What Worked for redBus? Digital Marketing Case Study on RedBus
Did you know? redBus, one of India’s most popular ticketing platforms, started when Phanindra Sama couldn’t find a bus to return home. He wanted to ensure that no one had to go through this experience again. A detailed digital marketing case study on redBus shows that the objective of redBus was to solve a problem – to make transportation easy for people travelling long distances. Why should you book your travel using RedBus and not other traditional methods? With redBus, the following features are unavailable through other conventional methods
• Discounts – You shall get multiple deals and discounts on buying tickets for redBus
• Online payment security – Your payments are secured, and all your financial information is protected against potential fraud.
• Real-time updates—redBus offers real-time updates on changes to bus timetables, navigation to bus boarding points, real-time bus tracking, and information on rest stops.
• Customer care assistance – redBus offers customer care service 24/7, unlike trains.
About redBus
redBus was created by the three alumni of BITS Pilani – Phanindra Sama, Sudhakar Pasupunuri, and Charan Padmaraju. This online bus ticketing platform allows people to book their bus and train tickets online. Over 6 million people have booked over six crore tickets through redBus via the app and website.
In 2013, redBus was acquired by Ibibo Group, Which was then acquired by MakeMy Trip in 2017. Click the link to learn more about MakeMy Trip’s rise to redefining the OTA landscape.
redBus is now associated with more than 3,500 bus operators and 500,000 routes in over 30,000 outlets. The digital marketing strategies used by redBus show entrepreneurs how to become successful using creativity and hard work. Discover how they have used the digital world to market themselves and become visible to the people who face travel booking an online ticket.
A Dive into redBus’s Digital Marketing Strategies
i) Starting with the website
There is no denying that every successful business organization has a well-designed and well-structured website. So does redBus. Let’s start with the redBus website. At first glance, it is clear that it is easy to navigate. The interface is seamless, and visitors can simply choose to book buses or trains according to their convenient date and place.
Source – redbus
Even if you are a first-time user who is doubtful about booking through an online platform, redBus also caters to your doubts. How? They have showcased their USPs and the awards and recognitions that they received. There is a section on their website that shows their global presence. These are the testament to their growth and how they have become the most preferred online ticketing platform in India and other countries.
Source – redBus
Moving on to the booking page, the design is again simple, user-friendly, and easy to navigate. They have many filter options that help customers quickly find the buses they need. The complete website is designed with the end users in mind.
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ii) redBus’s Social Media Marketing Strategies
You ought to have a strong social media presence to be the BEST and most preferred online ticketing platform in India. To be very specific, social media is not just about ads on multiple platforms. It’s the way you connect with your audience’s emotions. That’s where redBus shines.
redBus’s Instagram Marketing Strategy
The Instagram marketing strategy of redBus revolves around interaction and engagement. Initially, their posts were focused on products. However, recently, they have transformed their content bucket and started to experiment with different types of posts.
Currently, they have more than 54K followers on Instagram. Their posts are designed to prompt the audience to comment and interact with them. However, their response is limited. Also, they create memes, product related and festival related posts for the Instagram family.
Source – Instagram (redBus)
One of the best things about redBus’s marketing strategy is that it responds to backlash and unhappy customers with a promise of improving its services and rectifying its issues. A good marketing strategy means responding to different comments to ensure goodwill.
redBus’s Facebook Marketing Strategy
redBus’s Facebook page is considerably ahead of its Instagram page. Even though the posts are quite similar to those on Instagram, they have 1.1M followers on Facebook. Also, they have started a redBus travel content to generate more user-generated content and get more traffic and engagement for their posts. In return, they offer promotions and discounts. Like Instagram, their Facebook page also receives positive and negative comments. But they respond to limited comments.
Source – Facebook (redBus)
redBus’s X (Twitter) Marketing Strategies
redBus’s X (Twitter) account has more than 19K followers. Their post on Twitter is similar to that on the social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Also, they post the same contests, engagement posts and updates on Twitter.
Source – X (redBus)
Also Read :
A Case Study on MakeMyTrip’s Rise to Riches- Redefining the OTA Landscape
redBus’s YouTube Marketing Strategies
YouTube marketing strategies of redBus include posting a wide array of videos to keep audience engaged. They also create content in local languages to engage the audience in different regions. They have more than 157K subscribers on their YouTube channel.
Source – YouTube (redBus)
iii) redBus’s SEO Strategies
redBus uses multiple SEO strategies to ensure that anybody who wants to book a bus books it from their platform. Their SEO strategies have helped them attain a domain authority 83, and they have more than 24 million organic search traffic. They have a strong SEO game. Here are the details to know.
redBus Organic Keywords
redBus optimizes the website with relevant keywords where needed. They do in-depth research on the keywords people search for and use on the website perfectly. Therefore, these are the keywords Google targets to obtain better insights for the website.
Focus on the Title
After figuring out a set of keywords, redBus works on formatting and structuring the content in its title, URL, description, and home page. They also make sure that they rank higher in the competition through SEO strategies. Not all the keywords are crammed into a non-meaningful or desperate manner. When it comes to SEO strategies, it is always a battle of quality over quantity, and redBus focuses on quality over quantity.
Optimizing the URLs
Regarding search engine optimization techniques, URLs play a crucial role. Having specific keywords in the URLs can make or break a piece of content or a website page. One of the most important aspects of redBus’s SEO strategy is that they always avoid keyword stuffing. They optimize URLs on their website for multiple keywords related to their business. All the keywords are not stuffed on the homepage alone. They maintain a good balance of content and form, which results in a good design for their websites.
Creating Blogs
redBus also maintains a blog through which they keep including content pieces on their website. Blogs have a vital role in SEO. The better the quality of content you have on your website, the easier it is to get ranked at the top of the search engine result page. The blogs use keywords that help them rank and structure them to enhance readability. They use the right colour and font to ensure you can read the blog properly and spend time reading it completely. They create blogs on travel and regulations.
Best Digital Marketing Campaigns of redBus
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“What Happens Next” Campaign
This is a video-based campaign that was developed around Raj and Simran. They come across each other while boarding a bus through redBus. The objective was to keep redBus in the spotlight while presenting the idea of bus travel differently. redBus instilled the idea that travelling by bus can now be a source of love and adventure using a popular couple from Bollywood.
Source – redBus ad campaign
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#Journeybegins Campaign
This campaign was created by redBus when travelling resumed after the pandemic. The video was released in August 2020, when people had travelled back to their homes or returned to work. redBus introduced “Safety+” buses. These buses ensure the use of sanitisers and other safety measures to prevent COVID-19. The campaign was successful because people were reluctant to travel, and safety was the primary concern. By offering people the confidence and promise of safety, they enhanced the number of bus bookings. The story was relatable and garnered a conversation that many people would have had in their household, too. This is what gave them the positive response that they very much deserved.
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Campaign with MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni is the focus of a large-scale 360-degree integrated marketing campaign initiated by redBus. The campaign highlights the core areas of bus travel that irritate passengers and hamper the overall experience. From booking tickets to arriving at the destination, everything matters. Other traditional ticketing platforms offer passengers very few options and features, like not being able to select seats and no additional leg room, while also charging exorbitantly. This leads to a disturbing and unpleasant experience.
On the contrary, passengers who reserve their seats on redBus don’t have to endure such anguish because redBus not only allows passengers to choose their preferred seats but also offers the best prices. It also has additional features that make bus travel simple and easier.
Source – redBus ad campaign
In Conclusion
These are the digital marketing strategies of redBus. There is no denying that they are one of the best and most popular brands for online ticket booking in India. Whether you are a startup or a well-established organization, you need effective digital marketing strategies to keep your brand growing and stay ahead of the competitors. This is where Shyam Future Tech Pvt. Ltd. comes in. We are one of the best digital marketing companies in India offering tailored digital marketing solutions to a wide array of brands. Are you ready to take your company to the next level? Get in touch with us today!
