Internet Marketing Lessons from my Town Car Driver

The effectiveness of online marketing and pay-per-click advertising begin with a plan

A page from the real-life-lessons department: How a chance encounter with a marketing-savvy town car driver demonstrates the effectiveness of having a plan and using pay-per-click Internet advertising for success. Turns out the encounter wasn't entirely by chance.

I met a town car driver who's a better Internet marketer than some healthcare organizations.

Here's the story...and a few important ideas that others—those of us in healthcare marketing—should apply to our marketing plan for success.

It was late, and I found myself standing on the curb at LAX. I was bone-tired from a weeklong trip to the east coast, and I'm still 50 miles away from home in Orange County.

Did I mention that I was tired? After speaking at the American Academy of Ophthalmology, I made a healthcare marketing presentation in Philadelphia, and then flew cross-country. But I couldn't connect to my usual airport in Orange County.

So I'm on the ground—still an hour from home—looking for any civilized alternative to a late night cab ride across two counties. With a little help from my wife and Google, I (we) found a town car service online and, despite the late hour, I'm on my way home within a few minutes.

It turns out the town car driver owns the company—with five cars (and growing) working for him. It also turns out he's Internet marketing savvy. He became a good marketer by getting a website and an effective pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaign.

He was able to get away from relying on referrals of hotel managers, concierge recommendations, and people expecting traditional kickbacks. Instead, here's what he's doing, and why he's more successful than his competition...

1. He's got a website—where frequent flyers and business travelers look for resources. Lesson: Go fishing where the fish swim.
2. Someone answered the phone after hours. Travel and town car service isn't just 9-5. He was available when the market required. Lesson: Provide a timely solution when the problem occurs.
3. Dazzling service—such as my experience—generates loyal customers, repeat business and referrals. Lesson: Quality care/service is a foundation of successful marketing.
4. He's prices are competitive with cabs. Better service, nicer ride, great value. Lesson: Value, and the customer (patient) experience, is more important than cost.
5. Most importantly, he found someone who knew what they were doing in terms of web design and PPC advertising. Lesson: He has a plan using online advertising and his business is growing.

Take a few tips from a town car mogul-in-making: He has a plan, uses smart Internet marketing, and pay-per-click advertising works. Don't you think you should be in the game?

Good fundamental lessons in marketing. The marketing plan for a hospital, physician group, private practice or healthcare business will be a bit more complex and you may want professional help. So give us a call. We provide professional help with Internet marketing and PPC advertising for healthcare organizations.