The Logistics of Logistics

[00:43] Please introduce yourself and your company.

I am based in Jacksonville, Florida and the owner of Digital Dispatch.
We help companies with their web and marketing problems.
About ten years ago, I started working with a 3PL in Jacksonville. When my boss found out I was blogging on the side, he asked me to start doing it for the company too.
I eventually got my own radio show. A lot of people make that natural evolution from content writing into radio.

[07:18] Tell us a little bit about inbound lead generation.

They key differentiator of inbound is that you’re creating content with your audience in mind first.
A lot of what you see on the internet and in this industry is very self-promotional. People aren’t searching for that. They’re searching for solutions to their problem.
Inbound is trying to introduce yourself and establish trust with the customer so that you can be the solution when they’re ready to buy.

[10:51] Contrast inbound with outbound.

Outbound is like interrupting someone’s personal space.
We have all gotten emails that we know have been sent out to thousands of people. It’s not personalized at all.
There are ways to make a cold outreach feel more personal, but it takes more time and that’s where a lot of companies struggle.

[15:34] Tell us about some new ways that we can use to get inbound leads.

Video and podcasting, but they are also the most intimidating.
Often, people hate seeing themselves on video or hearing their own voice. They let their fear paralyze them when it comes to sharing their expertise.
As long as you’re sharing valuable content, you’re heading in the right direction.

[18:43] You have to get past fears if you want to be found as an expert online.

Especially people who are first starting out. You’re not going to be an expert right away. Your first show will probably suck.
You’re never going to get better if you don’t do it again and again and again.
Keep thinking about it as having a conversation, and the intimidation factor will lessen a little bit.

[23:07] Tell us about what a podcast should focus on.

I think having a good balance of different categories you’re going to cover is key to any content plan.
There are different ways to approach your planning, and it doesn’t have to revolve around one specific type of content. However, I do think it needs to start with SEO.
A lot of people get stuck on just one particular type and roll with it. It gets boring after a while, and it shows in your work if you lose that passion.

[28:38] Even for business podcasts, the personality needs to come out. There needs to be some context and humanity.

Competitors may read a press release, but no one else will go to a website just to read a press release.
Video is great, but podcasting is the least intrusive. It doesn’t interrupt the audience, because they can go about their day with a podcast on in the background.

[30:49] Please summarize this topic for us.

At Digital Dispatch, we focus on everything from cost effective solutions to completely custom web and marketing services.
I love focusing on logistics because there are variety of different companies at a variety of different levels.
It starts with a conversation. If the content is there for your audience, people will consume it.

Learn More:

The Future of Inbound Lead Generation with Blythe Brumleve