7 Ways to Boost Sales in Logistics, Freight, and Transportation

2. Start Inbound Marketing

Many smaller logistics companies will either leave brand awareness and outreach up to leadership (who are busy with other priorities) or keep a skeleton crew in marketing (often a single employee). The problem with this is leads don’t appear on their own, and marketing is the best possible way to pull opportunities into your logistics sales funnel. A steady flow of inbound leads, however, is a self-sustaining resource once you have all of the inbound marketing machinery in place. It takes less work when the logistics leads are coming to you.

Inbound is largely (but not entirely) about magnetizing potential customers to you through the internet by producing and sharing messages and online content that will draw their interest. It takes a few things to succeed:

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) — In the 2020s, your website is your best salesperson. 67% (or more!) of the buyer’s journey now takes place online through buyer-controlled internet research, generally using search engines like Google. You want to appear high up in search results. Make sure your website is optimized with relevant keywords for logistics and freight sales prospects (such as cargo hauling, freight companies, or  logistics transportation services) and also structured to convert visitors (with contact forms and calls to action). SEO doesn’t take much investment, but pays huge dividends for sales in logistics.
• Content Marketing —  Host quality web content on your website through a logistics business blog, detailed service subpages, and an FAQ section. Also try gating high-value downloadable assets — such as eBooks, case studies, eBooks, webinars, and white papers — behind a contact form. Leads are most willing to exchange personal information for these types of content.
• Thought Leadership — Your brand’s credibility is paramount to sales success. Submitting valuable thought leadership content to major industry publications or websites (in addition to hosting it on your own site and social networks) is one way to establish a brand reputation as a knowledgeable and trusted expert in your field. Your sales reps are better positioned to answer questions and assist prospects when your brand’s inherent credibility starts them off on the right foot. 
• Social Marketing — Social media is a major channel for staying active in your industry, but also for generating sales in logistics, freight, and transportation. LinkedIn brings in 80.33% of B2B leads from social media, so you should definitely consider using this platform for sharing inbound content. However, it’s also perfect for connecting with potential prospects through industry-relevant groups or with efficient and powerful tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator.

3. Update Sales Enablement Resources

On average, a B2B salesperson spends 440 hours each year searching for the right content to share with customers. Why? Research shows that many of the sales assets available to reps are either hard to find, outdated, or irrelevant to the needs of the customer. In fact, 90% of B2B sales reps don’t even use existing sales materials for these reasons.

All those hours are wasted time that would be better spent selling logistics. Arm your reps with up-to-date sales enablement resources (such as print collateral, shareable online assets, sales decks, sell sheets) in an easy to access location, and you’ll empower them to close more deals, faster.

 You could also consider a secure social networking platform tuned specifically to the needs of your sales department. Social sales platforms help reps to collect and organize information, share assets, discuss prospects, and keep the pipeline on track.  Unlike consumer social networks, these platforms often feature added abilities to integrate with external market research, internal resource systems, and real-time customer analytics. Accenture recommends them for businesses in the logistics industry for benefits ranging from eliminating functional silos to helping logistics providers adapt to a changing digital sales environment.

4. Book Trade Shows (or Other Events) For Lead Capture

Trade shows have long been critical to logistics and freight sales generation. Consider attending events that the suppliers, retailers or other business verticals you prefer to work with will be interested in.  EventTrack research has shown that live experiences give 74% of attendees a more positive impression of your brand, and 87% of event attendees will eventually buy a brand’s product after going to an event.

This is a time not only to talk with foot traffic at your booth and network in the halls, but to capture quality logistics leads that you’ll engage after the event with lead nurturing materials and follow-up calls. Events are the best tactic for generating qualified top-of-funnel leads out of all B2B tactics, according to DemandGen research.