By Lionel Johnston, Corporate Marketing Manager, Bison Transport

At the height of the Mad Men era (1964), Bob Dylan released one of his top singles, “The Times They Are A Changin’”.  At the time the hit song was largely considered a social commentary, but if the song were released today you could argue The King of Folk may have been signing about marketing, as the industry continues to shift.  With the growth of new, wide-spread tactics like email marketing, social media and pay-per-click advertising, plus emerging strategies such as geo-fencing, there are a lot of benefits to attending industry events like Content Marketing World, Hubspot’s Annual ‘Inbound’ Conference and Adobe Max, where we can learn about the advantages of such innovative technology.

By Kathy Fulton, Executive Director, American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN)

“Epic” flooding in the past weeks has taken a toll on the people and businesses of South Carolina. At least 19 lives were lost, and damage estimates are currently at $1 billion and climbing. Communities are just now starting to understand the full impact of the situation, as what will certainly be a protracted recovery and new normal emerges.

By Amanda Hicken, Senior Manager of Strategic Content, PR NewsWire

Because I've managed a number of blogs over the years, I'm familiar with how tempting it is to find the "magic bullet" to blog promotion - that one thing that will lead all your key stakeholders to the doorstep of your content. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t exist. There's no "cure-all formula."

Savvy marketers have been building their brand and reputations by working to get their companies identified on "top lists" of various media channels. This reputation-building strategy is no different for those in transportation and logistics. In fact, many have worked diligently to qualify their companies to be listed on the Inc. 5000 list - the business magazine's annual list of the fastest-growing private companies.

The companies on this year's Inc. 5000 list represent a diverse array of industries, including transportation and logistics as one of the larger industry categories (as ranked by the industry's total 2014 revenue). "This is yet another indicator of the importance of transportation and logistics in our domestic (and global!) economy," says Brian Everett, TMSA's CEO.

By Brian Everett, ABC, Chief Executive Officer, TMSA

Negotiation is nothing more than a conversation through which two or more parties are seeking to formulate and settle upon a mutually beneficial agreement - whether this agreement is a multi-million dollar freight contract or simply at which restaurant to meet for dinner at the next TMSA Logistics Marketing & Sales Leadership Conference. Our personal and professional lives are riddled with negotiations - across a boardroom table, the kitchen table, and everywhere in-between.

By Michele Wade, Account Executive, MindShare Strategies, Inc.

Looking for a targeted, low-cost way to impact your entire sales funnel? Nate Dame, CEO and founder of Prospecta, argues that SEO can be a valuable lead gen strategy.

By Mike Brown of Brainzooming, and presenter of the TMSA Webinar on Strategic Relationships: "Creating Great Business Relationships" > Details

Have you ever considered who and what has defined you and your leadership style?

By Mike Brown of Brainzooming, and presenter of the TMSA Webinar on Strategic Relationships: "Creating Great Business Relationships" > Details

A smart, well-informed business person has to interact in circles beyond those who share similar experience and backgrounds to his or her own. Reaching out to individuals and audiences with different perspectives on customer, industry, and business issues is vital. Although the crunch of business pushes for shorter thinking and decision making cycles, taking time to incorporate diverse perspectives into your strategy leads to more solid decisions.

By Mike Udermann, Senior Vice President, Kottke Trucking, and TMSA Motor Carrier Market Segment Champion with the Membership Committee

Michael J. Fox has had Parkinson’s disease now for more than 20 years.  Look at his successes and failures in that time, and the way society has accepted him. Would you do the same for someone on your staff? Would you embrace them with the kindness, courtesy, and respect that they deserve?

There's good news for marketing professionals in our industry: Companies are investing more in the marketing and communication functions. In fact, more than 50 percent of respondents in the 2014 TMSA Sales & Marketing Metrics Study reported increased marketing budgets for 2013 and 2014.

"Many transportation and logistics firms continue to recognize the value of investing in marketing, communication, and branding, but they were forced to cut back in the economic downturn," says Brian Everett, ABC, TMSA's Chief Executive Officer. "Historically, companies that continue to invest in marketing - particularly in a down economy - get more ROI for their investment because they're competing less with other messages and marketing campaigns from competitors. But regardless of whether or not you were able to maintain your marketing budgets for during this past economic recession, the good news is that the economy is picking up. And so are marketing investments."

By Anne Miner, President, The Dunvegan Group

Customers are the lifeblood of any business; without customers, there is no business. And customer acquisition is a significant area of activity and expense for every business.

By Hernan Vera, Managing Partner. Sales Outcomes, Inc.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software solutions and their impact on business growth and profitability continue to increase in importance for Logistics and Transportation leadership teams. Justifying the ROI and realizing the value from a CRM investment are the common challenges for the large enterprises as well as small firms.

By Peter Owen, Managing Director, ISIS Communications

Freight transportation differs across the globe in character. This much is self-evident. The geographical length and complexity of moves vary from region to region, as do the commodities carried and modal mix that is employed. Market sizes and degree of sophistication, buying patterns, infrastructure efficiency and cost profiles all have their different characteristics depending on the country or continent in which the transport and logistics professional is operating. So yes, Europe contrasts significantly in many ways with North America.

By Mike Brown, Brainzooming (Facilitator of the upcoming TMSA Marketing Bootcamp in Chicago)

Does it matter if your business has a blog or not? And if your business does have a blog, does it matter how often you update it? While you’re thinking about the answers to those questions, peruse these dates and see if you can spot a pattern?

TMSA Member Spotlight:
Business Development and Marketing At Burris Logistics

Burris Logistics provides temperature-controlled supply chain solutions at all points of the supply chain through four distinct operating divisions:

By Mike Brown, founder of The Brainzooming Group, and an expert on strategy, creativity, and innovation. Mike will lead the TMSA Marketing Bootcamp Oct. 28-29 in Chicago. > Details

Talk to B2B service or product providers in transportation or logistics, and you'll likely hear about solution selling. 

TMSA is pleased to announce that Mike Grauel has been named to its board of directors. Grauel is Regional Vice President of Sales for Southeastern Freight Lines, and several markets in the Southeast, including Atlanta, Dalton, Macon and Columbus, Ga., along with Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, western Tennessee, and Pensacola, Fl.  Grauel is based in Birmingham, Ala. He has more than 30 years transportation sales and customer service experience, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in communication from the University of Alabama.

According to Dino Moler, current TMSA President and Executive Vice President of Client Solutions for LeSaint Logistics, Grauel will make an excellent addition to the board of directors, given his depth of sales experience in the industry.

Members of the Transportation Marketing & Sales Association continue to find value in making connections through the organization. One unique avenue it to become part of TMSA's online community through LinkedIn. You'll find value in being part of TMSA's online discussion groups on LinkedIn, ask questions of your peers who have common challenges and goals, and enhance your relationships with other marketing, sales, and communications executives who practice in the North American transportation and logistics industries. 

Check us out on LinkedIn as this group: TMSA - The Transportation Marketing & Sales Association.

TMSA has exciting news! On Aug. 1, the association named Brian Everett its new chief executive officer. According to Dino Moler, TMSA’s current President and Executive Vice President of Client Solutions for LeSaint Logistics, this was a strategic move by the association to engage new resources that will enhance member value and significantly expand membership.

Clearly, Everett is no stranger to transportation marketing - or to TMSA. In fact, he served previously as the association's CEO from 1998 through 2009, and under his leadership TMSA more than tripled membership during that 10-year period through strategic initiatives and added programs and services to members.