Your Guide to Develop a Cost-Effective,
Low Cost, ProvenTransit Marketing Plan
Dennis Mochon | Livermore AmadorValleyTransit Authority

Course objective:
Today you will learn the tools to develop
a creative marketing plan to make your
transit agency the best way to go

Outline ofToday’s Discussion
 What is Marketing and Why is it Needed forTransit
 Let’s Get Started –What, Where,Who,Why and How
 How to Pull itTogether
 Branding Exercise
 Break
 Marketing Planning – Seven Steps to Success
 Group Strategy Exercise
 Break

Outline ofToday’s Discussion (continued)
 How to Make itWork
 Social Media In PublicTransportation
 Group Planning exercise
 How to Determine Its Effectiveness
 Questions ?
 Close

What is Marketing?
American Marketing Association definition
- Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes
for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging
offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners,
and society at large.

Why is it Needed forTransit?
Transit Agency challenges:
 Increased budget pressures
 Attract new riders and retain existing ones to maintain service
levels
 Importance of public image and quality communications

Why is it Needed forTransit?
General MarketingTheory applied toTransit
 Product – service is developed and planned
 Place – it is distributed (fare media, sales outlets)
 Price – fares, discounts, etc.
 Promotion- awareness campaigns, advertising, etc.

Why is it Needed forTransit?
Challenges faced in PublicTransit Marketing
 Explaining subtle or “invisible” benefits (increased transit use
equaling less pollution and congestion)
 Calling attention to the beneficiaries (the environment, health
care costs)
 Explaining long-term benefits
 Dealing with Public Scrutiny of taxpayers or elected officials

Why is it Needed forTransit?
Challenges faced in PublicTransit Marketing (continued)
 Dealing with the multiple publics (the “public,” politicians,
administrators, other agencies)
 Dealing with limited opportunities for modifying services
(routes, schedules)
 Marketing the same services to a variety of groups (for
example, seniors and students)

Let’s Get Started
 What is your product or service and what challenges do you
face?
 Where defines your service area – the community or
boundaries in which your service operate
 Who describes your target market and what they want
 Why expresses the mission of your organization
 How clarifies the core values of your organization

What is your Product or Service?
First do a Situational Analysis
 What were ridership trends, by segment and in total for the
past year or two?
 Which routes/services are popular, and why?
 Which routes and services need ridership, and which are
capacity constrained?
 How do customers learn about the system? What sort of
materials are available, how are they distributed?
 Who now rides the bus?

What is your Product or Service?
First do a Situational Analysis (continued)
 Who doesn’t ride the bus and why?
 Are there service plans which should be considered?
 What sort of service amenities are there (shelters,Wi-Fi, etc.)?

Where defines your service area?
Continue the Situational Analysis
 What is the population in the service area?
 What were growth trends in the last year or two?
 What are growth projections?
 Where are the population densities high?
 Where are they low?
 What are the trends in travel?
 What are the community’s goals?
 What role does the transit system play?

Do a SWOT Analysis
Identify your Agency’s:
 Strengths – Service levels, Recognition, OnTime
Performance, etc.
 Weaknesses – Opposition of above – low service
levels, low recognition, etc.
 Opportunities – Population growth, millennials,
traffic, gas prices, etc.
 Threats – Population aging, growing wealth, funding
challenges, etc.

Who describes your target market and what
do they want?
Primary or Secondary Market?
 Transit dependent riders
 Current choice riders
 Potential riders within ¼ mile of bus route
 Tourists/Visitors
 Employers/Commute trips
 School trips
 Vanpools
 Bicyclists
 Other

Who describes your target market and what
do they want?
Other important target audiences?
 Public officials
 Voting public at large
 Car drivers
 Property Developers
 Non-users
 Media
 Non native language speakers
 Religious organizations

Who describes your target market and what
do they want?
What do they want?
 Reliability
 Frequent Service
 Safety and Cleanliness
 Service Hours
 CoverageArea
 Cost and savings
 Other amenities

Why expresses the mission of your
organization
 What is your organization’s vision?
 BHAG – Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal
 Mission statement – No more than 25 words
 Clearly express why the organization exists

How clarifies the cores values of your
organization
 Value efficiency more than service effectiveness?
 Value customer service more than cost
effectiveness?
 Limit to most important five
 Others include: financial responsibility, integrity,
excellence, innovation, diversity, advocacy,
stewardship and involvement

How to Pull itTogether
 Building an EffectiveTransit Marketing Program is similar to
building a House
 Mission, Vision and Values form the foundation
 Objectives, Goals & Strategies form the frame
 Programs andTactics make up the walls
 Advertising and Promotions just paint the walls

Focal Point of Strategic Marketing Plan
 Branding – defines the personality of your
service
 Positioning - describes the place your
service holds relative to the competition

Laws of Branding
1. Branding is building a relationship with the customer
2. The brand is about value: tangible and emotional
3. Brands are about the customer’s perception of the service
4. The smaller your budget is, the stronger your brand must be
5. Brands are built from strengths
6. Awareness is not branding
7. If you can’t articulate it, neither can anyone else

Pick a brand you thing is
strong and which
attributes make it strong

Marketing Planning – Seven Steps to Success
1. Complete the Situational Analysis, SWOT and
define mission and core values
2. What are your objectives? – four categories
3. What are your target markets? – primary or
secondary
4. What strategies will you develop to meet your
goals?

Marketing Planning – Seven Steps to Success
5. Set a reasonable goal for each strategy? – achievable?;
measurable?
6. What tactics will you employ? – what specific media,
timing and budget
7. How will you measure success? – program evaluation,
research, sales, riders

What are your Objectives?
 Awareness/Identity – Making public aware
of your agency and services
 Image/Attitude – How people perceives your
agency & services
 Knowledge or Information – Education
public and riders on system and how to use it
 Action: Ridership or Support – Marketing
plans should not only focus on ridership but
community/funding support

Divide your Markets into Primary or
Secondary
Primary Secondary
Current choice riders Transit dependent
riders
Potential riders within ¼ mile of Tourists/Visitors
bus route
Commute trips Vanpools
School trips Bicyclists

What Strategies will you develop to meet
your goals?
Transit Oriented Categories
1. Accessibility-Related Projects
2. Community Events & Outreach
3. Cooperative Promotions
4. Customer Information
5. Image/Advocacy Promotions

What Strategies will you develop to meet
your goals
Transit Oriented Categories (continued)
6. Internal Promotions
7. Introduction of New Service
8. Media Relations
9. Problem Solving Projects
10. PromotingTransit

What Strategies will you develop to meet
your goals
Transit Oriented Categories (continued)
11. Rider Incentives
12. Seasonal Promotions
13. Social/Digital Media Promotions
14. Special Events
15.Target Group Promotions
16.TryTransit Promotions

Strategies based on Four P’s
 Product – service
characteristics and information
 Place – ticket sales and
employer programs
 Price – fares and targeted
offers
 Promotion- branding,
advertising, events, community
and public relations

Accessibility-Related Projects:
Public information campaigns provide instructions for using the service and
also enhance the agency’s community engagement
 TravelTraining promotion – brochure,
advertising, community meetings – Capital
Metro
 TRIP –Transportation Referral and
Information Program – directory, website –
Wheels, Inc.
 Promoting Fixed Route service for Medical
Trips with Hospital/Doctor facilities –
Wheels, Inc.
 Madison CountyTransit Services Guide

Community Events and Outreach:
Demonstrate the place a transit agency has with the fabric of the
community
 DowntownTransit Center
Awareness Campaign - IndyGo
 Clean Air Challenge – Sacramento
RegionalTransit District
 Bike the Bay Promotion – HART
 Poetry Contest – PierceTransit
 Stuff a Bus -Wheels

Cooperative Promotions:
Private sector partnerships share costs and develop goodwill
 Here’s the Scoop – Bloomington
Transit
 Riders Guide Publication – Kent
State Bus Service
 Co-op Program with Knoxville
Museum of Art – Knoxville Area
Transit
 New Residents Program –Tri-Met

Cooperative Promotions
 Bus BookAdvertising – Citifare
of Reno
 Painted Shelter Program-
Wheels
 Rider Incentives –VIA
 Bull City Connector Dining Guide
– BCC
 Weekend Shopper’s Shuttle –
County Ride

Customer Information:
Provides essential information needed to access and use agency services
 DCTA Home Page
 TARTATracker
 All in One Schedule booklet – Laketran
 Rio Metro Home Page
 New Mexico Rail Runner Express Magazine

Image/Advocacy Promotions:
Present a positive image of the transit in general and the agency
 Bus Naming contest – People Mover
 Video for Speakers Bureau – GoodWheels
 “On the Move” Newsletter – GoodWheels
 “Pledge to our Customers” & Customer ServiceTour – MARTA
 Metro Maintenance and Operations Center
 PublicTransit do it for your Health – FoothillTransit

Internal Promotions:
Provide an opportunity for an agency to enhance the organization from
within
 Blue Jeans for Needy Families –VIA
 Wellness Program – UTA
 Driver’s ExcellenceAward –Tangipahoa PublicTransportation
 On-Site Child DevelopmentCenter –VIA
 VIA for Life Health Fair

Introduction of New Service
 Free Fun-Filled Fridays – SORTA
 Trolley Fiesta – City of AlbuquerqueTransit
 Magic Bus Design – LeeTransit
 Green Line Opening - DART

Media Relations:
Promotes understanding, goodwill, and acceptance of transit by the public
 Radio Shows – Citrus Connection
 “Smile on Monday” – Citrus
Connection
 The BigWheel Contest – Wheels
Transportation Services
 MediaTrade-outs – Rockland Dept. of
Transportation
 Media Bus Drivers - SporTran

Problem Solving Projects:
Addresses problem by letting people know it to retain the confidence of
riders and public
 Bus Line Promotion Postcard – COTA
 Promotion ofTeleride – CalgaryTransit
 Customer Behavior Program – CalgaryTransit
 Bus Stop Blitz – DART
 Park-N-RideCampaign – RTD

PromotingTransit:
Essential to the success of a agency
 Transportation Fair Booth
– AuburnTransit
 Advertising and Brochure
Promoting Ridership –
BladenArea Rural
Transportation System
 “I Have Connections” –
Kalamazoo MetroTransit
System

PromotingTransit (continued)
 “FoundTime” –Transit Authority of River City
 “As the Bus Stops” –TriangleTransit
 Rail Love AffairVignettes –Tri Rail
 The Breakup Campaign – LebanonTransit

Rider Incentives:
Adds value to the transit experience or core ridership to maintain a loyal
customer base
 Free RideWednesdays and Saturdays –
Ben FranklinTransit
 “Ride to Rewards” – MetroTransit of
Minneapolis
 Regional Guaranteed Ride Home –
MetroTransit of Minneapolis
 Class Pass – FoothillTransit

Rider Incentives (continued)
 Red Carpet Saturdays – Citrus Connection
 Route 51 is Free – dart
 DCTA SummerYouth Pass
 CARTA Have a Ride on Us

Seasonal Promotions:
Few other times of the year can create as much transit ridership
 First Night Festivities Service – CT
Transit
 Holiday LightsTour – JacksonTransit
Authority
 Metrolink –The Joy of Giving
 Take AVTA to the Fair
 We Drive you Celebrate – Mountain
Link

Social/Digital Media Promotions:
Provide a direct, positive real-time connection to customers
 BART’s Blog – BART
 Union Station Grand Opening Facebook
promotion - RTD
 Tri-Rail Ride and Play Day Mobile Ad Promotion
 KCATATweets
 Casual Commute Day – Social media posts –
Pace
 Win a Bike Facebook promotion and Survey/iPad
promotion –Wheels
 LYNXTwitter Public Service Bus Campaign

Special Events:
Agencies participate in community events or create their own to build
ridership and goodwill
 Special Events Service – Maryland
MassTransit Administration
 Off-Peak Promotion – NJTransit
 Earth Day Celebration – Sacramento
RegionalTransit District
 State FairTraditions – MetroTransit
of Minneapolis
 State Fair –TRE
 Corpus Christi ZombieWalk – CCRTA

Target Group Promotions:
Increase ridership, reward current users and educate population segments in
the use and value of transit
 “Behind theWheel” Campaign – AthensTransit
 “Riding Isn’t” Campaign – CyRide
 Transit Brochure Distribution – RuralTransit
 Summertime Days – Laketran
 The RTTA Senior Game – Red RoseTransit Authority
 “Garage Sale” Cruise – KosciuskoArea Bus Service
 Bus Service Guide in Hotels near an Airport – Pace
 TheTransit Connection – Connecting theWork to theWorkplace
–TriangleTransit Authority

Target Group Promotions
 TravelSmart –TransLink
 Metrolink School GroupTrip
 TheTransit Connection –TriangleTransit
Authority
 High School Ambassador Program-
Wheels
 “The Pass” –Tri-Met
 Route-Specific Information Campaign –
GPTransit
 Colma New Move-In Mailer - SamTrans

TryTransit Promotion:
Helps identify the benefits of using transit to current and potential riders
 TryTransit Day Promotion – South
Oklahoma RuralTransportation System
 CarFree Days of Spring – Boise Urban
Stages
 Try METROWeek – METRO Houston
 Free Ride Coupon and Letter to the
Editor – CountyTransit Authority
 TryTransit to School -Wheels

What is your goal to achieve for each target
market?
Primary
Current choice riders – Increase Ridership by xx%
Potential riders within ¼ mile of bus route – Increase
Ridership by xx% and Awareness up xx%
Employers/Commute trips – Increase Support and Ridership
by xx%
School trips – Increase Ridership by xx% and Support

Let’s break into groups of 4 and come
up with strategies for each category

How to Make itWork
How should I allocate my marketing budget?
 Between radio,TV, newspapers, direct mail and other media
 Between creative, production, and media
 Between advertising, public relations and special events
What Programs andTactics are needed?
 Programs consist of campaigns using strategies
 Tactics are the message and media targeting your audience

Media Selection
Print
Newspapers
Magazines
Directories
Newsletters
Maps
schedules
Broadcast
Radio
Television
Cable
Out of
Home
Billboards
Bus Ads
Shelter
Ads
Theater
Ads
Direct
Mail
Flyers
Postcards
Letters
Mailed
Brochures
New
Media
Websites
Banner
Ads
Digital
Ads
Social
Media
Event
Marketing
New
Service
Milestone
Event
Public
Support
Event

What Media to Use forWhat Marketing Purpose
Media Awareness Information Excitement Influence Price
Print Weak Excellent Satisfactory Satisfactory Excellent
Broadcast Satisfactory Satisfactory Excellent Satisfactory Satisfactory
Out-of-Home Excellent Weak Satisfactory Weak Weak
Direct Mail Excellent Excellent Satisfactory Satisfactory Satisfactory
New Media Weak Excellent Weak Weak Satisfactory
Event Marketing Satisfactory Weak Excellent Satisfactory Weak
Public Relations Satisfactory Excellent Excellent Excellent Weak

Social Media in PublicTransportation
 Blogs orWeb logs
 Social and Professional
Networking Sites
 Micro-Blogging Sites
 Media and Document
Sharing Sites
 Geolocation Applications

Blogs orWeb Logs
1. Individuals post commentary or
news, frequently on a particular
topic, and often invite comments or
feedback
2. General Manager Blog
3. Transit Ride Blog
4. Community Support Blog
5. Positive and Negative

Social and Professional Networking Sites
1. Encourages members to connect with one another
2. Facebook
3. LinkedIn
4. GovLoop
5. Positive

Micro-blogging Sites
1. Allow uses to post comments and weblinks in limited
format
2. Twitter
3. RealTime Updates
4. Timely
5. Positive

Media and Document Sharing Sites
1. Members post and share video clips, documents and
photographs
2. YouTube
3. Flickr
4. Instagram
5. Positive

Geolocation Applications
1. Enable users to share their
location with other members
of their social network to earn
virtual “Badges” for checking
into sites
2. Foursquare
3. BART andTranslink use
4. Mixed benefits

Comparison ofTraditional Media and Social Media
Traditional Media Social Media
Customer Collaborator
Talk to Talk with
Voice=Company Voice=Citizen
More expensive Less expensive
Professional media outlets User-generated content
Push marketing Pull marketing
Broader market Targeted markets
Static content Evolving content
Longer life Short lived
One-sided Multiple opinions

Why Use Social Media?
1. Timely Updates
2. Public Information
3. Citizen Engagement
4. Employee Recognition
5. Entertainment

Type of Information Provided and Social Media Used
Platform Twitter Facebook Blog YouTube LinkedIn
Agency News 86% 80% 37% 23% 3%
Service Alerts (real-time) 69% 49% 9% 3% 0%
Contests and Promotions 69% 77% 23% 17% 0%
Meeting and Event Notices 66% 71% 31% 3% 3%
Service Info (static) 63% 69% 29% 20% 9%
Press Releases and Statements 63% 60% 23% 9% 3%
Other News 57% 63% 31% 14% 3%
Feature Stories 31% 57% 40% 29% 0%
Job Listings 20% 23% 3% 0% 14%
Public Hearing Comments 11% 26% 20% 9% 0%
Other 11% 17% 6% 14% 3%

LinkTransit Marketing Plan - Handout

Creative Message Development
1. Consistent
2. Benefit
3. Facts Support Benefit
4. Unpredictable
5. Positive

How to Determine Its Effectiveness
A well planned evaluation can help
you accomplish these:
 Measure program success
 Determine if the campaign was
implemented as planned
 Test or improve the efficacy or
efficiency of campaign elements

How do you Evaluate your Marketing?
1. Clearly state what you want to accomplish
2. Build a quantifiable measure into the campaign or
promotion
3. Monitor and analyze the results you are achieving
4. Calculate the Return on Investment for the program and
how it affects the overall marketing strategy
5. Make adjustments to the market strategy, tactic, or
planned programs as needed

Appendix
 TCRP Report 50 – A Handbook
of Proven Marketing Strategies
for PublicTransit
 TCRP Synthesis 99 – Uses of
Social Media in Public
Transportation
 American PublicTransit
Association –AdWheel Award
Winners
 LinkTransit Marketing Plan –
January – December 2007