Third-party logistic companies face all sorts of obstacles, from rising fuel costs and government regulations to environmental concerns. But chief among all these challenges is rebranding after an acquisition — particularly with how it affects SEO, websites, and digital footprints.
As we know, digital marketing is an ever-changing tool requiring both flexibility and consistency. When two 3PLs merge together, their digital marketing strategies can break down.
Thankfully, it’s possible to avoid a total loss of your SEO investment with the right digital marketing strategies. This begins with a good understanding of the challenges and taking a holistic approach to solutions.
The Struggles of Rebranding After An Acquisition
A whopping 51% of businesses have rebranded since the start of 2020. However, 35% of business owners say they see room for improvement, and 12% say they’re lacking the tools to effectively harness their rebranding.
We know that merging 3PLs have three major marketing hurdles to overcome:
1. Rebranding is Expensive
The average company spends up to 20% of its marketing budget on branding and rebranding. If you’re a fast-growing company or larger 3PL, you can expect to spend $80,000 or more. Unless you’re extremely confident in your rebranding process, you may lose tens of thousands of dollars to a poorly-implemented rebrand.
2. Rebranding is Time-Consuming
It takes an average of four months to successfully rebrand a 3PL. This process can be much longer or much shorter, depending on your specific needs. If you need to create a new website, develop new pipelines, or integrate multiple communication channels, you may expect to work on your rebrand for up to 12 months (or longer).
3. Rebranding is Risky
With the exorbitant time and money cost involved in rebranding your 3PL, missing the mark or disappointing customers could lead to serious repercussions. GAP, for example, lost more than $100 million after unveiling its new logo. Juice brand Tropicana experienced a 20% drop in sales after debuting its new packaging.
Strategies For Successful 3PL Digital Marketing Campaigns After Rebranding Your Acquisition
With as many as 32 major mergers and acquisitions affecting 3PLs in 2022, determining the best way to integrate your digital marketing efforts can be a monumental test.
Thankfully, Autumn Consulting has assisted with 3PL rebranding by using a successful, multipronged strategy. This includes:
Website Re-Designs
Upgrading the user experience of your website can help audiences better understand the context of your merger. Not only can they access navigational info quicker, but they can easily understand the layout of your new site.
As you begin the process of redesigning your website, don’t forget to:
- Merge social media accounts, if necessary
- Create a 301 redirect plan before sunsetting existing websites
- Announce the merger using a colorful banner with links to additional info
SEO Audits
Building domain authority is a tedious task requiring hours of time and effort. Before you make any sudden moves or get rid of existing sites, you may want to evaluate your SEO opportunities and plan your next steps.
First, consider the long-term impacts of making changes to your existing site. Ranking a new domain is harder than upgrading an existing site, especially when it comes to domain authority.
You also need to identify your existing SEO assets, including blog posts, case studies, white papers, and more. It may be wise to revamp some of the existing pieces to better reflect the direction of your merger.
Inbound Traffic
Do you want to maintain two sites after your merger, or combine both brands into the same site? If you do the latter, you need to consider your acquisition’s effect on inbound traffic and organic search.
Paid advertising, like many other PPC campaigns, do have some level of importance to this strategy. But an easier strategy is to change the look, feel, and brand without compromising the existing website infrastructure.
Other ways to maintain your inbound traffic numbers include:
- Announcing the merger, new URL, and any new branding on social media
- Focusing on press releases and distributing them across the web
- Sending email blasts to newsletter subscribers to prepare them for the switch
Do It All With Autumn Consulting
When it comes to 3PL mergers and acquisitions, the best way to avoid losing your digital marketing ‘equity’ is to work with a Google search marketing firm. Autumn Consulting is one such professional, serving logistics and transportation companies with decades of combined experience.
Whether you’re a global enterprise or a fast-growing brand, Autumn Consulting can help you maintain the value of your brands’ combined resources. Our marketing experts are familiar with all best practices for ranking, SEO, and domain authority, which means you can focus on the nuts and bolts of the acquisition — and let us handle the rest.
Learn about our digital marketing strategies for rebranding by contacting our team today. Once you submit an online contact form, we can set up a complimentary call to discuss next steps.
