What is an online presence, and why should we be talking about it? First of all, we need to admit that when many think of a freight brokering business, a lot of people imagine this typical scenario where a freight broker has to get a list of shippers, get on the phone and start calling everyone, offering them their services. However, this was the case 10 or 20 years ago, but now you have many other opportunities to promote and advertise your business.
One of the largest opportunities out there is advertising your freight brokerage online. Instead of you going after various shippers, you can have shippers come to you. How is that done? Well, it can be as simple as advertising freight brokering services on Google and helping people that need something shipped to get a quote for their shipment.
When you advertise online, people come to your website. If your website is properly designed and visitors can easily submit their information, you can quickly provide them with a quote. That initiates the relationship with a potential client. Now you have a lead, you may help them ship their cargo or if you can’t help them right now, you may be able to help them in the future. You’ve got their contact information. As we discuss in our freight broker training course, you can also take a more aggressive approach, and instead of waiting for shippers to come to you, you can reach out to shippers yourself. But again, instead of calling, you could send out emails or do voicemail drops.
Does that mean that you must have an online presence? Do you need to have a website? The answer is YES.
Today, a lot of freight brokering is done remotely, so your clients will probably never get to see you, and they will never come to your office. The only way they can judge whether they want to work with you is by going to your website and trying to determine who you are, what you do, and if they want to do business with you.
Don’t get me wrong, if you are comfortable calling people and knocking on someone’s door to offer them your services, there’s nothing wrong with that. I just know that a lot of people are not, including myself. I don’t want to call anyone that I don’t know. I don’t want to knock on anyone’s door and solicit them. I want them to come to me and ask for my assistance because they want the kind of service that I provide.
If you feel the same way, you should make sure that you have a good online presence. You need to have the right kind of website with the right kind of content and tools. Then you have to do the right kind of advertising to ensure that you get enough traffic to your website. Then you should be generating enough leads to grow your business. Always remember that you should not neglect your online presence when starting your freight brokering business.
Are you thinking about becoming a Freight Broker or a Freight Agent? LearnFreight offers Online Freight Brokering Training Courses which are suitable for people not familiar with transportation industry. Learn more about our training by visiting Training Details page or choose your course here.
