If you take a survey of top executives in the transportation industry, how many would say that marketing their company is important? I think most would agree that it is required. I would also suggest that most don’t make the budgets or time available to make it happen.

Typically, a sales and marketing VP has their hands full managing reps and their share of major accounts. They may have a flair for marketing but probably very little training on the subject. The biggest synergy between sales and marketing disciplines are they both have to tell a compelling story and communicate the unique reasons why their product or service is the better choice for prospective buyers. Maybe that’s why they have been lumped together in the B2B transport sector, while they are very much separate functions in consumer products.

My experience with the owners and presidents of transportation companies is that very few are marketers. I would say they are typically deal makers, know their numbers, great at attracting the right people to their team, and workaholics by either necessity or nature. In my 23 year career, I would say the original owner of Concord, and the folks heading up Challenger and MSM have been the biggest believers in using marketing to grow their business.

Sometimes it can be a little thing that gets you noticed. A good example is when CN recently adopted the paint scheme from their train engines to their highway tractors… simply brilliant!

We find many companies think about it, want to do it but the reactive nature of the business keeps them from taking the steps necessary to make it happen. Other things take priority and the marketing that’s required is put on hold waiting for a better time to address it.

Here’s the deal. The time to address it is now. We’ve seen a dramatic change in the last year and a half with the ROI on web marketing. The transportation industry is behind. Especially in web marketing. The primary focus is on existing customer shipment visibility. That myopic view is limiting opportunities. It doesn’t cost that much to take greater advantage of the power of the web across these additional 4 areas:

• Cross sell services to existing accounts not using your full menu of services-the easiest way to grow your business
• Utilize search engine optimization techniques to create awareness to those buyers looking for a service that you provide, who are not currently aware of your company
• Advertise your unique message to potential drivers, sales people and other positions within your company-positions that are getting harder and harder to fill with good candidates
• Make a favourable impression with potential partner carriers and companies considering your company as part of a RFP for your services

Lee’s Quote for the Day!

“If you wait for the perfect time to take action, the only action you will take is waiting for the perfect time” 

“What is Google Analytics?” “Why should I use Google Analytics?” “How can I make money from Google Analytics?” “Why would I PAY to use Google Analytics?”

Well… I’ll answer the last question first, Google Analytics is FREE!

Now to the first question; Google Analytics is a system that tracks and displays critical information of your websites performance. In short, it shows you who is using and viewing your website. It shows you where your visitors are coming from, how long they stay on your site, which page is most popular, and so much more.

Next question… If you have a website, then it makes sense to utilize Google Analytics to allow you to understand how well your website is working for you. You will see that if your homepage has a high bounce rate then your website is not engaging potential clients. Your marketing and advertising strategy may be driving the wrong type of customer to your site, or it may be time for a refreshed design or a clearer more impactful message. (Bounce Rate is an averaged percentage between the number of visitors who leave your site immediately and the number who stay and click through to multiple pages.)

“How can I make money from Google Analytics?” It’s not that you can make money from signing up but it will help you earn money. Most people reading this blog will be in B2B rather than B2C so ecommerce and tracking ROI from direct sales through your website is not relevant. However, there are ways to ensure your web presence is earning dollars. You can set goals; for non-ecommerce sites, goals would be what you want your website to accomplish whether it’s filling out a form, downloading a file, or emailing you. Values can be placed on certain goals if you need $ numbers to work with. Our IT guru Jerry wrote a previous blog article explaining Google Analytics in greater detail. http://www.trypm.com/blog/2011/05/27/google-analytics-interpreting-key-metrics-for-a-transportation-related-website/

10 Benefits of Google Analytics

1- Allows you to see how many people are visiting your website

2- Allows you to see how many returning vs. new visitors you are getting

3- Allows you to see where your visitors are coming from

4- Allows you to see how long visitors are on your site and how many pages they view

5- Allows you to see what the most popular page on your site is

6- Allows you to see how your visitors found your site

7- Allows you to see what the most common search terms are

8- Allows you to see a comparison to previous performance

9- Allows you to see which sites you are getting the most referrals from

10- Allows you to see how you stack up against other similar websites if you choose to submit yours

The other option is to market yourself through Google AdWords which I will explain in my next blog post. AdWords will take a bit of an investment but it, in combination with Google Analytics, will allow you to target your message more appropriately and spend your marketing dollars more effectively.

If you haven’t already ventured into the online world of social media and marketing, there are probably only a few reasons why:

• You don’t know how to
• You don’t have the time to
• You don’t think it will benefit you

These are reasonable responses to the question of “why?” but with a little further research, I think you may just change your opinion as many businesses have, including us!

It can be a little difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel, especially in a business to business scenario. There are several benefits, so maybe now is the time to jump in!

You don’t know how to – It can be a little overwhelming if you don’t have an understanding of what it takes to get involved in social media. The best thing to do is search for one of your clients on these social media platforms, or even one of your competitors to see what they are doing and how they utilize Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Word Press, LinkedIn, etc. Read, read, and read… it will give you more insight in how to join the online world as well as keep you up to date on what is going on in your industry. Who knows, maybe you will have something to say right away. Commenting on other businesses blogs and pages are great ways to introduce yourself and share your knowledge on the web.

You don’t have the time to – You don’t have to dive into everything at once. Maybe you are already more familiar with Facebook than any other site. Start there. If not, just pick one to start with for the first few months and you will gradually gain the confidence to implement others. Setting up a Facebook or Twitter account will not take you long to accomplish, just get it done and you can do some tweaking later. There are actually a lot of great blogs out there that will walk you through the entire process of creating these accounts.

The best in the business are posting and tweeting multiple times a day. They most likely have the resources to have an employee dedicated solely to social media. You should shoot for at least once every couple of days and if you start up a blog, try to start by posting relevant news to your company or your industry once a week, or at a minimum, bi-weekly. The more you do it, the better you will get and thus, take less of your time to create frequent posts.

You don’t think it will benefit you – It is true that social media is more effective for B2C companies but that doesn’t mean that it is not beneficial to B2B. The idea behind social media is to first of all, create more brand awareness on the web. The more websites your company is listed and active on, the easier it is for people to find you, understand you and learn what specifically sets you apart from the rest. These sites show up on general searches through Google and other search engines, so if you post quality content, rich in industry keywords, you will get a higher ranking. It’s all about posting good content as regularly as you can to try to get people involved in your business and your industry. Start a dialogue, talk to people that you otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to, drive businesses to your website, and ultimately make a positive impact on your business. We’ve seen it work.

Remember— If you do want to get into social media and even after your research you don’t think you will be able to pull it off, you can always outsource it to a trusted company.

15 Benefits of Social Media:

• Create brand awareness
• Reach beyond your own prospect list
• Drive more traffic to your website
• Stay informed of the goings on in your industry
• See what people are saying about your company
• Get your news out there in real time
• Gain a higher ranking on Google and other search engines
• Show your existing and future clients you are willing to stay up to date
• Show your existing and future clients you care about your brand
• Show your existing and future clients you care about them
• Ability to provide immediate customer service
• Post job opportunities instantly
• Track website and social media performance with Google Analytics
• Generate more sales leads
• Oh yeah…. It’s FREE

A Few Points on Social Media Sites

Facebook

• This is the most universal social media site.
• This site allows you to post videos, pictures, links, polls, etc.
• You can customize your landing page to entice a visitor to “Like” it.
• You post relevant news to your “fans”
• Join industry or company specific groups and join the discussions.

Twitter

• This is the most real time social media platform, where the majority of serious “tweeters” will post multiple times a day.
• A great way to post latest news, other peoples relevant “tweets” (retweet), post and reply to job opportunities.

LinkedIn

• This is the best site to stay in touch with key contacts from specific companies of your choosing.
• Offers group discussions in several industries.
• Lets you introduce and be introduced to mutual business contacts in your industry.

WordPress

• This is one of the easiest ways to set up a blog for your business.
• A blog is a great way to increase the content and size of your website which will help to get you a higher ranking on search engines.
• Helps to bring visitors to your site regularly.

YouTube

• People love to watch videos.
• A great link to have on your website.
• If you have no desire to create videos, you can still set up a channel for your business, like relevant videos to your industry as well as post comments.

Google Analytics

• Not a part of social media but an essential tool to track the effectiveness of your website and social media.