Content Marketing for Logistics & Manufacturing: Why Packaging Matters

Content marketing has changed a lot over the years, but one thing remains the same: it works. This is especially true for B2B marketers interested in establishing their business as a trusted resource of products, services and industry-relevant information. Businesses who specialize in logistics, manufacturing and the supply chain stand to benefit greatly from well-packaged, high-quality content marketing. As an inbound marketing tactic, content marketing checks most of the boxes.

Good Content Caters to Buyer Preferences

Demand Gen’s Content Preferences Survey Report explored the B2B buyer journey and found that 73% of respondents engage with 3-7 pieces of a potential vendor’s content before speaking with a salesperson. Another 87% say that online content impacts their vendor selection. Logistics and supply chain companies need to provide prospects with value at the top of the sales funnel to generate awareness and interest early on.

What’s the best way to provide this kind of value? You guessed it.

A strong content strategy proactively addresses the questions and concerns of your customers and provides solutions to those problems within your content offerings. This will position your firm as a trusted source of information. But “content” is a general term, which leaves you with an awful lot of ground to cover. How do you prioritize content type and delivery? Let’s unpack it.

The Road to Qualified Leads Starts Here

Capturing qualified leads starts with a content road map, like the one in our Ultimate B2B Lead Generation Toolkit. This roadmap will help you develop your content strategy by aligning it with your business’ unique buyer personas. When it comes to B2B manufacturing and logistics, 3PLs or distributors – these personas look very different. It’s important to have a clear understanding of your target market, so your content can speak directly to them.

This doesn’t just apply to the words used or the questions answered – but the content medium. Think about the “what” and the “how”. These are two critical elements of truly effective content marketing.

One of our clients in the logistics and supply chain industry knew it was time to leap into more targeted content marketing. They had Roger West survey their clients to identify content preferences because it’s not just about what your content is, but how it's presented.

Here are some of our key takeaways from the survey:

• B2B buyers are more interested in case studies, research, statistics and white papers.
• Headlines and topics are more attractive than fancy animations or promotional content.
• Content consumption is driven by current need.

Pick & Pack to Fulfill Your Customers’ Needs

When you think of content marketing, it’s easy to get wrapped up in one or two delivery methods. “Content” incites fear of blogging and long-form, written content. Don't worry. There’s more to it than words on a page. Content encompasses:

• Explainer Videos
• Webinars
• eBooks
• White Papers
• Podcasts
• Infographics
• Emails
• Checklists
• …and more!

Your business is not beholden to one type of content if you’re being intentional with your strategy. Pick a few channels that will work for your business, and pack your website, blog or newsletter with valuable information. Remember that content is also a powerful driver of SEO marketing and the user experience on your website. (Check out our work for Saddle Creek Logistics to see what we mean.) You know what they say about the omnichannel approach, don’t cha?

Now That We’ve Covered the Logistics…

Content marketing is a worthy investment for any supply chain, manufacturing and 3PL business. Don’t just keep your expertise stored in a warehouse – transport it to your customers and watch the leads flow in. If you still need help – we got you. Lead generation, SEO and content marketing, you name it. Roger West offers integrated digital marketing services by the truckload. Contact us to start capturing better leads today.