The essential ingredient for agency work.

A question often comes up when talking with others outside of advertising and marketing about the kind of person that succeeds in an agency role (or any in marketing for that matter). Answers traditionally circle around the predictable: People who succeed are creative, empathetic to how others see the world (by way of a product or service) and of course, the overused ‘outside the box’ thinker.

Fortunately, the world is awash in people with such skills. Often the only difference is that some recognize these traits in themselves and others do not.

But what really drives success is something that is too often discounted or is often elusive to spot: Grit.

Grit is the ability to fight through. To see endless barriers and blow them up. To not be discouraged by feedback that’s not always positive. To see the shore on the other side of a river and figure out how to make your way across, even when the waves are high and the alligators are plenty.

Unlike many businesses, there are rarely any right answers in this business. Things don’t frequently ‘add up,’ so intuition and insights are the driving factors of how things are done, coupled with deep data and user feedback. But at the end of the day, you’re trying to discover things and discovery is often a product of failing fast and frequently in order to reach the end destination.

Grit is what powers successful people through and gets them to the rewards that are on the other side. And often, grit is a compounding trait … Succeeding in the face of difficult challenges builds bigger reserves of the drive that will lead to solving even bigger challenges downstream.

Where to start when you don’t know where to start: 5 points

We’ve run across companies within the logistics industry who approach/email/tweet us about marketing rather sheepishly. Typically these companies are small-to-medium sized businesses and their questions all essentially come from one place: Where do I start if I haven’t done a lot of marketing in the past?

So, quickly, here are five things to know if you’re getting started or starting anew. For the mature marketer, these may sound obvious. But they’re often the unasked questions of many:

1. Marketing is not media. Buying advertising is a component of marketing, but no, you don’t need an advertising budget to do marketing. You may never buy an ad at all. It all depends on what you’re trying to do and who you are trying to reach.
2. You can step in slowly. When trying to find a marketing partner/agency, it’s often a daunting experience because there is a fear of needing to ‘commit’ to a retainer or something larger than what feels comfortable. A good partner will be upfront with you and work with you on a graduated basis. But in fairness, they will also ask you whether you are committed, not necessarily to a massive retainer or something like that, but to marketing on an ongoing basis. Building from scratch can be a win-win for everyone. The process needs to be positive for both parties.
3. Your baseline marketing activities are the most critical. If you don’t have a good foundation of a website, an understanding of where you fit in the market, and how your service compares to other, you should figure those things out before diving into things like social media, direct mail/email, or advertising.
4. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. A marketing strategy is created to help position a company and communicate to the right audience as effectively as possible. Chances are, there are people out there doing it already, so keep your eye on them. They’ll lead you in a good direction and chances are you’ll see new opportunities that they are not even deploying.
5. Just start. Don’t put it off until next month’s sales figures come in or until some magical date on a calendar. The best companies in the world drive sales with marketing because it works. And it will work for you. Commit to it and start today. Whether that’s a conversation with a potential partner agency, or a formal internal meeting, take the step. It can actually be fun. It will certainly be profitable for you in the long run.

Continuity, Logistics, and Branding. Why you must look at your company from the outside-in.

In a recent tweet, we linked to a story called ‘User Experience is Brand Experience‘ by Eric Karjaluoto. It’s a good read, but goes a bit narrow into User Experience (UX), specifically within the context of the web and a company’s website.

While this is important … Users can’t be confused about navigation and functionality when they get to the point of interaction with your company … the bigger point that should be reinforced is that brand is something that you may attempt to shape, but in reality is shaped by the person who is interacting with your company, be it prospect, client, or otherwise.

In the article, Karjuluoto makes an astute observation, which we’ve seen many times within the logistics and transportation market, specifically trucking:

The phrase, “we’re concerned about our brand,” is often misused. These words commonly mask a group’s real desire, which is focused on visuals. Translated to its intended meaning, this phrase might read, “make our logo bigger, and use more of our corporate color.” I might sound glib, but many would attest to the accuracy of this comment. Brand experiences are somewhat difficult notions to wrap one’s head around. As such, some mistake their visuals for their “brand.”

We’ve seen this happen before within logistics, as a ‘rebrand’ takes shape only in the colors and visuals that appear on the outward-facing elements of a company’s marketing efforts. Depth of the effort does not exceed design and stated positioning, which makes people internally feel like something’s different, but doesn’t necessarily align brand with those outside the company’s walls.

Karjuluoto is right in his argument that User Experience greatly influences brand, but we’ll expand that argument for the moment. In fact, the argument needs to be expanded not only to how customers interact with your company, but how you are perceived and how your vision is communicated when you ‘are marketing’ and when you are not. (In other words, you ‘are marketing’ at all times.)

Absolutely and emphatically, a brand should be represented visually the way that you want it to be perceived. And a good partner in such an effort should be experienced in helping you define and execute such visuals. But the feeling that those visuals generates needs to be backed up in everything that takes place within and outside of your company’s walls from how your employees treat one another to how your customers’ invoices appear and their accuracy. Commitment to the visual component is only dipping your toe in the water … Not likely to cause the tidal wave of value you’re hoping for. Company’s who understand the power of brand value know that full commitment is the only way to succeed, and they also understand that brand value success translates directly to profit success.

So how do you ensure continuity? Simple. Get out of your shell and encourage others to do so as well. Ask people to interact with your company as a prospect, a customer, or as an employee might, both as a first-timer and someone who has known you for a while. Don’t direct them. Don’t tell them what you’re looking for, at least to start. Let them (and you … very importantly you) report their findings without fear of reproach toward them or anyone they may encounter. If something is incongruent to your brand position within the process, fix it by teaching, not by command and control. Chances are people don’t understand the importance of their cohesive action on your brand and it’s up to senior leadership to get them to.

The key is to make sure that what you are trying to communicate in your visuals and marketing is real throughout the entirety of a customer/employee/prospect experience.

A quick example might help: As designers, we’re of course hardcore Apple users. Always have been. Recently, we had to upgrade a computer, but were on the road within the time frame we thought we were allotted to be able to do so. When we called into alert Apple of our situation, we expected a certain ‘experience.’ We did not get it. In fact, we got the opposite. Very much the opposite. No visuals, no intentional or ‘marketing’ branding going on … just an interaction and policy discussion that made us wonder if Apple was turning into a company we no longer recognized (or appreciated). Their usual ‘let’s figure this out’ attitude was replaced with a ‘you should read your entire receipt’ mindset typically reserved for the painful experience of deactivating a gym membership.

We were so put off by the experience that we called the national care line (yes, it’s called something like that) not out of concern that they wouldn’t bend on the policy, but because our experience was so out of kilter with the Apple brand. We wanted to know if this was how things were going to go from now on, so we could act and choose our equipment accordingly.

Fortunately, the person we spoke to resolved our issues and even spoke to our original contact on the phone to understand what was going on. When he hung up with her (we were on the line, too), he mentioned off-hand that they would need to ‘talk’ again … meaning that as peers, he did not appreciate her bending Apple’s care reputation to the level she had. All was fixed and our perception of Apple is as it was … good. In fact, even better, because we saw something amazing in action … employees making sure that they hold one another to standards fully in line with the brand expectations Apple has defined.

Can you say the same about your company? Do your employees know the type of business you’re trying to project, all the way through the organization to call centers?

For starters, you’ve got to define your brand. And without question, you must visualize it through a partner who is capable of helping you express your brand through marketing. But creating a brand that people understand and value has to take the thinking behind your outward appearance and infuse it into every corner of your business, whether ‘marketing’ or not. Visualizing is an important step, but it should be a springboard – not the entirety – of your brand efforts.

Building a Brand Worth Something Is Easy. But It’s Hard.

Too often, as advertising people in transportation/trucking/logistics, we’re asked to ‘create a brand,’ which in the context of the request usually means ‘fashion us into a company that people will want to buy from/work for/invest in more than the other guys, without us changing anything about how we treat customers/employees/investors.’

It’s at these times when the fun work of this profession starts, leading with a discussion of how a ‘brand’ is more than a visual mark or stated position placed in an ad. Diving into the essence of a company means looking at it realistically – warts and all – and discussing whether ‘what they want to be’ matches ‘who they are,’ and all points in between. Unfortunately, a lot of companies have large deltas in between the two. Fortunately, their heads and hearts are generally pointed in the same direction, so it’s just a matter of helping them recognize opportunities to bring the two together.

What we do from an output standpoint isn’t trivial for sure … we need to help communicate both the vision and the supporting action … but the real change and growth of a brand comes from within, in every interaction with a customer/employee/investor. Our magic is making that goal or end point tangible so that everyone – internal or external – can see that what the company is doing adheres to a unique value, position and philosophy.

On the surface it’s easy. And often in execution, it’s fairly streamlined and painless, too. As mentioned, it’s not that companies don’t know their market position or where they want to be from a brand standpoint. It’s simply that they haven’t created that tangible ‘calling card’ and more importantly, haven’t identified the actions big and small that happen daily which support that positioning.

Commitment takes but a second to decide upon. ‘Staying committed’ is the hard part. In other words, living the brand is where the challenge lies, and it’s everlasting. But companies that can clearly define brand have a much easier time because they seek customers that match their business intentions, hire around their culture, and partner with investors who see their businesses in the same light as they do.

Branding is not so much an exercise as it is a 24/7 marathon. The more clearly you define what your goals are and what you stand for, the easier it is to run.

So if you want to better position yourself, certainly hire someone from the outside to help (Gee, I don’t know … maybe someone like www.mammoth5.com for example). They will give you perspective you can’t see, even if it’s painful. Remember, your position is your position whether you agree or not. But also share your hopes and dreams and work with them as a partner in business transformation. They’ll help you see opportunities. And those opportunities big and small are what will lead you to the market perception you want.

But it can’t just be a logo or ad. Your part of the bargain is to make sure everything and everyone in your business is pointed at the same shared brand identity.

Want to read a bit more? Here’s a great quick read from Medium about branding.

LinkedIn Usage Statistics – 2014

Confident that your potential customers aren’t using LinkedIn, so you’re avoiding it. Avoid at your own peril. Other social network statistics to come shortly, but below is an image from a recent Pew Research study.

Key in this information are the education and earnings levels. Although thirty-ish percentiles may seem low, this is a study of all American online adults. In other words, cluster this data around the demographic audience of your target customers and these stats go up significantly.

Or in other other words, B2B companies, such as those in logistics and transportation should have a dedicated effort around LinkedIn as at least one of their target social connecting points.

On Search Engine Optimization, briefly, for Logistics professionals.

We’ll need to start several new blogs to address the questions and opportunities of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for logistics/shipping/trucking companies, so for sanity’s sake we’ll be brief. This is not a comprehensive overview of SEO, nor is it an blow-by-blow instruction manual. For starters, it’s just not that simple.

What this post is however, is a note on an important shift taking place in search engine algorithms and how this shift further emphasizes one of the basic fundamentals behind SEO success: Content.

Having spent over ten years in logistics, we’ve fielded more questions about how to ‘be number one’ on Google & Co. than can be counted. Inherent in all of these questions was a notion of being able to achieve this through a sort of technical/structural/coding website trick. In other words, “how do I put the minimal effort in to get the maximum results out?” Manipulate the results. Game the system.

Although there are certainly exceptions – and these outliers are often noted when discussing the companies ‘who’ve made it to the top’ of the search engine results – by in large, success in the SEO world is earned not ‘built.’ More specifically, it is earned through content and authority. Manipulation and the stories of keyword stuffing as a means to success are legends only. The search engines want you to work and more importantly – illustrate – that you deserve to be there, not simply ‘hack’ your way to the top.

We’ll simplify the ever-changing equation by saying the following: The more you become an authority on your subject matter (product/service), the better you’ll be treated by search engines. Being sought after to be more easily found is a perplexing notion, but foundationally it means that you need to produce content regularly that is important, shareable, and relative to your business audience and goals.

So what’s new? Or newer? This authoritative approach is becoming more important not just on portals for content distribution like a company blog. It’s also being applied more specifically on your company’s website. (Good information here about this change.) New changes to algorithms mean that companies who manufacture copy to describe themselves based on keyword frequency and ‘unit-by-unit’ relative keyword counts will be less successful than companies who structure their content around answering questions within the context of what your service/product provides.

A couple of examples:

• Instead of keyword stuffing a page about your shipping company’s on-time delivery averages, structure a page/section/your site around how you achieve it, how accurate it is, and how you’ve solved a problem to which someone may be looking to find an answer to, referencing other authorities who’ve ideally referenced you. Think of someone asking their search question into their phone rather than typing in terms. How would you best answer their question within the context of their business rather than simply answering back mechanically the equivalent of “On Time. 95%. Safe.”
• Instead of stating your home time statistics for a truck driver job posting, tell a story – or multiple stories – around your home time, how you achieve it, providing backup and real information as opposed to simply stating the words ‘home time’ as many times as you can in an otherwise ‘home time-neutral’ page of corporate-speak. Less ‘we get you a lot of great home time.’ More ‘let’s talk about home time and what it means to your career and our business.’

Content and context are one. It’s not just fluffy, pie-in-the sky writing, pictures, and support. It’s more the equivalent of thoughtful, anticipatory Q&A. You know why your audience is searching because they’re your audience. Answer them in the context of their needs and not in a way that is dismissive of them, but favors a keyword-rich page for search engines.

‘Why is your audience looking for a specific aspect of what your business provides?’ Ask yourself. Answer. Support. Share.

Of course, this is not going to get you to the SEO mountain top. There is no one thing that will, unless you have enough change in your pockets to go buy Google. But in SEO whatever you do on the web is either working for you or against you. And for this new/newer change, that means making sure you continue to provide good content … Not just on your blogs or social media (if you’re doing that at all), but on your core website(s) as well.

Portrait of a modern trucker from Atlas Van Lines

Atlas Van Lines recently released their survey of drivers in their fleet, along with a fantastic infographic of their results. Why more companies don’t do similar things is a mystery, but nevertheless, Atlas’ insights are reflective of a lot of drivers in the industry, even thought their drivers have a specialized role within the industry. The infographic is below.

While there wasn’t much that shocked us (hey, they’re mobile!), it is interesting to see that drivers continue to fight an ongoing battle with fitness and health. And with the tight labor pool for drivers in the U.S., it is equally interesting to see the commitment of many of the companies in the industry lagging behind in supporting the healthy ‘desires’ of their workforce.

Often when driver health is addressed, it’s in a peripheral manner, which is understood. It’s trucking, not a gym. Job one is getting freight safely from Point A to Point B on time.

That said, trucking companies need drivers and drivers greatly desire a more healthy lifestyle. Following that train, it would seem that those willing to commit to making a true effort to help would be more successful. But where the rubber hits the road is in two parts: 1) Commitment and 2) Communication.

As far as commitment goes, there is a market opportunity to craft internal programs to help drivers with their fitness efforts (eating, working out, etc.). Companies can’t ‘make’ people fit, but they can help them get set up for success. This is more than providing brochures and a rusty gym in an occasional break room. It’s developing a full-fledged program or having a Q&A resource available for unique driver questions, or creating challenges among drivers and staff.

But commitment alone will not lead to success. Companies need to communicate these efforts to their employees constantly and in a way that doesn’t seem like a ‘regulatory’ information update. Excitement, collaboration, and evolution are key. Getting employees to understand your commitment to them is fun, so internal communication should be reflective of that. When you’ve got that settled, you can turn your attention externally to try and attract similarly ‘fitness-hungry’ drivers (pun intended) to your company as well. Statistically, that seems to be a good move.

There are many more actionable items in Atlas’ survey, the least of which is … if you run a trucking company you should be doing this every year like Atlas. But companies should not just look casually at data like this. They should figure out how the data applies to their businesses and make a commitment to create better opportunities to communicate and match the stated desires of the survey subjects (better health for drivers in this case) with opportunities to fill company needs (companies who need to retain and recruit drivers). Commit. Communicate.

Modern Day Truck Driver by Atlas Van Lines

Not mobile in trucking? Get ready for a long 2015.

Whether your target is internal staff, external prospects, carriers or fleets, 2015 will be a landmark year for the increased push toward mobile communications in logistics and trucking in particular.

While connecting ‘traditionally’ over the Internet will continue to have a place and comfort zone for many, branding-related communication needs to be focused on this shift, which is no longer an effort ‘ahead of the curve’ as much as it is a requirement for the here and now.

Looking for a bit more meat? Here are some recent stats from an industry publisher study by Randall Reilly (full article can be found here):

• 54.3% of contractors used internet-enabled phones. Of those 34 years old and under, 100% use internet-enabled phones.
• 52.6% of fleet owners use handheld devices to access the internet, with another 28.3% also using tablets.
• 49.2% of owner-operators use handheld devices to access the internet. Another 22.5% use tablets for the same purpose.
• 55.1% of company drivers use handheld devices to access the internet, with 22.3% using tablets.

3 Questions from Supply Chain Companies about Marketing. 3 Answers.

We’ve received a few questions and comments over the past weeks. Keep them coming to info@mammoth5.com. In no particular order, here they are (paraphrased for brevity’s sake):

Q: How do I get my management team to see that I need to do more marketing to support sales?
A: First, clarify marketing and make sure you have a common definition. To some it may mean pure sales support. To others, it may mean media and advertising. You’ll only make progress if your mental pictures align. From there, the best way to communicate a marketing need is to show it. Go through your sales process, but as a prospect. Document their journey, where and how they see you in the process, in both meetings and in their own independent research. Have management do the same if they can. You’ll see gaps and inconsistencies that may not ‘seem’ that important until you walk a mile in your prospects’ shoes.

Q: Should I do social media?
A: You should participate in social media. ‘Do’ is precisely what you should not do. More to come on this later, but quickly, social media is a commitment. It needs a strategy and vision and a large amount of diligence. More importantly, it needs an understanding that to be successful, you need to give as much as you expect to get. Your goal is generating interest and illustrating expertise. Help people solve their problems, but don’t make them feel it’s a quid pro quo proposition. Like anything, being a resource has value which will ultimately come back around to you. Don’t force it. Don’t just ‘do’ it. Participate in it, for sure.

Q: Where do I start?
A: Question for a question … where are you now? Not every situation is the same, so each company will have a different answer to this question. The best way to understand your needs is to start as your prospect as discussed above. This will help you fill gaps in a much-changing process of sales in business-to-business sector, such as logistics. But be aware that this is gap filling. There is tremendous value in cleaning up the things that are peripheral to the sales process in this first stage, but beyond that there is additional opportunity. For that, you may need to dig a little deeper. Look at your industry, but also look into other B2B verticals or get some help. Phase one is about maintaining competitiveness by not having influencing factors work against you. Phase two is about creating action and defining and differentiating heavily.

Logistics and B2B Sales Support Through Online Marketing: Simple Guidance from Google

The increasing influence of ‘invisible’ online research at the initial stages of B2B sales processes for the transportation and logistics space means that companies will need to be more aware of their brand presence and position throughout the web.

CEB and Google outline a few ways to better organize and create opportunities to build a positive and influential presence online. Critical to logistics companies – typically short on staff and time – their research notes that cohesion and focus of messaging coupled with well-timed ‘helpful’ buyer information are the most critical components of a good strategy, as opposed to undertaking inconsistent, massive efforts to generate enormous volumes of sales-centric material.

Read the full article here: https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/articles/b2b-digital-evolution.html