Today I want to talk about two essential things. Those things are like rocks in my shoes. I can’t hold them there anymore. And this is related to the ways how some logistics companies do their marketing. I see those things every day on my LinkedIn news feed; I see them in my email, and it’s totally wrong. But still, many companies are doing this. So in this edition, I will talk about two critical things that logistics companies need to eliminate from their marketing processes because it hurts their brand and credibility.

FIRST ISSUE. Bragging about yourself

Many in the logistics community seem to understand marketing as a tool to brag about the latest milestone, a.k.a look how good we are—or sharing photos of corporate parties or happy employees, a.k.a face how cool it is to work for us.

And I’m not saying that organizations can’t share the above information. They can. But the problem starts when companies’ LinkedIn feed is full only of such posts. The other issue is related to the fact that some companies believe that they will get more customers in such a way. At best, you will get more employees, but not more customers. Moreover, sharing everything above is more related to employers’ branding or public relationships, not marketing (You can read more about mistakes here.).

But here again, I would like to draw your attention, as you can actually hurt the employer’s brand with the type of posts above in the case of employers’ branding. How? Look, your employees do not need a ping pong table or Xbox room; they need promotions, to be involved in the decision-making process, to be taken care of, etc. If you can’t provide that, stop sharing photos of happy gamers, as this is an illusion, and it will kick back someday. You can read more about the big resignation in the Logistics sector here.

Organizations and individuals need to understand that marketing is not about bragging about yourself but getting the attention of potential customers. You can’t get the attention with milestones because no one cares that you have opened a new office in Chicago or shipped a difficult-to-fasten cargo. The customer’s only two questions in mind are: What is it for me? Can I trust this company? That’s it.

If talking about advanced things, then there are some unconscious things that your customers have that you need to stipulate as well. Like the urge to be the best in the market, having a partner that can take a lot of problems from their shoulders, fears of being left behind, etc.

What do you need to accomplish with marketing activities? Create content and visuals that demonstrate to your customers that they can be double sure that you are the best suitable option for their logistics needs because you understand their business, and you can lead them through all the pitfalls better than anybody else. Moreover, doing business with you, they will get a raise from their boss, because their competition doesn’t have the same level of services. The tricky thing is that you need to arrange content so your customers would understand all the above things without straightforward directions.

THE SECOND ISSUE IS STRAIGHTFORWARD PITCHING

The second issue is related to straightforward pitchers. Well, this problem is one of the biggest ones; when I see or receive straight marketing pitches, please see a few pictures below of what I have in mind.

pitching
marketing

I’m always like, common, are you serious? And the second question that hit my mind, what conversion rates do you receive, most likely 0,001 %. So, in other words, you do not get any results; instead, you put yourself in the spammers’ position, which is not suitable for your brand or the company’s brand, and it hurts your social index.

So are such messages, pictures, videos, and emails worth the time producing? I think not, except if it pays you as a learning tool, where you start doing this, understand that this is wrong, and look for ways to improve it. And there is nothing to be ashamed of. We all start by doing something, make many mistakes and then learn from them.

I know there are gurus outside preaching that you need to mass message a big audience, and you will get results. However, I urge you to stop and Listen. Logistics businesses must understand that logistics services marketing is quite different, and cheap tactics don’t work here. And in case you decide to use mass messaging or emailing, please create value and awareness first, only then start pitching.

HOW TO DO CONTENT MARKETING IN THE RIGHT WAY?

The only  four questions you need to ask yourself when creating posts, content, and visuals:

  1. Does this provide value to my key segments?
  2. Am I building thought leadership or professional brand awareness?
  3. Does this underly my differentiators?
  4. Am I building a community around my brand?

If the answer to either question is not, I highly recommend not to waste time and performing a marketing audit.

It’s all for this week. Thank you for tuning in. If your organization is not getting customers from marketing activities, or the results aren’t satisfying, please contact me. I’m operating a full-stack marketing and sales developement agency, providing services exceptionally for the logistics industry. We are working both on the tactical and strategical sides. Moreover, we show how logistics organizations can get more business faster by aligning their sales and marketing departments. As a result, organizations using our services move away from the legacy methods toward consultative sales, which is precisely what your customers need.

About the Author:

sales strategy

Tomas Ananjevas is a supply chain professional with 15 years of experience purchasing and selling Logistic’s services and building a supply chain from scratch. He founded a consulting, training, and staffing company that works exclusively with the logistics industry. Tomas is helping logistics companies implement the necessary changes to ensure business growth and continuity. You can arrange a time to talk with tomas by clicking here.

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