Contract logistics firm uses integrated marketing to boost brandTransporation & Logistics
Indianapolis is the “crossroads of America” and a major hub for warehousing and transportation providers.
With a heavy presence of logistics and third-party logistics (3PL) firms in the Indianapolis area, I (and my teams) have had the opportunity to work with several, including IDS Logistics and its predecessor LOGISCO. Each serves a slightly different niche and offer slightly different set of services but they are an integral part of America’s supply chain.
IDS provides warehousing, transportation management, packaging, shipping, and related services to B2B clients throughout North America. The company had a one million square foot warehouse on the west of Indianapolis and contracted freight services through independent carriers. They were just starting to promote intermodal (e.g. train and over-the-road) and pick-and-pack services for ecommerce companies.
challenge
Unfortunately, IDS had virtually no visibility in the crowded 3PL market. As a newer firm going against much larger competitors, it had to overcome some hurdles if it hoped to compete and grow.
- Competitive market with little differentiation
- Limited geographic profile and no dedicated truck fleet
- Wanted to grow service business (pick and pack, etc.)
- Wanted to increate intermodal business (managing freight)
- No existing marketing to benchmark against and
solution
IDS wasn’t ready to hire a marketing director full-time, but their marketing and brand building couldn’t wait.
The company contracted with my firm and I to build a brand presence and help them compete for bigger contracts. Our services for them included:
- Creating a communicational and PR program to build awareness and credibility via third-party media endorsements.
- Leverage news stories and other produced content in lead generation efforts
- Provide branding services and build marketing tools including collateral and sales tools to boost win rate while reducing time
- Drive cost-effective digital marketing with a robust and targeted website, email automation tracks, and landing pages for lead generation campaigns
results
The IDS brand story was crafted and told through a highly creative, integrated marketing and communication blitz that made maximum use of the budget while hypertargeting key decision makers. During the course of our two-year engagement, my team and I worked closely with company leaders to:
- Secure dozens of news stories in important trade publications like Modern Materials Handling, Logistics Today and more.
- Successfully define the brand with messaging and content that was highly relevant and differentiated.
- Increase brand awareness among target audiences by 27% in two years.
- Produce a sales support tool kit that made the compelling case for IDS, reduce friction at critical pipeline stages, and ensure the brand story was consistent told.
- Find and nurture leads with email marketing, landing pages and content offers. These efforts helped the company win multi-year, multi-million dollar pick-and-pack contracts from a major US clothing manufacturer and several other prominent e-commerce companies.
