) budget.

But where do you start? Here are seven simple steps to create or upgrade your content marketing strategy.

1. Define your target audience

Nothing gets to the heart of a customer's needs like content that’s tailored to their questions. But while 82% of marketers say they need quality data to do their jobs, only 42% know the basics about their audience.

In-depth guides, downloadable checklists, and practical video tutorials can go a long way in increasing brand awareness with your target audience. But first, you’ve got to know who they are.

Here are some tips to create content that reaches the right people:

• Review your data: Take a look at your Facebook Insights and Google Analytics to understand who you’re already reaching with your marketing efforts.
• List top FAQs: Ask your sales reps and crew for a list of the most frequently asked questions.
• Use a persona: If you have more than one team member handling your marketing, create a customer persona to keep everyone on the same page.

In a world where 73% of customers expect better personalization, understanding your target audience is crucial to knowing which channels to include in your content mix and what kind of content potential customers want to see from your brand.

2. Set clear objectives

In marketing, there’s no such thing as a silver bullet. Think of your content marketing efforts as one part of a larger marketing machine. With this in mind, it’s important to get clear on exactly what it is you’re looking to achieve.

Here are some examples of content marketing goals for moving companies:

• Brand awareness: According to one survey, 81% of respondents said that content marketing helped them create brand awareness.
• Repeat business: 63% reported success in growing loyalty with existing customers.
• Channel growth: Got a specific channel you want to boost? 63% of marketers say that social media drives the highest ROI while 43% say email marketing delivers the best results.
• Traffic growth: This is one of the top two most-common measurements of success for content marketing. It’s also a great way to increase traffic to specific service landing pages.

No matter your objective, it’s critical to track your marketing ROI so you can see how each lead source is performing. Once you’ve got the right benchmarks in place, you can set specific KPIs, like engagement, traffic, and conversion rate to understand your progress.

3. Choose your formats

Now for the fun part. What kind of content should you create? There’s a vast range of content types including blog posts, video content, customer stories, and more.

Go back to your audience’s biggest needs and the top places where they like to spend their time online. Which content types do they typically like to see?

According to Semrush, video content usually performs best, followed by short-form articles, success stories, and long-form blog posts. But the best format for each type of content depends on the prospect’s stage of awareness—in other words, how well they know your brand and how ready they are for your services. 

For example, this infographic on planning a move is perfect for solution-aware customers thinking about hiring a mover, while video tutorials are great for boosting customer satisfaction and loyalty. 

4. Use a content calendar

There’s a reason 64% of the most successful companies have a documented content strategy. Consistency is crucial to success, which is why every moving company marketing team needs a content calendar.

With a plan for what to post and when, you can keep your content on track towards reaching its goals.

Here are some best practices to think about when planning your content calendar:

• Publish 2-4 times a week: The ideal publishing frequency varies based on which channels you’re using. A good rule of thumb if you’re just getting started is to aim for a minimum of two per week, before working your way up.
• Schedule for peak posting times: Do some reading on the best times to publish on each platform and use your social media automation or online reputation management system to automatically post content at a time when it’s most likely to be seen.

5. Create quality content

According to research looking into the types of content audiences prefer, 52% say funny content is the most memorable. But not every piece of content needs to be a knee-slapper. Content that showcases your services, reflects your values, and feels relatable works well with most audiences.

For example, this hilarious Instagram video from JK Moving Services definitely makes an impression. But sharing real experiences through customer success stories can be just as effective for letting potential customers know what you’re about.

This behind-the-scenes video from TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® paints the crew in a trustworthy and professional light, while this affiliate partner video review positions the team at Wirks Moving and Storage as a leader in the market.

Whether it’s educational content, trending content, or anything else, always make sure it aligns with who you are as a brand.

📈Pro tip: Customer testimonials have been shown to increase brand engagement by an average of 28%. Try working them into your emails, social media content, and other formats to increase engagement on every channel.

6. Promote and distribute

In the game of content marketing, distribution is nine-tenths of the law. After all, there's no point spending time and money creating quality content if no one ever sees it. But promoting and distributing your content isn’t just about posting on social media or putting more coins in the Google jukebox with your ads.

The right set of moving company keywords and blog ideas can help get your content seen in search, without the extra ad budget. But the real magic happens when you combine multiple content formats to boost your reach on every channel.

For example, with data showing that video testimonials can increase organic search traffic by 157%, movers who take the extra step to embed their video content into their blog posts could see a bigger lift in traffic.

No matter which pieces of the content puzzle you’re working with, think about ways to repurpose each asset for greater results across the board.

7. Measure success 

Go back to your objective (step 2). To make sure your content’s performing, decide how you’ll measure your progress towards hitting this target. For example, if boosting brand awareness is your biggest content marketing objective, map out how the team will measure your local SEO efforts.

For example, by comparing traffic increases with the number of jobs booked in a specific area, you can get a better idea of what is and isn’t working.

Here are a few more tips to help you measure your success with content marketing:

• Create landing pages: With dedicated landing pages and custom quote forms, you can get a clearer picture of where new leads are coming from.
• Centralize leads: Send all incoming leads directly into your moving company CRM for fast and 
• effective follow-up. 
• Use UTM codes: Urchin Tracking Modules (UTM) codes can help you benchmark your top channels and create ROI reports that give you deeper insight into what works.

Depending on the number of marketing channels you have, tracking your success can be time-consuming. But with an all-in-one moving company software and CRM like SmartMoving, you can track your numbers automatically, set healthy marketing benchmarks, and optimize your sales processes for peak conversions.

Attract qualified leads with killer content marketing

For a balanced marketing budget, don’t put all your eggs in the PPC basket. With the right content marketing strategy, you can drive qualified traffic and book profitable jobs for years to come.

Learn how moving company owners are achieving above-average margins by optimizing marketing, sales, and operations.