In the past, many tow truck operators believed that they would always have enough business because of high traffic from passenger and commercial vehicles. They effortlessly experienced success with nothing more than an extremely basic website and word-of-mouth advertising.
If traffic slowdown from the pandemic has shown them anything, it’s that they must behave more competitively in any and every way possible. Vaccine distribution and estimated post-pandemic travel from “Roaring Twenties” style entertainment, shopping and vacations offer the hope of more vehicles on the roads. Yet, there’s no guarantee that traffic levels will return to their pre-pandemic norm because vaccine rollout has been slow, virus variants can stall re-opening in some areas of the country, and a lot of employers are transitioning to full-time, work-from-home options to reduce employee commutes and business expenses. For now, all of these scenarios mean less traffic on roads and fewer calls for tows as compared to previous years.
Modernization is key
How you present your business on your website is more important than ever. With fewer drivers on roads, a potential customer’s first impressions about your business are more likely to occur during a visit to your website. As a result, its design and content must make that first impression positive and memorable.
Too many sites, though, look like they were designed a decade or more ago by someone with few skills who was in a hurry. They display unattractive color schemes, difficult-to-read text, and little information. Great tow truck company sites, on the other hand, offer:
Basic professional design elements
A great website features many pages broken down by topics that fully explore the business and services. Each page contains the most important details above the fold. The site also has an easy-to-find, user-friendly navigation bar with links to the pages. Colors are vibrant and images look clear instead of faded and pixelated.
Expertly displayed high-quality photos
Photographs create a connection between a business and site visitors and make it easier for visitors to recognize and remember trucks and employees. Clear, close-up shots with stylish border elements positioned next to related content make everything in the photos more memorable, including important brand details like the business logo, message, and phone number.
Emergency information on EVERY page
Many people visit a tow truck business website for the first time during a vehicle emergency, such as a breakdown, accident, or lockout. By placing these details on every page, top tow truck operators guarantee that any person who visits their sites know immediately critical details, such as emergency hours, acceptable forms of payment, discount opportunities, and all contact options.
Valuable content that engages people
Consumers remember and return to businesses that provide content that offers them additional value, such as a blog or news page that contains written and video posts about driving or vehicle security topics, company press releases, and industry news. Great tow truck company sites also attract more people by providing embedded social sharing options that link back to their sites.
A special consideration…
Existing and potential customers need to know that you’re doing everything possible to keep them safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your website must have a pandemic response page that clearly outlines what customers can expect in regards to safety measures and site-wide top-of-page banners that link back to this information.
Our team at ShopHawk knows all of the ways to help a tow truck operator improve their website’s design to attract and inform members of their target market and create new and long-lasting client relationships. For help with your website and other tow business marketing needs, call, text, or email us today.
