Marketing for Scaling Moving Companies: 12 Key Strategies for 2024

Chances are, you got into this business because you love moving — not marketing.

According to our latest State of the Moving Industry Report, more than half (56%) of movers struggled with their marketing last year. But a profitable moving business can’t happen without a practical, repeatable, marketing plan.

Whether you’re finetuning your current strategy for better returns or just getting started with your moving company marketing, we’ve got 12 essential marketing tactics to help you make the most of it.

12 moving company marketing strategies to boost your ROI

If you’re looking to elevate your moving company marketing this year, you’ve got your work cut out for you.

According to research, 73% of consumers shop via more than one channel. In this always-on environment, you need to stay present and consistent across multiple channels to win your customer’s attention.

That’s where the right tactics can be crucial. Here are ten actionable strategies for a marketing plan that delivers more customers and revenue.

1. Create targeted landing pages

You’ve probably already got a great home page, and you may even have dedicated pages for individual locations. But what about your other services? 

Whether it’s packing, storage, or insurance, make sure you’re promoting your entire portfolio of service offerings and the benefit each one brings via dedicated landing pages with clear pricing.

For example, the team at Unicorn Moving & Storage has a dedicated web page for each individual type of move it offers, clearly describing the services and value. Each page explains exactly what happens during a local move, long distance move, white glove delivery, senior move, and even a piano move — to name just a few.

Not only is this a great way to provide detailed information to new customers, it’s also a proven way to scale your search engine optimization (SEO) and grow your online presence.

2. Invest in SEO

These days, a whopping 88% of people start their search using a traditional search engine like Google. When digital marketing is done right, your company will be the first one they see. 

A powerful SEO strategy not only improves your moving company website by using keywords and other elements to increase its visibility in Google, it also helps you get more ROI on your pay-per-click (PPC) strategy.

When creating your list of keywords, they should fall into a few different categories based on industry and location. These include:

• local words (example: Cleveland movers)
• hyperlocal keywords (example: Downtown Cleveland movers)
• short-tail words (example: movers, moving, etc.)
• long-tail keywords (example: Affordable local movers, insured quality moving, etc.)
  
  

One way to get started on a list of relevant keywords is to put yourselves in the shoes of your ideal client and run a simple Google search. What terms, phrases and questions are you looking for?

Use a free local SEO tool like Brightlocal to find out which keywords you currently rank for, then work to expand your reach in the right locations. For done-for-you keyword lists, tools like Ahrefs and SEMrushcan also help.

3. Add images to your Google My Business profile

What would you do with 3X the conversions? With data showing that Google profiles with photos receive an average of 35% more clicks, this is one marketing tip you can’t afford to overlook.

Moving industry experts like Louis Massaro, founder and CEO of Moving Mastery, have long recommended adding “service and satisfaction” images throughout your website to build trust and boost your conversion rates with new customers. Service images could include high-quality photos of your crew, trucks and warehouse, while satisfaction images are photos of happy customers and team members.

These days, most booked jobs begin with a Google search. To boost your SEO and capture customer attention quicker, start by adding a few images to your listings. These could be pics of your crew in their uniforms, some snapshots of your branded trucks, or even real photos of happy customers.

4. Spruce up your business listings

While we’re on the topic of listings, set aside some time to tend to your “Google Garden”. 

Google uses Name, Address, and Phone (NAP) consistency to assess the strength and reliability of local listings, so make sure your contact information is updated and consistent across all your business listings.

Here are some of the top review sites to update and edit:

• Google Business profile
• Facebook Business page
• Yelp
• Angi (formerly Angie’s List)
• Thumbtack
• Google Maps
• Better Business Bureau
• Local Chamber of Commerce directory
  
  

No matter where your company is listed, keep in mind that the search results you see when you google local moving services are the same ones your potential customers will see. An online reputation that’s sparkling clean and tidy isn’t just great for customer experience, it can also work wonders for your SEO.

5. Get more reviews

We know you’ve heard this one before, but the truth is it takes more than 150 reviews to really stand out online. If you’re still struggling to break that ceiling, now’s the time to get your review strategy dialed in.

Businesses have achieved an 18% uplift in sales and dramatic increases in lead quality due to having a high number of positive reviews. And the benefits don’t end there.

Positive customer reviews can help you increase organic traffic to your website while improving your ROI on ad spend.

Here’s a quick checklist for an effective customer review strategy:

• Get a minimum of 150 reviews
• Aim for an average star rating above 4.0
• Ask reviewers to include photos in their reviews
• Add new reviews every month
• Encourage reviewers mention crew members by name to build credibility
• Respond to every review, good or bad
  
  

Once you’ve fully optimized your listings on Google, Facebook and Yelp listings, add your business to the following sites to expand your reach even further:

• Angi
• Thumbtack
• HomeAdvisor
• Better Business Bureau (BBB)
• Consumer Affairs
• Trustpilot

6. Update your website copy and tagline

Data shows that 75% of consumers expect the same experience with a brand, no matter what channel they’re visiting. From your Google My Business (GMB) profile to your website and everywhere in between, consistency is key.

Review your services and end benefits to make sure that language is clear throughout your website, online listings, and social media. And if you don’t already have a powerful tagline, now’s a great time to create one.

Start by thinking about the specific services you offer that set you apart from the competition. 

Whether your approach is simple and straightforward, like “Let’s Get Moving” or “We Handle All Your Moving Needs,” or more on the creative side, like “The Smartest Move You’ll Ever Make” or “From Here to There with Exquisite Care,” a consistent message delivered via an attention-grabbing tagline can help customers understand why they should choose you over everyone else.

7. Optimize your website experience

You probably have a website for your moving business — 99% of moving companies do. But how updated is it? Is it interactive? Could it be better?

In a slower market, you’ll have to fight harder to stand out with your content and website design. So how can you capture your customers’ interest and get them to take the desired action on your site, instead of clicking away?

Rather than just a static website, think about features you can add to increase engagement:

• Can you create a way for visitors to calculate the number boxes they’ll need for packing? 
• What about an online calendar where they can schedule a time for you to provide an estimate?
• How about videos that explain more complicated topics like how moving insurance works?

Interactive content has been known to achieve up to 52.6% more engagement compared to static content, so don’t be afraid to think outside the box.

8. Leverage your testimonials

You already know customer feedback is everything. So why aren’t you making the most of your positive reviews and testimonials?

78% more people trust reviews over ads so make sure you’re leveraging your customer testimonials across all your digital marketing channels.

Start by choosing the best. Make sure they’re visible on all your top website pages, social media platforms, and ads. You can even round them up into one dedicated landing page for all your moving reviews.

For bonus points, try adding a video testimonial like the team at My Guys Moving, who shared this touching video of customers reacting to an actual serenade from one of their movers.

9. Level up your social media marketing

Social media is so much more than a place to wish friends happy birthday or watch funny cat videos. As a local business, it is your virtual storefront.

Many movers are already using social media to actively market their businesses, with Facebook (92%), Instagram (66%), and LinkedIn (37%) being the top three channels according to our latest benchmark report.

But blindly posting the same content across all channels isn’t always the best approach.

Instead, create a plan to post regularly on your top channels based on your target audience and the types of content that perform best on each.

Here’s a quick overview to get you started:

• Facebook - great for sharing company updates, promotions, and client reviews
• Instagram - good for visual content like behind-the-scenes team photos, videos, or testimonials
• LinkedIn - use this professional network for B2B marketing (real estate agents, etc)
• X (Twitter) - the right spot for real-time updates and sharing industry news
• TikTok - ideal for quick short-form videos like team spotlights or even reviews
• YouTube - perfect for longer-form, informative videos such as how-tos
• Pinterest - the ideal place for content like moving checklists and packing tips
• NextDoor - the best spot to connect with local community members

10. Upgrade your PPC strategy

PPC can be a great way to boost moving company lead generation, but the ad type, spend, and market can all have a big impact on your ROI. 

The two biggest players in the PPC arena are Facebook ads and Google ads. These ads can get expensive quickly, so you need to make sure your strategy is up-to-date. 

Here are five tips to help you get more results from your PPC strategy:

• Target relevant keywords and adwords to attract the right audience
• Create clear and compelling ad copy with strong CTAs
• Use geo-targeting to ensure ads go to people in your service area
• Optimize your landing pages with quality images and testimonials
• Monitor the success of your campaigns and adjust as needed
  
  

As a general rule of thumb, Facebook ads are better for building brand awareness and Google ads are best for making sales — but both can be a powerful boost to your marketing efforts. 

If you’re creating and managing your own PPC campaigns without the help of an agency, tools like Optimizely can help you identify low-hanging areas for optimization.

11. Elevate your mailers

Direct mailers have notoriously low reply rates. And that’s ok. With a focus on keeping your costs down and relevancy up, you can get more ROI out of every send.

Here are some simple tips to help level up your mailers and postcards:

• Send mailers to pending listings asap - Check the real estate MLS for “pending” or “under contract” listings. These homes will be sold much sooner, so it’s important to check and send mailers out to these folks daily.
• Use your “service and satisfaction” imagery - This could be a picture of your truck, crew and/or happy customers.
• Add social proof - Let your customers do the talking for you with a testimonial that makes it clear you’re a professional that potential customers can trust.
• Include a strong call to action (CTA) - Add your phone number and email address where recipients can’t miss them.
• Add a discount coupon - For example, $150 off long distance moves or free boxes on local moves. A quick incentive gives your recipients a clear reason to call.

If you’re worried about the ROI on mailers, use local tracking numbers and a dedicated URL to link any incoming business directly back to your campaigns. 

12.  Participate in community events

Taking part in local events is a great way to connect with people offline and increase your organic word-of-mouth. One study even found that 68% of businesses use events to generate qualified top-of-funnel leads.

Not sure where to show up? Here’s a list of possible events:

• Real estate conferences
• Home and garden shows
• College/university move-in days
• Chamber of Commerce events
• Home improvement stores
• Senior living community events
  
  

Do some local research to pinpoint the best events for your company. Which ones are your ideal customers attending? Are there any free speaking opportunities? Who can you partner with to increase your visibility at each event?

Make sure you’ve identified any target referral partnerships you want to create before the event and pack plenty of business cards before you go. It may take some trial and error, but once you get a list of events that actually help move the needle on revenue, you can double down on making those events worth every effort.

Elevate your marketing and win more moving leads

Marketing your moving company isn’t easy, but it is necessary. By taking time to explore, experiment and find the best strategies for your business, you can get more leads and revenue with each new channel or campaign.

To make sure you’re on an ROI-friendly path with your marketing, it’s crucial to have the right reporting systems in place. And that’s where SmartMoving can help.

With done-for-you marketing ROI reports, you can instantly evaluate how much you’re spending on each lead source, and how much revenue you’re earning in return.

Get more out of your marketing. Sign up for your free demo of SmartMoving to learn more.