March 20, 2025

Marketing in Supply Chain: The Power of Storytelling, Community, and Customer Advocacy

Insights from a conversation with Coleman Ruffin, "The Glue Guy" of Beta Consulting Group

The Value of Networking in Supply Chain Marketing

In an industry that traditionally emphasized “pounding the phones” to generate leads, Coleman Ruffin of Beta Consulting Group highlights a critical shift in perspective: “Your net worth is your network.” This principle applies both personally and professionally in the supply chain industry.

For those starting in the industry, Ruffin recommends latching onto 4-5 mentors already established in the space. “I want to be on every phone call. I want to go to every conference with them, and I want to be introduced into those circles,” he explains. This provides an easy entry point into established professional circles.

Joining communities is another crucial strategy for network building. Transportation clubs, industry associations, and groups like FR8MVMT or Broker Carrier Summit offer opportunities to meet like-minded professionals. Volunteering within these communities can dramatically change your career trajectory.

Make Your Customers the Heroes of Your Story

Storytelling sits at the foundation of effective marketing in the supply chain space. The most successful approach? Make your customer the hero of the story.

“When you’re telling a story to a customer, make sure that your customer, or your prospect, is at the center of that story,” Ruffin advises. “You don’t want to sit there and say, ‘This is what we do. This is why we’re the best.’ You’re pounding your chest.”

Instead, paint a picture of where your prospect is in their journey. Acknowledge their pain points: “It sucks being up late at night because you’re stressing about XYZ.” Then position your company as the guide that will help them overcome these challenges.

Ruffin uses The Hunger Games as an analogy: “Katniss Everdeen is the hero in the story. When you are selling to your customers and clients, that’s how you should be framing this – they are Katniss Everdeen, and you are the people surrounding her, helping her get through the Hunger Games.”

Moving Beyond "Me, Me, Me" Marketing

A common pitfall in supply chain marketing is the excessive focus on the company itself rather than customer needs. “If you are doing your social media and only talking about yourself, you’re not doing it right,” notes Jennie Malafarina during the conversation.

The solution? Focus on industry pain points and how you’re helping clients solve them. Better yet, let your clients tell that story.

“People like to see how things are truly going to affect them,” Ruffin explains. “I’ve got the best load board that’s out there. I’ve got the best pricing tool that’s out there” doesn’t resonate as strongly as acknowledging specific challenges and demonstrating your solution’s impact.

Breaking Through Industry Marketing Myths

A persistent myth in supply chain marketing is that “it doesn’t work.” Many companies prioritize sales teams over marketing initiatives. However, Ruffin highlights that this mindset is changing: “I think that we’re at the point within this industry where that is definitely changing.”

Another common misconception is that marketing exists solely for lead generation. In reality, prospects can’t become leads if they’re not aware of your company in the first place. Effective marketing involves measuring movement through the entire funnel:

Building awareness
Generating engagement
Converting to sales-qualified leads
Creating opportunities
Closing deals

Each stage requires different KPIs and marketing approaches.

Customer Advocacy: The Untapped Marketing Resource

Both participants emphasized that customer advocacy remains an underutilized marketing strategy in supply chain. “From a B2B standpoint, customer advocacy, in my opinion, is probably one of the biggest things that a lot of companies aren’t doing,” Ruffin points out.

Having happy customers isn’t enough—you need a formalized process to showcase these relationships. Let your satisfied customers tell your story through testimonials, case studies, and referrals. This authentic voice carries significantly more weight than self-promotion.

The Rise of Visual and Audio Content

Looking ahead, Ruffin predicts a continued shift toward video and audio content in supply chain marketing. “I’m a big believer… that things are transitioning a lot towards the video and just audio form content.”

While blogs and newsletters still have their place, especially for SEO purposes, attention spans are shrinking. “If you want to call it the TikTok-ification of our industry… I think people’s attention spans are a lot smaller than they used to be.”

For LinkedIn posts, you may have just 5-10 seconds to capture someone’s attention. For commuters, podcasts have become an efficient way to consume industry information. The future of content consumption likely lies in these audio and visual formats.

Building Your Brand Through Personality and Culture

Supply chain events and marketing are evolving from formal, “blazer-and-slacks” affairs to more authentic expressions of company culture. Ruffin cites Green Screens as an example of how relaxed, approachable attire at trade shows can make a brand more accessible.

“I think it’s also important to kind of just let your personality and company culture shine,” Ruffin notes. “You see them, they all seem like they’re in fairly relaxed outfits. Obviously, super intelligent people be like, that’s something that I want to associate with.”

This extends to promotional items as well. Rather than creating swag that prominently features company logos, successful brands design items people actually want to use or wear, with more subtle branding.

Collaboration Over Competition

The conversation highlighted a significant shift in industry mentality: focusing on collaboration rather than competition. Malafarina notes that she invites “competitors” onto her podcast because she believes customers will choose what fits them best, whether it’s her offering or someone else’s.

“I just really feel like it’s the best fit and like I would, you know, lift you guys up as I am, like, ‘Hey, come on the podcast. Talk about the cool stuff you’re doing.’ It’s not about competing. I mean, we’re winning together, right?”

Ruffin agrees: “There’s plenty of customers… to win and continue and go.”

This collaborative mindset builds credibility. If a company approaches you with needs outside your expertise, refer them to someone who can help. “I think it builds the network, builds the credibility, and I think we can all really help each other,” Ruffin explains.

The Glue Guy Approach to Marketing

As “The Glue Guy,” Ruffin believes effective marketing involves bringing teams together. Your biggest marketing assets are your customers and employees. When everyone in the company participates in marketing efforts, regardless of their role, the impact is magnified.

He cites Steam Logistics as an example: “Everybody saw, as soon as the customer landed, their whole entire team was posted on, ‘Oh, we hit the gong’… That is an example of bringing a team together over a common thing, saying, ‘Hey, we’re all winning together.'”

The Secret Sauce: Just Do It

When asked for his “secret sauce” for marketing success, Ruffin responds candidly: “I think that a lot of the things that I would say, from a secret sauce standpoint, are not secret. It’s just about doing it.”

The fundamental principles of marketing in supply chain aren’t complex mysteries. They involve:

Building your network
Creating customer advocacy programs
Making your customer the hero
Showcasing your company culture
Providing genuine value

The difference between successful marketers and the rest? “It’s the stuff that is a little bit under the radar, maybe that people know about, they just don’t do.”

Marketing in the supply chain industry continues to evolve, with increasing emphasis on authentic storytelling, community building, and customer advocacy. By focusing on these elements rather than self-promotion, supply chain companies can develop more effective marketing strategies that truly resonate with their target audience.