Timing is everything.

"Marketing that works is marketing that people choose to notice" Seth Godin

Top 5 tips to Go-to-Market at the right time!

In the wee hours of the morning, when the sun is just emerging over the Atlantic, I play squash. And not leisurely squash or even all-that-friendly games of squash. Competitive, I-want-to-win-at-all-costs squash.??

I’ve played for 25+ years and seek out every opportunity to play in as competitive an environment as I can find. The squash court is not a friendly arena. It’s about a quarter of the size of a basketball court and involves a ball speeding at you at more than 100 miles per hour. That ball has been known to leave many a squash player limping off the court with plum-sized welts to show for their effort. To survive, to be good, you need timing.?

Timing is everything. And when I’m racing from front to back on the court before my first AM meeting, I’m thinking about more than the timing in my game. Especially recently with the work I’ve contributed to Roadrunner’s rebrand.??

For those unfamiliar, Roadrunner, a nationwide LTL trucking company for which I’m the CMO, saw its reputation dip to an uncomfortable low a few years before I joined. At its worst, the company registered a “0” on its Net Promoter Score. The service level had dipped with on-time deliveries not frequent enough and damages occurring too frequently.??

With new leadership, Roadrunner underwent an amazing makeover. Large investments in technology enabled the company to build a data-powered network. Changes to everything from the network footprint to dock worker incentives, all supported by heady and capable leaders, have led to a Roadrunner quality renaissance. Moreso, the changes resulted in Roadrunner creating and occupying a niche within the industry.??

Its value proposition of direct routing utilizing no rail is a unique value giving its customers faster transit with less chance of damage and more visibility.??

As the lead marketer, I had to decide when to share the news of Roadrunner’s transformation with the world and how to best communicate our improvements.

To help design that strategy, I collaborated with our VP of Marketing and Communications Mike Ermitage that I brought onboard immediately after joining the company, and together we created these tips to guide us.

Tips to Go-To-Market in a Timely Manner

#1 Timing + Quality = Success

Your go-to-market campaigns should run after you have created a consistently quality product or service.?Creating a remarkable product or service is the priority.

The supply chain is undergoing consistent turmoil with the market fluctuating wildly in recent years. Now is the time for shippers to find a reliable LTL carrier. Roadrunner is that carrier and we know it because of our amazing internal service data.??

To create something remarkable, you need to deeply understand your customers and their needs. By projecting and imagining what they want, you can craft services or experiences that they will truly appreciate. That's what we did at Roadrunner.

Roadrunner Example: Orange + Black Has Your Back?

#2 Identify and Amplify Your Niche

Instead of trying to appeal to everyone, focusing on a specific niche allows a business to understand their target audience better and cater to the specific needs of their customers.

This targeted approach enables you to stand out in a crowded marketplace and build a loyal customer base.

A remarkable product is one that is truly unique, exceptional, and provides significant value. It's something that people can't help but talk about and share with others, which generates word-of-mouth marketing and drives organic growth.

By combining a niche offering with a remarkable product, businesses can create a powerful and lasting impact on their customers, leading to long-term success and sustainable growth.

Roadrunner's Smart Long Haul is focused on a very targeted niche within the LTL industry. The company is not a national provider nor a local one, but a carrier that connects regions to regions, metro-to-metro, focusing on a niche long haul offering.

The new network is the result of major investments in technology and is informed by reams of data.??

#3 Be True to Your Brand Voice

A remarkable product must stay true to its brand voice. Brand voice is the personality and tone that a brand uses to communicate with its audience. It's the consistent and authentic way the brand expresses itself across all channels and interactions.

When a remarkable product aligns with its brand voice, it creates a cohesive and memorable experience for customers. The product's messaging, design, and overall presentation should reflect the essence of the brand, reinforcing its values and unique selling proposition.

This alignment between a remarkable product and its brand voice fosters trust and credibility with customers. It helps build brand loyalty, as customers can connect emotionally with the product and brand, knowing what to expect from it consistently.

Therefore, when developing and marketing a remarkable product, it's crucial to ensure that it remains true to the brand's identity and voice, ultimately enhancing its impact and resonance with the target audience.

At Roadrunner, how can we be smart in a different way? We decided to be clever with our network expansion to Las Vegas and Virginia. Smart humor paid off – our click through rates were more than twice as good as our previous campaigns.?

#4 Break Down Company Barriers

Breaking down company barriers involves focusing on improving both the customer experience and internal communications. By doing so, organizations can create a more collaborative and customer-centric environment. Here's how to approach each aspect:

Improve the Customer Experience:

??- Listen to Customer Feedback: Gather feedback from customers regularly through quarterly business reviews and direct communication channels. Act on this feedback to address pain points and enhance the overall experience.

- Streamline Processes: Identify and eliminate bottlenecks in customer-facing processes to ensure a smoother and more efficient experience for customers.

??- Empower Employees: Provide employees with the authority and tools to resolve customer issues promptly. Empowered employees can deliver better service and foster customer loyalty.

Enhance Internal Communications:

??- Encourage Open Communication: Create a culture that values open dialogue and encourages employees to share ideas, concerns, and feedback.

??- Utilize Collaboration Tools: Implement modern communication and collaboration tools that facilitate seamless information sharing among teams and departments.

??- Foster Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Break down silos by promoting collaboration between different departments. This ensures a holistic approach to solving problems and serving customers.

??- Regularly Update Employees: Keep employees informed about company news, changes, and customer insights. Regular updates foster a sense of belonging and help align everyone towards common goals.

By simultaneously focusing on improving the customer experience and internal communications, businesses can create a more cohesive and customer-centric organization.

#5 Be Grounded and Evolve at the Same Time

To deliver a strong and attention-grabbing message, businesses should strike a balance between being grounded and evolving. Here's how they can achieve that:

??- Know Your Core Values: Stay true to your brand's core values and principles. Grounding your message in these values helps build authenticity and trust with your audience.

??- Understand Your Audience: Have a deep understanding of your target audience's needs, preferences, and pain points. Tailor your message to resonate with them on a personal level.

??- Be Transparent: Embrace transparency in your communications. Share honest insights and experiences to connect with your audience on a human level.

??- Highlight Real Results: Showcase real-world examples and tangible results to demonstrate the impact of your products or services.

??- Innovate and Adapt: Embrace innovation and continuously evolve to meet changing market demands and customer expectations. Position yourself as a forward-thinking brand that's always improving.

??- Be Bold and Confident: Don't shy away from taking risks or trying new approaches in your messaging. Bold statements and creative ideas can capture attention and differentiate you from competitors.

??- Embrace Creativity: Use creative storytelling and visuals to convey your message effectively and engage your audience.

By combining a grounded approach with a willingness to evolve, our Roadrunner marketing team creates a compelling message that resonates with our LTL customers, captures attention in a not so creative industry, and as a result leaves a lasting impression.

For customers faced with significant and immediate supply chain needs, our "Orange + Black Has Your Back" campaign communicates intelligence and reliability. For customers looking at a wide breadth of potential carriers, Smart Long Haul and our humor angles draws attention.?

Our marketing team at Roadrunner will continue to stay loyal to our brand but tell our story in different ways. We plan to continue to launch new marketing creatives that communicate our niche offering within the LTL space.

Our next campaigns will launch in new mediums, primarily video, where our smart concept can take the next step with moving visuals and voice-over. This “Smart. Smarter.” Campaign will keep us on brand (Smart Long Haul), communicate our niche (smart network that gives our customers a true value), and amplify our voice (witty and authoritative).??

This article was co-authored with Mike Ermitage