Lead Generation Capabilities for Freight Forwarders: DFA Guide

The global freight forwarding community makes every effort to improve and promote the services of its representatives. With the widespread digitalization of international logistics, advertising, expansion, and scaling of the forwarding business have taken on convenient forms, such as the Digital Freight Alliance format. Effective and established ways of promoting freight services, such as favorable tariffs for various types of shipping, allow logistics providers to expand their influence.
 
Let's look at how this works for DFA Premium Members and how to take advantage of business promotion on the SeaRates marketplace.

 

Reach targeted audience

Digital Freight Alliance Premium Membership allows you to advertise your freight rates to the millions of shippers on the SeaRates marketplace. Daily searches for various destinations provide quotes on different shipping lines, transit times, validity dates, etc. All these quotation offers with details can be provided by you. Your competitiveness depends on the profitability of your offer.
 
Meanwhile, DFA Standard Members can advertise their freight rates on their websites through the Logistics Explorer widget. With Premium Membership, you have full access to adding and promoting your freight rates to a wide audience of SeaRates. Let's take a closer look at how it works.

 

How to add my tariffs to SeaRates?

Below, you will find a quick guide to adding your freight rates:
 
1) Let's start with your authorization. Go to Virtual Office and find the 'Rates & Tariffs' tab in the left menu. For what type of delivery do you plan to provide your freight rates? Choose between sea, land, or air transportation. For sea freight, you can select FCL, LCL, or Bulk, for land freight, you can pick FTL, LTL, or FWL, as well as Airfreight.

 

 
2) There are 4 ways to add your rates: 
- on the "Rates" tab, fill in the spreadsheet manually (specify countries and ports of departure and arrival, shipping line, etc.).
- on the "Excel" tab, download an XLS/CSV file for mass upload of tariffs for several carriers, routes, and destinations;
- sent your freight rates to the SeaRates Rate Department;
- upload your tariffs via the API.
 
3) In your sheet, you have to enter the values of your tariffs, as well as select validity dates, specify transit times, and other details of your offer.

 

 
4) On the 'Rates Archive' tab, you can view all your added rates.

 

 
5) If you have any concerns, you can always contact your Account Manager for assistance.

 

Logistics Explorer tool: advanced lead generation system

Maritime transportation is not limited to hundreds or thousands of combinations of origin and destination ports. The variations of routes around the world can reach a billion. However, shippers need to deliver their cargo via any of the world's routes. In addition, they also have individual requirements for shipping.
 
Therefore, by offering freight rates for different destinations or types of shipments, freight forwarders can pick up hot leads through the Logistics Explorer tool. By adding your rates to the SeaRates marketplace, shippers will find you in the Logistics Explorer search results.
 
If the shipper has chosen an unpopular destination or has specified unique requirements, and it is difficult for them to get a quote, you will not miss them anyway. Logistics Explorer allows shippers to fill out a Quick Request form to submit shipments for handling. You can find completed shipping requests on the All Shipping Leads page or the Logistics Map tool to offer your freight rates to requests from real shippers from around the world.

 

 

 
You can build a wide customer base with a network of partners among Premium Members. Other DFA Members can also add your freight rates to their platforms and advertise them, giving you more bookings. In addition, you can also display other Members' freight rates, expanding the geographical reach of your services.

 

What will my business gain from promoting my freight rates?

To better understand your potential competitive advantages, let's take a look at the benefits that Premium Members receive from promoting their rates:
 
Increased audience coverage of your business. Expanding your customer base is a consistent consequence of relying on direct promotion channels to reach the SeaRates audience. There is no simpler way for more than a million shippers worldwide to find out about your services than through shipping requests, as you have quotes for them.
 
Supporting current customers. The stability of the trading business requires constant quotation maintenance. By providing a wide range of market freight rates on your website, your customers will be able to book freight rates instantly, without any bureaucracy or waiting. This way, your company's trading processes are streamlined and automated in terms of lead generation.
 
Establishing your position in the market. How do you maintain your competitiveness? Prove the versatility and uniqueness of your shipping offers. There are different types of delivery, individual shipping requests, non-standard types of cargo, and many other requirements that you can respond to with a favorable rate. The process of advertising your freight rates will allow you to find the necessary customers and provide them with the best offer.

 

To Conclude

We have reviewed the significance, benefits, and straightforward step-by-step process of promoting your quote offer in today's logistics market through the popular Logistics Explorer tool. The Digital Freight Alliance, based on SeaRates services and tools, establishes a solid foundation for extensive business offerings. It's the right time to get involved in ways to streamline your supply chain and achieve financial gains.
 
Reach out to us at info@df-alliance.com to find out how you can grow your logistics business.