Comprehensive Marketing Strategy of BNSF: STP & Campaigns

Updated on: Dec 1, 2022

In our previous article, we discussed the marketing strategy of RITES. In this article, we are going to discuss the marketing strategy of BNSF.

One of the fundamental abilities you need to operate a business is marketing. You can present your brand to the world with the aid of marketing. But currently, digital marketing is overtaking traditional marketing in importance.

Being digital lets brands interact with their audience directly due to the rise in internet usage around the world.

If you want to understand the fundamentals of this new digital marketing talent, Karan Shah, the CEO and Founder of IIDE, will be offering a free masterclass.

Now without any hustle and bustle let’s get to the Marketing Strategy of BNSF. First, let’s learn about the company in detail.

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About BNSF

marketing strategy of bnsf - bnsf logo

Source – www.american-rails.com

The holding company that was established on September 22, 1995, was the first step in the construction of BNSF.

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, also known as the “Santa Fe,” and the Burlington Northern Railroad were acquired by this new holding company, which on December 31, 1996, effectively united the two railroads to establish the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway.

The railroad’s name was formally changed to BNSF Railway Company on January 24, 2005, using the initials of the previous name.

With 32500 miles of rail spanning the western two-thirds of the country, BNSF maintains one of the biggest freight railroad networks in North America.

The main operating subsidiary of parent firm Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC is the BNSF Railway Company. The parent corporation of the railroad, with its main office in Fort Worth, Texas, is a fully-owned subsidiary of Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire Hathaway, Inc.Kathryn Farmer is the CEO at the moment. 

The BNSF Railway is one of North America’s top intermodal freight transporters, according to business news releases. Additionally, it transports bulk freight, such as enough coal to provide around 25% of the country’s electricity needs.

Quick Stats 

CEO Kathryn Farmer
CMO Steve Bobb
Area Served Western, Midwestern and Southern United States, Western Canada
Industry Freight Railroads
Revenue $23.3 billion (2021)
Vision To realize BNSF’s tremendous potential by providing transportation services that consistently meet our customers’ expectations
Tagline Accessible, productive, growing

 

Marketing Strategy of BNSF- 

Let’s talk about STP Analysis before we evaluate the marketing strategy of BNSF.

Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning 

Segmentation – BNSF segments its services into – Transportation of chemicals, coal, food and food products, forest products, grain and grain products, intermodal, metals and minerals, and automobiles and parts.

Targeting – BNSF targets businesses that need transportation & logistics services.

Positioning – BNSF is positioned as North America’s leading railroad network.

Marketing Campaigns 

  • THE MARCH FOR BABIES Campaign

marketing strategy of bnsf - marketing campaign

Fort Worth’s March for Babies attracted 50 BNSF employees and family members who are proud to be a part of the Dallas-Fort Worth community. The three-mile trek was in full effect for the first time since the outbreak.

The March of Dimes, a nonprofit organisation that works to improve the health of all mothers and infants through advocacy, research, and educational initiatives, is the sponsor of the March for Babies.

Zero newborn and delivery fatalities are the ultimate objectives. The March for Babies campaign in Dallas-Fort Worth raised more than $1 million this year, while the neighbourhood walk raised $37,000.

Social Media Marketing 

  • LinkedIn – 153K 
  • Twitter – 45.1K

BNSF is not much active on social media. They are present on only LinkedIn and Twitter. In which they have the maximum number of followers on LinkedIn. They mostly post promotional content about the brand.

SEO Strategies 

marketing strategy of bnsf - ubersuggest seo screenshot

Source – Ubersuggest 

According to the SEO Standards, organic keywords below 500 are bad, above 1000 are good, 10,000+ is amazing and as seen BNSF has 139K+ organic keywords which are amazing. 

As for traffic, they have 207K monthly visits which are impressive as above 20000 visits a month is good. This shows that BNSF is planning and executing its SEO Strategy wisely.

Influencer Marketing 

BNSF being a freight railroads company does not use any kind of influencer marketing. It is okay for BNSF to skip this marking method as it does not affect the business much.

E-Commerce Strategies 

BNSF does not have any E-commerce site to book services. They should try building an E-commerce site so the customers can book services online as well. BNSF should consider e-commerce if they are willing to go global.

Mobile Apps 

BNSF has an app on Google Play Store RailPASS with 3+ ratings and 50T+ downloads. As BNSF is not available worldwide. This app is only available in the places they provide services. This app is not available in India.

Content Marketing Strategies 

BNSF publishes some Blogs and Press Releases on their official website for their audience apart from their engagement on social media platforms.

This brings us to the end of the marketing strategy of BNSF.

Digital Marketing Academic Challenge 2024 - DMAC

What’s Unique about the marketing strategy of BNSF?

Let’s quickly review the topics we covered in this post to identify the distinctive aspects of BNSF’s marketing approach. BNSF has been positioned as North America’s leading railroad network in particular because it segments its market and is clear about its target market.

They do a decent job of using social media for promotion, and as for their target market, LinkedIn is where they are most engaged. They prosper thanks to some incredible SEO tactics.

They have not yet engaged in influencer and e-commerce marketing, but they are free to do so in the future.

In conclusion, the marketing strategy of BNSF is sound.

You may have realised by the end of the post how important digital marketing is to every aspect of marketing strategy. If you want to master this modern skill, taking a 4-month online digital marketing course will make learning it simple and quick.

IIDE Knowledge Portal offers many of these innovative marketing tactics available for you to read.

We appreciate you reading the entire post. We value every opinion and suggestion you share in the space below.

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Author's Note:

My name is Aditya Shastri and I have written this case study with the help of my students from IIDE's online digital marketing courses in India.

Practical assignments, case studies & simulations helped the students from this course present this analysis.

Building on this practical approach, we are now introducing a new dimension for our online digital marketing course learners - the Campus Immersion Experience.

If you found this case study helpful, please feel free to leave a comment below.

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Aditya Shastri

Lead Trainer & Head of Learning & Development at IIDE

Leads the Learning & Development segment at IIDE. He is a Content Marketing Expert and has trained 6000+ students and working professionals on various topics of Digital Marketing. He has been a guest speaker at prominent colleges in India including IIMs......[Read full bio]

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