A conversation about creating trust by adopting the right priorities for successful supply chain marketing, with Melissa Taylor, business consultant with RodgerAndMelissa.com, and Christina Daves, publicity strategist and founder of PR for Anyone. 

Supply chain marketing tends to prioritize lead generation over content development. Taylor says it should be the other way around. “People tend to miss that content creation is a lead gen strategy,” she stresses, adding that lead gen takes many forms, including relationship building, referrals and the creation of business alliances. “But if the content isn’t there to back up what you’re doing in other aspects of lead gen in today’s world, then lead gen is going to fall through like a sieve.”

Content that demonstrates thought leadership is essential to validating leads. “There are a million ways to get creative,” Taylor says. “It’s important to communicate a seller’s target market and area of interest, but in today’s world, it’s very relationship-driven. It isn’t always about what you do, but who you are.” 

The pandemic brought home to everyone the importance of the supply chain, Daves notes. Marketers need to capitalize on that newfound awareness by highlighting stories that make the point, such as the recent liquidation of the trucking giant Yellow. “Every company should have hit their local news about how important the supply chain is,” she says.

Buyers will check out every prospective vendor, and proof of expertise must be there. Again, though, the human element is key. “The problem is that people are pitching about their company, not about them,” Daves says. Independent coverage of vendors in the press — call it “earned media” — is a priceless way to demonstrate their value in an objective manner.

With all the “noise” generated by the media, it can be a challenge to get one’s message across. “You have to be your own megaphone,” Daves says. 

Hear more discussion about this crucial subject at the Global Supply Chain Marketing Summit, set for June 5-7, 2024 on Amelia Island, Florida.