DIGITAL agency Crafted has landed a public relations and search marketing contract with online haulage exchange marketplace Returnloads.net.

Ipswich-based Crafted, part of the EADT’s Suffolk Future50 listing of up-and-coming businesses with exceptional growth potential, will now be playing a pivotal role in reducing the number of empty lorry movements on the UK’s motorways.

Returnloads.net enables hauliers and manufacturers to swap details of when empty vehicles are available and loads which are ready for delivery.

Owner Richard Newbold said: “We appointed Crafted to deliver integrated online and offline PR campaigns, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising to strengthen our position in the marketplace.

“Already, we are seeing in excess of 8,000 loads listed per week as manufacturers and hauliers, including those from the East Anglian region, seek to reduce ever increasing running costs.”

Last year, Crafted redesigned and rebuilt the Returnloads.net website and has also built a mobile app for the service.

Tom Gillman, Crafted’s business development director, said: “Returnloads.net sets the scene for a greater degree of quality and transparency within the haulage and freight exchange marketplace, so I am delighted that Crafted will be continuing its journey with the service.

“Having already delivered a successful website and increasingly popular mobile app, we relish the opportunity to market the site on an on-going basis and look forward to securing favourable media coverage and search rankings for the service.”