A primary goal for any business is to keep their current customers and increase the bottom line with new sales. Logistics companies are no different. You secured and have kept your current customers for a reason – you’re doing a great job overall. Whether your facility offers services designed to address an industry’s unique needs or is an expert in managing supply chain logistics, it’s important to know what your business is best at and to promote it. Do your current customers and prospects know all of your capabilities? If you promote your strong points, your company can maintain a competitive edge over other warehouses serving the same market, resulting in maximum customer satisfaction and increased growth.
Identify What Makes Your Warehouse Different from the Others
It is extremely important to define your position in the market. You don’t want to end up lost in a saturated market of indistinguishable and interchangeable warehouses in the eyes of prospective and current customers. Emphasize how your company is different and highlight the specifics.
Value-Added Services
Compile a complete list of all value-added services your business offers and pick out the strong points. Are you experts in logistics and freight or a fierce price negotiator? Are you a go-to for high-volume distribution customers? Do you offer on-site kitting and assembly or repacking and rebranding? Are you known for efficiency at processing returns or managing recurring subscription shipments? Say so! Use your proven track record and customer service ratings to your advantage.
Capabilities of Your WMS Software
Obviously, not all warehouses use the same warehouse management system (WMS) software or the same software provider. In addition, even the best WMS software companies do not all provide the same features and services. Highlight the unique features of your warehouse system and how the flexible features can be utilized to address each of your clients’ needs. Items important to a prospective warehouse customer might include customized and itemized billing, automated and custom reporting, 24/7 access to inventory and online ordering, top-notch security, error-free operation (enhanced by the use of auto-ID equipment), and system up-time. Perhaps most important is that your system offers easy integration with their preferred shopping cart as well as other external tools like EDI, WCS, accounting, and billing.
Cost-savings
Nobody wants to choose a high-priced warehouse that doesn’t have a proven track record of success for its clients. Let your current and prospective customers know how partnering with your business can actually save them money. One obvious way to prove savings is by highlighting your capability to remove the client’s logistics burden through your industry expertise. Examples could include noting your ability to negotiate shipping prices, high picking accuracy, maximum operational flow, or tiered storage options. However, businesses are also looking to work with trustworthy companies. Seth Rothbard, franchise owner of InXpress adds that “Choosing a logistics partner shouldn’t just be based on the cost, as there will always be a cheaper option somewhere out there. The trust factor is what one needs to be looking for in a reliable partner.”
Invest in Being the Best
Highlight how your warehouse invests in continual capital and operational improvement. Examples of key growth areas of interest to customers include employee training, installing and updating the best WMS software, technology and machinery investments, accreditations, quality processes, and physical warehouse facility improvements.
Educate Customers: Can They Increase Sales by Partnering with You?
The benefit of partnering with your warehouse isn’t only about relieving the logistics burden from the customer directly. It also opens doors for them to increase sales. Be sure to inform your current and prospective customers about how your logistics services, combined with your WMS software, can lead to increased profits for them.
One of the biggest benefits for a customer is scalability in the warehouse. They have the advantage of being flexible with inventory levels seasonally and monitoring products with specific life cycles. In addition, and thanks to the expert knowledge your warehouse provides, a customer is able to ship from anywhere, even breaking into the international market and expanding their footprint globally. Highlight the technological advantages your warehouse provides, thanks to your WMS software system, to quickly and efficiently ship products. This helps increase their client’s customer satisfaction rating. All of the aforementioned, combined with the in-depth knowledge your operation brings to the table for each customer, can save them money and increase sales.
Promote Your Warehouse on the Web
Times have changed quite a bit from industry events, large conferences, and annual trade shows. They are making a comeback; however, the pandemic has made online marketing more important than ever. Warehouses that have harnessed the power of internet marketing have a distinct advantage over their competition. Here are a few tips on how you can increase your warehouse’s online footprint.
Your Website
Your company website should offer a plethora of information for prospects searching for a new warehouse partner. Be sure all listed information is easy to find and clear, as well as includes your areas of expertise, accreditations, and industry uniqueness on subpages. However, don’t forget about the contact information basics. Contact information should always be easy to find. A Call to Action (CTA) should also be included on the site in more than one place. This can be achieved through call-outs like Contact Us For More Information or Click Here For An Overview. To garner more interest, include customer reviews and testimonials. Given all of the above, be sure to enhance your SEO through keywords and backlinks to increase your 3PL warehouse website’s rankings.
Social media
Social media isn’t just for teenagers and celebrities. It can benefit your business too! You can find leads or communicate with customers through a Facebook or LinkedIn page. It’s important to note that social media requires prospect engagement on the company’s part. Encourage customers to share their positive experiences with your warehouse, important industry information, or share your informative blog posts. In addition, select company employees can become active in groups or pages. As they interact with current and prospective customers, it often leads to increased company awareness, referrals, and new business.
Paid and Unpaid Campaigns
Another way to scout for leads is by utilizing internet campaigns, either paid or unpaid. Unpaid campaigns include emailing your current customers and prospects about your warehouse’s latest accomplishments or services. Paid campaigns can come in the form of search engine ads (Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.) or social media advertising (Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok, etc.). Both types are built on a pay-per-click format. That means you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. Be sure that link goes to the first page you want them to see (it might not be your home page) and where they can take action. When entering into a paid campaign agreement, always target your specific geographic market so you don’t waste money promoting your services to companies too far away to be real prospects.
To summarize, if you want to attract new warehouse customers and keep the ones you have, you must make a strong case for why they should partner with you over your competitors. Don’t be afraid to highlight what makes your warehouse unique, including the features enabled by your warehouse management system software. To find out how Logimax’s WMS software can help you retain customers and gain more leads, contact us today!
