In 1997, two brothers in high school in San Luis Obispo, California started a moving company with their wrestling and football teammates. They called it Meathead Movers. Their crews jog between the truck and the house whenever they're not carrying anything. People noticed, and told their friends.
Today Meathead Movers runs over 18,000 moves a year with about 700 people and more than 100 vehicles, and calls itself the largest independent moving company in California. They also move victims of domestic violence for free, working with local shelters and police in every community they serve (Meathead Movers).
The jog didn't cost them a dollar. That's the point of this list. The best marketing ideas for a moving company are usually one memorable thing, done every single day. Below are 30 of them. Filter by your budget and what you need most, and pick three.
What Three Famous Movers Did When They Were Small
Meathead Movers: A Habit
Crews that jog between the truck and the door. A habit customers see with their own eyes and repeat to everyone they know.
Piece of Cake: A Color
Voyo Popovic started with one truck and painted it hot pink and purple so it would stand out from every other moving truck in New York (Entrepreneur). We tell the full story in how small movers beat giants.
Two Men and a Truck: A Habit Of Paying For Ads
Two brothers dropped $3 from every move into a candy jar to pay for their ads, and their mother drew the stick figure logo on a napkin (Transport Topics). More on that in how to advertise a moving company.
None of them started with a big budget. Each picked one thing people would remember and never stopped doing it.
30 Ideas, Filtered By Budget And Goal
Tap a filter to narrow the list. "More leads" means calls this month. "More trust" means people choose you over the next company. "Known in town" means people think of you before they search.
1. Give your crew a signature habit
Meathead Movers' crews jog between the truck and the house when they're not carrying anything. Pick one visible habit people will tell their friends about.
2. Be known for one cause
Pick one local cause and show up for it every year, the way Meathead Movers moves domestic violence survivors for free through local shelters.
3. Own a color nobody else uses
Piece of Cake painted its trucks pink and purple so they couldn't be missed. Check what colors your competitors use, then pick the opposite.
4. Door hangers for the neighbors
After every job, hang a short note on ten nearby doors: "We just helped your neighbor move." Doors, never mailboxes.
5. A yard sign for three days
Ask happy customers if you can leave a sign in the yard for a few days after the move. The neighbors are the most likely next movers.
6. Park the truck where it's seen
During a job, park so the side of the truck faces the street. It's the cheapest billboard you'll ever own.
7. Run a free box swap
Collect used boxes from customers after their move and give them away to people packing. Everyone who picks one up meets you first.
8. A moving day kit
Hand every customer tape, labels, snacks for the kids and a card with your number. It gets photographed and talked about.
9. Ask for the review the same day
Text a direct review link the evening of the move, while the crew's names are still fresh. Never offer something in return for a positive one.
10. Reply to every review
Thank every good review by name and answer every bad one calmly. The next customer reads your replies more closely than the reviews.
11. Thank every referral that books
A handwritten card and a small gift for anyone whose referral turns into a job. People repeat what gets noticed.
12. A card one year after the move
Mail every customer a short note on the anniversary of their move. Mail to your own customers is one of the best returning channels there is.
13. A closing gift for real estate agents
Give agents a moving voucher they can hand their clients at closing. The agent looks generous and you get the job before anyone searches.
14. Partner with apartment managers
Complexes have move outs every month. Offer residents a clear price and a crew that leaves the hallways clean.
15. Swap referrals with a storage facility
People at a storage facility are in the middle of a move. Leave cards and send them your customers who need storage.
16. Become the downsizing mover
Senior living communities and their families need patience more than speed. Be the company their staff trusts with it.
17. A flyer swap with a local business
Coffee shops, dry cleaners and gyms share your customers. Put your card on their counter and theirs on yours.
18. The owner on camera every week
Thirty seconds of you on a job site, talking straight to the camera. People hire people, not logos.
19. Time lapses of real moves
A packed room turning into a loaded truck in fifteen seconds. Real jobs beat stock photos every time.
20. A "moving to your city" guide
A page or video on what newcomers should know about your city. It keeps bringing in people for years.
21. Neighborhood moving guides
Parking permits, elevator rules, narrow streets. Write what a mover needs to know for each part of town you serve.
22. Answer the price question
Make a short video or page on what a two bedroom move costs in your city. It's the question everyone has and few movers answer.
23. Sponsor a youth team
Your name on the jerseys of a team whose parents live in your service area.
24. A slow season donation drive
Collect furniture for a local charity during your quietest month. Your trucks stay busy and your name gets around.
25. Flexible date pricing
Offer a better rate for mid month and weekday moves when you have open days. It fills the calendar without leading with cheap.
26. Call back every old quote
Everyone who got a quote and didn't book is a warm lead. A friendly check in during a slow week books more than you'd expect.
27. Commercial outreach in slow months
Offices and small businesses move year round. Use quiet weeks to introduce yourself to property managers.
28. Google Local Services Ads
Show up at the very top of Google with a verification badge and pay per lead, not per click.
29. A reminder ad for website visitors
Show a short ad to people who visited your site but didn't call. Most people compare before they book.
30. Your USDOT number, everywhere
If you move across state lines, it's required in every ad, and it also tells customers you're legit.
How To Pick Your Three
One from each goal
One idea for leads this month, one for trust, one for being known in town. Leads pay the bills now. Trust and recognition make every future lead cheaper.
Do it every week for 90 days
An idea done once is a curiosity. Done every week, it becomes the thing your town knows you for. That's what the jog did for Meathead Movers.
Ask every customer how they heard about you
Write the answer down. After 90 days, keep what people mention and drop what they don't.
Word of mouth is the goal behind most of these ideas for a reason. In Nielsen's 2021 Trust in Advertising study, recommendations from people they know were the most trusted channel, at 89% (Nielsen). Every idea above is really a way to give people something to say about you.
Ideas To Skip, Even When They're Tempting
Fake or bought reviews. In August 2024 the FTC finalized a rule banning fake reviews, reviews paid for a particular rating, undisclosed reviews from employees and their relatives, and bought followers, and it can now seek civil penalties against businesses that knowingly break it (FTC). Ask every real customer instead.
Flyers in mailboxes. Federal law makes it illegal to put anything without postage in a mailbox (18 U.S.C. 1725). Use door hangers instead, and check your city's rules on those too.
Leading with "cheap." A discount that becomes your whole message attracts people who only compare price. Flexible date pricing fills slow days without that problem. We explain why words pick your customers in moving company website design.
These ideas earn attention. A website that turns that attention into quote requests, and a phone that gets answered fast, turn it into booked moves. If you want the whole system built around the ideas you pick, that's our moving company lead generation service. If you'd rather start with the basics yourself, read how to get moving leads and how to get more Google reviews.
FAQ
What are some cheap marketing ideas for a moving company?
Door hangers on neighbors' doors after every job, a yard sign for a few days with the customer's permission, a same-day review request, a free box swap, calling back every old quote, and short videos of the owner on real jobs. Most of the best ideas cost time, not money.
How do moving companies stand out?
By doing one memorable thing every day. Meathead Movers' crews jog between the truck and the house, Piece of Cake painted its trucks pink and purple, and Two Men and a Truck kept the same stick figure logo for decades. Pick one thing people will repeat and never stop doing it.
What should a moving company do in the slow season?
Call back everyone who got a quote and did not book, offer better rates on flexible mid month and weekday dates, reach out to offices and property managers for commercial work, and run a donation drive with a local charity to keep the trucks visible.
How can a moving company get more referrals?
Ask every happy customer the same day, thank everyone whose referral books with a handwritten card and a small gift, send a card one year after the move, and build relationships with real estate agents, apartment managers and storage facilities who know about moves early.
Can I pay customers for reviews?
Do not pay or reward customers for a particular rating. The FTC rule finalized in August 2024 bans fake reviews and reviews bought for a specific sentiment, and allows civil penalties. Asking every real customer for an honest review is allowed and works.
Is it legal to put flyers in mailboxes?
No. Federal law makes it illegal to put anything without postage in a mailbox. Door hangers are the usual alternative, but check your city's rules before you use them.
Goran is co-founder of Move Accelerator, a marketing agency that works only with moving and junk removal companies. Before marketing, he spent 10 years in customer service, which is why every partnership starts with how the owner actually runs their business. He writes about what's working for movers right now, including the parts most agencies keep quiet.
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