Here’s a quick introduction video to EasyBusRental.com from Charles de Gaspe Beaubien the President
**EasyBusRental.com is in Beta at the moment but will be officially released at UMA Motorcoach Expo 2010.
Here’s a quick introduction video to EasyBusRental.com from Charles de Gaspe Beaubien the President
**EasyBusRental.com is in Beta at the moment but will be officially released at UMA Motorcoach Expo 2010.
This is a common discussion I’ve been having with operators over the last few years. The typical reaction is that’s too hard to generate an accurate price in real-time and also there’s a fear that online booking will facilitate shopping around for the cheapest price.
The reality is the Motorcoach is not seen as a viable alternative for a large percentage of the population. In fact the figure of 7-9% is quoted regularly at conferences about the percentage of North Americas that use Motorcoaches. So why is it that the remaining at worst 81% don’t ever use your services?
1) Lack of Awareness
2) Unfashionable image of a “Motorcoach” (an old Bus)
3) Not marketing to new markets / customers (too much focus on older/traditional audience)
4) Inability to get a fast quote/price
5) All of the above and more…
I see the Motorcoach Council are trying to coordinate an industry wide campaign with their “Motorcoachified” message which is a step in the right direction on the awareness front but….
It’s not enough the industry needs to change how it sells to the new customers who will what the convenience of real-time booking before they see the Motorcoach as a real alternative to taking a car, train or flight.
It can happen but does the industry what this? – We think at TravelManager that 2010 is the year for it happen
Regards,
Eamonn
**Not convinced of the benefits? Here’s a good article from the LCT (Limousine, Charter & Tour) website: http://www.lctmag.com/features/features-story.cfm?id=1537
TravelManager is providing the software solution for Arrow Stage Lines to handle their ticket sales on the new Shuttle Service launched yesterday for the Kansas City Chiefs Fans. By offering Motorcoaches rather than transit buses the fans are going to be upgrading their transportation to the Arrowhead Stadium for their teams home games.
We’re excited to be part of this growing area for private motorcoach companies to cater for fans left out in the cold by cuts in public transit services. The fans are in for a pleasant surprise with the quality of the vehicles they’ll be riding, Arrow Stage Lines have one of the best fleets in the industry.
For more information about the new service we recommend you watch the Kansas City Chiefs press release yesterday:
Or better still if you’re a fan why not book your ticket online:
www.arrowstagelines.com/kansas-chiefs
Best of luck to Arrow Stage Lines.
Regards,
Eamonn
Just when you thought that you’d figured out search engines and pay-per-click advertisement the market is starting to change. Yep, you’ve heard it here 1st, all things that worked well in the past are not going to provide the same ROI into the future.
Like the smart companies that starting using Google Adwords ahead of their competition it’s time to another step forward by using social media to get in on the conversation with you potential customers.
**It’s no coincidence that Facebook has hit 300m+ users and a profit.
Regards,
Eamonn
**Here’s a great article that while applies to the Hotel industry is quite applicable with the Motor coach and tours industry: Future Trends
When presenting at industry conventions I have great conversations with Sales & Marketing managers looking to use services like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube to promote their businesses.
They’re seeing a decreasing ROI on their traditional marketing media such as mailing Catalogues, Print Media and Television, which inevitably leads to questions like:
1) How can we market ourselves more effectively with these new tools (Social Networks, Micro blogs etc)?
2) How can we generate more sales?
The reality is they should be asking:
1) How can we get our customers and prospective customers to talk and tell others about us?
2) How can we be more responsive to our customers needs into the future?
Over the coming months I’ve decided the best way forward is to create a real-time case study with weekly updates posted on the TravelManager Blog. The company we’ve decided to use is Irish Coaches, watch out for my post next week.
Regards,
Eamonn