Time to read: 2 minutes. How can your limousine service, taxi, private car or ground transportation business use social media marketing to create leads and sales? It's easier than you think and you'd better get moving.

Companies like Mozio.com (a ground transportation search engine) are using Twitter to book reservations---finding and responding to people who are likely in need of ground transportation around airports. They're a great example. Here's how your limo or chauffeured transportation business can start creating more business in 3 simple steps.

As reported by my colleague, Geno Prussakov, Mozio.com noticed that Geno booked an airfare and hotel for an upcoming business trip. Shortly after that tweet, Mozio.com Tweeted right back at him. This small business was eager, ready and willing to help him finalize his travel plans.

Businesses like Mozio are leading the way in using social media marketing tools like Twitter to locate, qualify and book transportation with people who are expressing near-term or latent need---either explicitly or implicitly. Is your limo or private car business doing this yet?

Here's how you can start right now.

Get back to basics

Selling more with social media begins with a simple, basic (non-technical) idea:

Engage with customers -- but then get them to DIS-engage from social media and do something to become a lead! (get on the path of that journey toward what they need)

To do this start:

1. Finding focused conversations that are worth having with customers who show us they want to talk;
2. Responding, reaching out in ways aligning your needs with theirs;
3. Designing conversations with customers in ways that generate inquiries and bookings.

Mozio.com knows success is all about listening for... and then solving... potential customers’ problems. Then, quickly responding. They're moving people off of social media (onto their Web site) to book the reservation.

Their approach uses the relatively new social platform (Twitter) to listen for, identify and respond to customers. But HOW Mozio.com is netting more business is not new at all. Mozio.com is using new digital tools (to listen for customers' expressing need) in combination with a very old, effective idea.

Solving problems for people.

As Geno said, "Their Tweet was (a) relevant, (b) timely, and (c) hit the nail on the head. No, I didn’t have my ground transportation arranged yet. And guess, who I will use to find it now!"

Mozio is finding, locating, responding to and netting more leads and reservations by:

1. Listening for prospective customers to express a pain they can remedy ;
2. Acting---actually proving that they can provide relief to the prospect; thus,transferring confidence to the customer;
3. Asking for the booking.

None of the above ideas are new and that’s precisely the point. Don’t let all the hype-and-spin of social media marketing get your airport ground transportation business off-track. Yes, our tools are changing rapidly but what works is not revolutionizing despite all the bluster!

Take action

In the end making Twitter, Facebook or other social media platforms produce sales for your limo or taxi service is all about prompting behavior, less about broadcasting discounts. As a next step, ask yourself:

• Are we using Twitter and Facebook to listen?  And when we hear something what happens next that connects to a sales process?
• How can we use Twitter Search and simple tools like RSS feeds to discover customers who need transportation, get it into our hands and act on it---move needy prospects toward the booking?

Consider two kinds of prospects and two practical follow-up processes---one for hot leads and the other for warm leads needing more time... nurturing.

Remember to engage customers but then get them to dis-engage from social media---do something to become a lead!