What is the Value of the ‘T’ in TMSA?

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.(A ‘Mad-Men’ Halloween at Bison Transport)

Marketing skills are transferable between companies and industries and the opportunity to swap best practices with other marketing professionals at events like these has proven to be invaluable. That said, I had a recent discussion with a colleague about the value of the word ‘transportation’ at a Transportation Marketing and Sales Association (TMSA) meeting. Over the course of the conversation, I brought up four common themes that I’ve experienced as a member of TMSA:

1. Transportation companies as a whole have been very slow to adopt sophisticated marketing practices. Most transportation companies harness technology to optimize their lanes, fuel efficiency and driver productivity, yet they have very little understanding of current trends in marketing and the results such efforts produce. They understand trucks, trailers and operations but marketing is often an after-thought. This creates a challenging environment to market in, not because the resources aren’t available, but because there is such minimal understanding of the impact a strong marketing department can have. However, once established, many colleagues have shared stories of how many things their marketing function is improving within the organization.
2. Due to this common environment of unawareness, it is not good enough just to know all of the fancy marketing tactics of the day. A marketing professional in the transportation industry must also know how to educate their firm on the value of expanding marketing activities and then be able to create an effective strategy on a very limited budget.
3. The transportation industry is full of little nuances you won’t find anywhere else. It is very important to understand who the decision makers are that sit on the other end of the message you are trying to push. There is a big difference in marketing to a single farmer who ships hay each fall, a major retailer who moves freight daily or a prospective truck driver. Spending time with TMSA folks – colleagues who have spent ample time in the industry – will help you develop the context needed to be a successful marketer in transportation.
4. Having peers in the transportation industry that speak your language and face similar challenges is a huge advantage. Once you put yourself out there you’ll quickly learn that, no matter what challenge you are facing, you’re not the only one in that boat. Sticking with the theme of boats and the Mad Men era, I’ll quote former U.S. President John F. Kennedy, who famously said in 1963: “a rising tide lifts all boats.” We’re all better off if we work together and share our experiences.

Personally, when I joined TMSA, I was new to the industry. I seized the opportunity to meet people and grill them with questions about their companies: What did their staff look like? Did they outsource or hire talent? etc. Three years later I am still learning at an equal rate, but I am now also able to share my journey of expanding marketing functions at Bison Transport.

I am fortunate to work with Bison Transport, especially since we are a very progressive company. We don’t just accept change, we actively pursue it. The Corporate Marketing team at Bison was established so we could do the exact things that we are doing - attract recruits and customers through traditional and digital channels. Even though there was a lot of support, it still took time and several discussions with colleagues, in my office and throughout the industry, to determine our needs and craft effective strategies. Thankfully Bison Transport made the investment in the TMSA and supported me, as many of the peers I used as sounding boards are people I met through TMSA.

Do you feel you have more to learn about marketing in the transportation industry? If you answered yes, I encourage you to check out TMSAtoday.org.