SITUATION

markit360 was hired by QCS Logistics (QCS), a 30-year, family owned transportation logistics company based in New Orleans, to execute an integrated content marketing campaign to elevate its industry profile and reach new customers. The campaign included development of a new website, a blog and ongoing services including blog writing, management of social media platforms and public relations. Through these tools, we increased the quantity and quality of QCS’s engagement with a number of audiences, including prospective and existing clients, business and community groups, industry trade publications, and trade organizations.

CHALLENGES
QCS did not have a dedicated staff to manage and execute marketing efforts and produce content prior to hiring markit360. The company’s website was outdated and difficult to navigate. As a result, QCS’s online marketing strategies, including website, blog and social media, did not provide well-organized content, clear calls-to-action (CTAs), consistent audience engagement, or a means to measure conversions of website visitors and social media followers to QCS leads and customers. Without this infrastructure, QCS was unable to organize and produce content to position the company as an industry thought leader and attract new customers online.

STRATEGIES
markit360 helped QCS define markets and key performance indicators through primary research, such as client interviews and online surveys, and customer data analysis. We then analyzed our findings and prioritized our resources to obtain optimal results. As a result, we agreed on the following strategies:

• Concept, design and launch a new website to reposition the QCS brand as a leader in 3PL and make it easier for prospects to contact the company
• Grow the database of prospective customers through consistent and meaningful blog articles and social media interactions
• Leverage content to secure article placements in industry and business publications, thus amplifying the reach of the content already created for the blog

RESULTS
Today, markit360 manages and executes all content marketing, including the company’s blog and social interactions on Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter. Through these efforts, markit360 has helped position QCS executives as thought leaders on topics related to the transportation services industry. The topics range from the effects of the digital delivery age on regional carriers, how to select a third-party logistics company and delivery’s role in retail customer satisfaction to issues related to niche markets including

• Increased the number of unique website visitors by 85%
• Blog visitation increased by 437%.
• Website visitors from social media platforms increased by 640%.
• Media coverage, including articles with a QCS by-line, were published in prominent industry publications and local business magazines, including Biz New Orleans Magazine, New Orleans CityBusiness, CLDA Magazine and Eye for Transport.