Marketing can be a hot topic in this industry. It generally seems like people have polarizing opinions on it, either they think it’s the key to their success or that think it’s completely useless. I rarely come across someone who feels like they’re in the middle on the topic. Everyone in the industry has different layers to how they think about their brand.
Shippers will get better pricing if their freight is perceived as more appealing to providers. Their brand within the industry is very different than the brand they aim to present to their end customers, typically consumers. Some shippers are known as being price sensitive, others are known as being tech-forward, some win prestigious “shipper of choice” awards.
Brokers are marketing their various service offerings to shippers, they offer their benefits to carriers, and they offer a fun workplace to prospective employees. Some brokers include their tech in their service offerings, or they embed it in their overall service offering. The reality, though, is that effort goes into different audiences at different levels. And oftentimes, you come across the same stock images of European trucks in the mountains.
Carriers, meanwhile, seem to spend the least time focused on their branding. Yes, there are some carriers who invest a bit more in their marketing, whether it’s their website or their social media presence, but there’s a lot of carriers with a very limited online presence. When I search for a random carrier, it’s more often that I find their CarrierSource profile than I find a website (if you’re a carrier, I strongly suggest claiming your profile). I think this boils down to these carriers having a small set of customers (likely a combination of shippers and brokers) that keep their trucks moving. The owner is typically the main salesperson for smaller companies, and you might find a Facebook profile for them, but not likely a website or LinkedIn profile.
Personally, I think marketing can be everything for a business. I write this with my untrained experience involved in marketing. Marketing is the voice of the company, it’s the content and communication that the company shares, it’s the logo and the way it’s used, it’s the way that the overall company, its leaders and its services are portrayed to the rest of the industry.
Your business can have a voice that is typically a representation of the founder/CEO and/or the marketing leader that helps breathe life into it. A fun brand can attract the right talent or the right customers. A forward-thinking company pulls customers in who share similar perspectives. Establish credible thought leadership by sharing deep content that people can learn from and share with their networks. Document and share experiences that others relate to and it’s likelier that they’ll become fans of your product.
Yes, you need a great product and a great business. You need to make money. Marketing does not cure everything. We’ve seen that in the freight industry. You need sound unit economics and a business plan that generates value. But, marketing can be a force multiplier if you invest in it correctly.