Last year, the Motorcoach Marketing Council announced an annual marketing award for motorcoach operators. Because marketing so often takes a back seat when it comes to the day-to-day concerns of running a business, the council wanted to spotlight one company each year whose dedication to marketing was generating positive results and measurable growth.

Following through on that announcement, the first-ever award was presented at the 2018 UMA Expo in San Antonio earlier this month. Christian Riddell, Executive Director of the Motorcoach Marketing Council, took a few minutes to talk about and introduce the award, and the award was then presented to Silverado Stages by Jeff Rogers, President of the Motorcoach Marketing Council.

Silverado Stages’ campaign centered on digital marketing efforts by highlighting the convenience of their online booking service, selling experiences instead of advertising the perks of motorcoaches, and communicating the safety and reliability of coach travel to potential customers. As a result of their efforts, they achieved a 23% gain in lead generation, as well as a marked increase in web-based charter sales. This campaign also demonstrated an efficient use of marketing dollars; as their sales went up, their marketing expenses went down.

The Motorcoach Marketing Council wishes to thank all those who applied for this award. We extend our warm congratulations to Silverado Stages in appreciation for the precedent they’ve set for the future, and we look forward to monitoring their progress. As a council, we believe that the entire industry benefits as individual operators execute effective marketing strategies to improve the overall perception of motorcoach travel. By working together, we truly can sell more charters, to more people, for more money.

If you’d like to know more about the council, what we do, and the tools and trainings we’ve made available to motorcoach operators, please visit www.motorcoachmarketing.org.