Not every business thrives solely on digital marketing; word of mouth and traditional networking often play significant roles.
However, in the logistics and supply chain industry, digital marketing can offer quick results and streamlined quotes, making it an invaluable way to attract potential clients and build lasting relationships. After all, companies needing logistics support typically need fast and reliable service, so having a strong digital marketing presence can lead to a long-term approach to having a steady flow of new potential customers every month.
If you are looking to implement digital marketing in your supply chain business in 2025, here are some best practices, strategies, and tools.
1. Website Development
A strong online presence starts with a well-designed website. It is crucial to invest time in creating a user-friendly site that is visually appealing and easy to navigate. Sometimes, logistics companies manage to improve their search rankings over time, but their websites still fall short of driving new business. For instance, they feature outdated designs, broken links, incorrect contact information, and missing submission forms for quick quotes. A well-maintained website ensures you not only attract visitors but also effectively convert them into leads.
Here are some platform options:
Duda
With its hosting plan, Duda is a more straightforward platform ideal for businesses that need an easy-to-manage site without extensive technical expertise.
WordPress
Highly recommended for advanced web development experts, WordPress offers extensive customization through plugins pluginsementor. While WordPress can be user-friendly with practice, it requires IT knowledge for tasks like page backups and optimizing speed. Businesses may want to partner with an agency for hosting and maintenance to maximize WordPress’s capabilities.
Wix
Wix is another excellent option, particularly for small to medium-sized businesses looking for a straightforward, drag-and-drop web builder. It’s beginner-friendly, offers a variety of templates, and includes hosting, making it an accessible choice for businesses without a dedicated IT team.
2. SEO
SEO is a cornerstone of digital marketing, but it can be a full-time job on its own. While mastering every aspect of SEO takes time and practice, focusing on these essentials can help move your site toward ranking and driving traffic. SEO has many detailed intricacies beyond what I mentioned here, and there are many courses available where you can learn how to tackle the topics outlined below.
2.1 On-Page SEO
Content
When it comes to content, quality always outweighs quantity. While having more content or lengthy word counts can play a role, it shouldn’t be your primary focus. Visitors to your site usually seek quick answers to their problems, not lengthy pages to sift through. Google prioritizes ranking websites that effectively address user needs for the keywords being searched. It’s an outdated mindset to believe every page needs to exceed 2,000 words to rank well. Instead, focus on creating relevant, concise, and valuable content that directly answers your audience’s questions.
Above all, when it comes to content, focus on your unique value proposition as a logistics service provider. Analyze competitors’ websites to refine your strategy, whether it’s reliability, fast service, or affordability. Tools like Ahrefs and Semrush can provide valuable insights.
Site Development
When someone lands on your supply chain site, it’s essential to include your service offerings above the fold and keep it simple. Sometimes, supply chain websites have so much fluff between service offerings that it is difficult for web visitors to understand what they do, so they lose interest and go to another website. Also, be sure to add multiple calls to action and buttons, such as “Instant Rate Quote,” throughout the site and have submission forms for the services you offer.
If you want to learn about the definition, success factors, barriers, and impact of digitalization, you should enroll in “Supply Chain Digitalization” by Dr. Muddassir Ahmed.
Keywords
Take the time to research the top keywords for services you are offering and get an idea of which keyword phrases drive the most traffic. You can internally focus on one service offering at first to target more traffic, such as within blog posts or page titles, and then focus more heavily on other services down the road.
Keyword Tools: SearchVolume.io, Google Keyword Planner
Headlines/Title Tags: Enhancing Website SEO
When it comes to website SEO, crafting engaging titles to grab attention is essential, but it’s not the only factor. Once you’ve identified the keywords you want to target, AI prompts using ChatGPT can be incredibly helpful in generating SEO-optimized headlines.
For example, you can ask:
“Hey ChatGPT, can you generate H1, H2, H3, and other title tags using the main keywords I provide to enhance my website’s SEO?”
Blog Writing
Adding a blog to your website enhances SEO and establishes authority. Use tools like Neuron Writer to draft outlines and optimize content for search engines. This tool is a game-changer for drafting outlines for blog articles. Search for the topic or specific keyword you want to rank for, and the tool will pull top-performing blog posts from Google SERPs. It analyzes and extracts semantic keywords or header keywords to help optimize your article for better ranking.
As you write, the tool assigns a content score and offers AI-powered assistance when needed. While Google analyzes content differently than humans, focusing on quality remains essential. Always ask yourself: Is this something I would want to read?
It’s a balancing act, but keeping quality in mind while leveraging tools like Neuron Writer can significantly boost your blog’s search engine rankings. To make posts visually appealing, include free images from sources like Unsplash.
2.2 Off-Page SEO
Off-page SEO is all about building backlinks. When I started, I focused on finding relevant websites with a good domain rating to link to. While that’s important, it’s equally crucial to assess the site’s traffic.
The tools below can help you evaluate traffic and perform due diligence on your local competition. They also show how many quality backlinks you’ll need to stay competitive, helping you plan your budget effectively—tools: Ahrefs Free Backlink checker, UberSuggest Google Chrome Plugin.
PluginMarketing Campaigns
Remember the power of the classic cold email approach in digital marketing! If you’re planning to create email campaigns yourself, follow some best practices to ensure you’re in good standing and optimizing your results. If you’re unfamiliar with the setup process, consult with a specialist who can guide you.
Download Free Supply Chain KPIs Cheat Sheet PDF
Cold Outreach
- Develop Your List: The more targeted your list, the better your results. For example, suppose you’re offering Port Warehousing and want to connect with more importers/exporters. In that case, data sites like DataMine allow you to search for companies by port of entry or country of origin. With this data, you can build a list of international companies that are more likely to become potential customers for your supply chain services.
- Run Multiple Campaigns & A/B Tests: Test different approaches to refine your messaging and improve results.
- Use a Separate Email for Outreach: Never use your email for campaigns. Tools like Bouncer can help verify email addresses for better deliverability.
Email Campaign Tools
- Hunter.io: Helps find companies and contacts for your email campaign.
- Lemlist: A platform for generating email campaigns and tracking results.
Data Sites for Logistics:
- DataMine
- Import Genius
- Trade Mining
Current or Past Customer List
A monthly newsletter can be a great way to keep your service offerings top of mind and re-engage with customers who may have become inactive. Start by announcing new services, sharing success stories, and updating them on exciting developments in your business.
Google Map Pack Optimization
To optimize your presence in the Google Map Pack, start by ensuring that your Google Business Profile is complete and accurate. This includes verifying your business name, address, phone number, website, and hours of operation. It’s also essential to list all the services you offer so potential customers can quickly understand what you provide.
Regularly posting updates, offers, and news on your profile helps keep your audience engaged and informed. Lastly, encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews and always respond promptly to any feedback. These steps will improve your visibility and help drive more local traffic to your business.
Save $20! Download Free Supply Chain Terms and Glossary PDF
AI Tools for Social Media
Social media is a powerful tool for expanding your reach and engaging with your audience. By regularly posting relevant content, you can stay top of mind with potential and existing customers. AI tools like Sintra can help automate the posting process, saving you time while ensuring your content is consistently shared. This allows you to focus on other areas of your business while still maintaining a strong social media presence.
Digital Marketing Statistics
Understanding the performance of various digital marketing channels can help you prioritize your efforts. As you can see below, learning SEO as a logistics provider to consistently rank in the top three in your area can significantly increase your business. Our approach initially focused on sponsored ads to drive leads to our site quickly while working on background SEO strategies to climb the ranks organically gradually.
Local Service Sponsored Ads: 13.8% of clicks.
PPC Sponsored Ads: 3.5% of clicks.
Google Map Pack: 40% of clicks.
- #1 Organic Position: 39.8% of clicks.
- #2 Organic Position: 18.7% of clicks.
- #3 Organic Position: 10.2% of clicks.
Conclusion
Digital marketing success in logistics requires time, patience, and a consistent strategy. For example, our logistics company produces 3 to 5 blog posts weekly, builds 3 to 5 high-quality backlinks monthly, and runs Google PPC campaigns. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, as it will depend on your location, service demands, and the nature of your business. However, with the right tools and strategies, you can achieve measurable results in 2025 and beyond.
About the Author:
Derick McQuaide is a Digital Marketing & Business Development Executive at Accurate Trailers, a Miami-based third-party logistics (3PL) and Drayage provider.
