About the company
A partner launched a ride-hailing business in Maryland, USA. They had serious competition for drivers and customers, such as Lyft, but they carved out a niche in the market with a thought-through strategy and smart marketing campaigns.
Strategy and experimental approach in marketing
The partner focused on attracting an initial cohort of drivers, as they had zero drivers at the start. They relied on digital marketing as their primary method of attracting drivers.
The partner's strategy focused on offering competitive conditions to drivers and carefully selecting and vetting them for the passengers' benefit. This approach aimed to satisfy both drivers and customers.
Onde’s ad campaign to attract drivers
At Onde, we provide driver and customer acquisition services within our WL packages. This allows partners to focus on strategy and operations while our marketing team handles digital promotion.
The partner launched an ad campaign with Onde, which attracted hundreds of drivers who signed up via the Driver app. After the partner got the first feedback on the offered conditions, they adjusted the conditions of their offer. This process highlighted the importance of starting with a narrow group and a small-scale campaign to validate the offer before scaling up.
For driver acquisition, Onde marketing team used Google Ads and Facebook Ads leading to the Driver app in app stores. Banners, videos, and texts highlighted the job's benefits, such as direct payments for drivers using cash and cashless methods and the ability to earn more. Potential drivers clicked the ad, downloaded the app, and registered easily.
Advertising hack
We recommend creating variable ad assets to test which messages and graphics work best. Focus on different benefits and try various visual layouts. Track the performance of each asset to see which one attracts the most drivers.
In our case, a simple message offering payment for drivers performed best. The top-performing ad banner and video attracted over 50% of new sign-ups, resulting in hundreds of new drivers in just two weeks.
Registration and safety check
The driver acquisition campaign was the first step of the marketing strategy. After signing up for the Driver app, drivers had to be activated. To ensure safety, the partner invited newly registered drivers to their office for document verification and activation.
By focusing on both digital marketing and thorough driver vetting, the partner successfully launched their ride-hailing service in Maryland, setting a strong foundation for growth.
Result
The partner attracted an initial cohort of drivers and managed to grow to more than 500 drivers in just two weeks.
