Moving company marketing pays off when an inquiry turns into a move you can actually assess, schedule, and complete. Before you spend more on ads or posts, state whether you move the goods yourself or arrange the move, which areas and move types you take, and what you need before any price. Then judge each channel by estimate-ready requests, booked moves, and completed paid moves on dates you had capacity to serve.
An estimate-ready request is an inquiry with enough facts for you to pick the right assessment: a move date or date window, origin and destination areas you serve, a rough inventory with the uncertain items named, and the access conditions at both ends. "How much for a two-bedroom?" is an inquiry. The same message with a date, two ZIP codes, a third-floor walk-up, and a question about a piano is estimate-ready.
State whether you move the goods or arrange the move
Customers want to know who will show up on moving day. A mover sends its own crew and trucks. A broker sells the move and arranges for another company to perform it.
Write your role in one plain sentence and repeat it on your website, profiles, ads, and replies. A hypothetical example: "Our own crew and trucks handle every move we book in Northfield, Lakeview, and Ridge Park."
If you arrange moves that another company performs, read the federal broker rules first. They define a household goods broker as a person, other than a motor carrier or its employee or bona fide agent, who sells, offers, or arranges household goods transportation by motor carrier for pay, or holds itself out as doing so, including by advertising (§ 371.103). Under § 371.2, a carrier that arranges a move is not a broker when it is authorized to transport that move and has accepted and legally bound itself to transport it.
For interstate moves offered to individual customers, a broker must prominently display in its ads and on its website homepage (49 CFR 371.107):
- its physical business location;
- its U.S. DOT and MC numbers;
- its status as a household goods broker;
- a statement that it will not transport the goods but will arrange transportation by an FMCSA-authorized carrier, whose charges are set by its published tariff.
Then list the move types and services you take, refer out, or charge extra for, so every ad and reply draws from one list.
Keep local-move claims separate from interstate rules
The federal rules below apply only to interstate moves. Under 49 CFR 390.5, interstate commerce covers transportation:
- between a place in one state and a place outside it;
- between two places in a state through another state;
- between two places in a state as part of a trip that starts or ends outside the state.
A short move across a state line counts. A long move that stays inside one state does not.
49 CFR Part 375 applies to a household goods motor carrier only when it transports household goods for individual shippers by motor vehicle in interstate commerce. Three points in it shape your marketing:
- What counts as an ad. Any communication to the public in connection with offering interstate household goods transportation, including online database listings and listings on a website (§ 375.103).
- What every ad must contain. Ads must be truthful, straightforward, and honest. Each must include your name or trade name as it appears on the document assigning your U.S. DOT number (or, if you advertise as an agent, the name of the carrier whose authority the move runs under), plus the number, shown only as "U.S. DOT No." followed by the number (§ 375.207).
- What your website must link to. If you have a website, you must prominently display either a link to the DOT publication "Ready to Move?" on the FMCSA website or a true and accurate copy of it (§ 375.213).
Part 375 does not reach intrastate moves, and this guide does not cover state rules; check yours before you advertise local service. This is not legal advice. In practice, any ad, listing, or profile that offers interstate moves carries the interstate details.
Collect date, area, access, and inventory before any price
Four facts decide crew size, truck size, and hours. A price given before you know them is a guess the customer may remember as a promise. Ask in this order; each answer can end the conversation early:
- Date. Get the requested date and how flexible it is, then check your calendar. If the date is full, say so and offer the nearest open dates.
- Area. Ask for the town or ZIP code at each end. In a public comment, ask only for the town; collect street addresses in a private message, form, or call. Confirm the move fits your area and note whether it crosses a state line.
- Access. Ask about stairs, elevators and reservations, truck-to-door distance, and parking or loading rules at both ends. For interstate moves, Part 375 requires you to determine charges for accessorial services such as elevators and long carries before preparing the bill of lading (§ 375.401).
- Inventory. Start with categories: furniture by room, approximate box count, appliances, garage items. Then ask the customer to name anything uncertain, such as a piano, a safe, or exercise equipment.
Your profile should match the area your intake checks. Google lets a service-area or hybrid business list up to 20 service areas by city, postal code, or other area, but not a radius. It says the overall area should stay within about two hours of driving from your base, and to remove your address if you do not serve customers there (Google Business Profile help). List local towns as service areas and describe interstate or long in-state service on your website.
For price questions in comments, How to Answer “How Much Do You Charge?” shows how to explain what changes the price without exposing private details. Haul-away of items the customer will not move is a separate service line; Junk Removal Marketing: Quote the Job Clearly covers that intake.
Match each request to an assessment and label chat ranges
Once a request is estimate-ready, match it to an assessment and name the estimator:
- Live video survey: a room-by-room walkthrough on a call.
- Recorded walkthrough: the customer films every room and closet.
- In-home survey: for example, for large homes or difficult access.
- Form or phone inventory: small local moves only, if your policy and your state's rules allow it.
For interstate moves, Part 375 requires a physical survey and a written estimate based on it; the customer may waive the survey only in writing, signed before loading (§ 375.401). The survey can be on-site or virtual, and a virtual one must let you clearly identify the goods through live or pre-recorded video (§ 375.103). The written estimate must say whether it is binding or non-binding. You may charge for a binding estimate but not a non-binding one, and a non-binding estimate must state that the customer will not be required to pay more than 110 percent of it at delivery (§§ 375.401(b), 375.405(b)). If you are a broker, any estimate you give must be written and based on the carrier's physical survey and published tariff, unless the customer waives the survey in writing before loading (§ 371.113).
A chat range is none of those things, so say so. A reply to adapt:
Thanks for the details. For a move like this, our range is $___ to $___. That is a rough range, not an estimate. A short video walkthrough lets our estimator send you a written estimate. Which day works this week?
From Social Inquiry to a Confirmed Call or Order covers the next step after that reply.
Move inquiry worksheet
Copy one worksheet per inquiry and keep street addresses in private records only. The filled column is a hypothetical example, not a real customer or result.
MOVE INQUIRY WORKSHEET EXAMPLE (hypothetical)
Inquiry date / channel: ________ Oct 3 / profile message
Role stated: [ ] our crew Our crew and trucks
[ ] arranged carrier
DATE
Requested date: ________________ Nov 13 (Friday)
Flexibility: ___________________ +/- 2 weekdays
Crews open that date: __________ 1 of 2
AREA (town or ZIP only)
Origin / destination: __________ Northfield / Lakeview
Inside our areas? [ ] Y [ ] N Y
Crosses a state line? [ ] Y [ ] N N
ACCESS (origin / destination)
Stairs or elevator: ____________ 3rd floor walk-up / ground
Parking or loading: ____________ Street only / driveway
Truck-to-door distance: ________ About 60 ft / short
INVENTORY
Home size / categories: ________ 2-bedroom: furniture,
~40 boxes, washer, dryer
Uncertain items: _______________ Upright piano, treadmill
SERVICES
Included / extra: ______________ Bed disassembly / fragile
kitchen packing
Not offered: ___________________ Storage, crating
ASSESSMENT
Type: [ ] live video [ ] recorded Live video survey
[ ] in-home [ ] form/phone
Estimator / date: ______________ Estimator A / Oct 6
Said in chat: __________________ Range, "not an estimate"
Written estimate sent: _________ Oct 7
If interstate: [ ] binding n/a
[ ] non-binding
Survey done or waiver signed: __ n/a
STATUS
[ ] estimate-ready [ ] assessed Booked
[ ] estimate sent [ ] booked
[ ] completed and paid [ ] lost
Estimated / booked / paid: $___ $___ / $___ / after Nov 13
Reason lost: [ ] date full [ ] area n/a
[ ] price [ ] chose another
Measure booked and completed moves against date capacity
An inquiry is interest, a booked move holds a date, and a completed paid move is revenue. Count each stage per channel, because a channel can produce many inquiries and few paid moves.
Moving capacity is counted in crew-days: each date holds only as many moves as you have crews and trucks. Mark dates full as soon as they fill, and record "date full" when that is why you lost an inquiry; that loss says nothing about the channel or the message. If weekends book out while midweek dates stay open, promote the open dates by name instead of discounting every date.
For each channel, compare one window: estimate-ready requests, estimates sent, booked moves, moves lost to "date full," completed paid moves, revenue, and spend. How to Track Leads From Social Media shows how to move each inquiry through these states with evidence, and Home Services Marketing: A Plan for Booked Jobs covers channel choice and test windows.
Before you advertise
- [ ] One sentence states whether your crew moves the goods or you arrange the move
- [ ] Every ad, listing, or profile offering interstate moves shows the required details (carrier: name and U.S. DOT No.; broker: DOT and MC numbers, location, broker statement)
- [ ] Your website links to "Ready to Move?" if you offer interstate moves
- [ ] Intake asks date, area, access, and inventory before any price
- [ ] Public replies never ask for or repeat a street address
- [ ] Each move size has a set assessment type and a named estimator
- [ ] Chat ranges are labeled as rough ranges, not estimates
Frequently asked questions
How do I promote my moving company?
Start with channels that send requests you can check against date, area, and inventory: a Google Business Profile with accurate service areas and reviews from completed moves, plus introductions from real estate agents or property managers. Test one channel at a time; judge it by completed paid moves. How to Ask for Google Reviews: Copyable Messages covers the review request, and Build a Small Business Referral Program Around Useful Introductions shows how to ask for and log introductions.
Do I need my USDOT number in social media posts?
If your own crew performs interstate household goods moves for individual customers, yes: Part 375 counts any public communication offering that service, including online listings, as an advertisement, and each one needs your name and "U.S. DOT No." with your number. A broker follows § 371.107 instead: U.S. DOT and MC numbers, physical location, and the broker statement. Put the required details on every post, profile, and listing that offers interstate moves; for local-only work, check your state's rules.
Should I advertise interstate moves if most of my work is local?
Only if you hold a U.S. DOT number and FMCSA operating authority for the role you advertise. Under 49 CFR 365.106T, new applicants apply for both, as a household goods carrier or broker, through FMCSA's online application. A long move inside your state is not interstate, so check your state's rules for it.
Fix the intake first, then buy reach
Start with a clear role statement, a short intake, and an assessment step that never lets a chat range pass for an estimate. Give the worksheet to whoever answers inquiries, then count booked and completed moves against the dates you could serve.
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