What is marketing at its core? Marketing isn’t just an art, it isn’t a necessary evil, and it certainly isn’t a synonym for public relations. At the end of the day, marketing is selling a product to an audience.
Many things about marketing are universal. It doesn’t matter if you are marketing toothpaste or headphones or coffee; many of the principles of marketing remain the same. In the case of recruiting truck drivers, the product you are selling is your company as an employer. There is a lot that recruiters can learn from the marketing industry.
Here are 3 general principles that can help your recruit more drivers:
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Know your audience.
Any marketer that doesn’t apply this principle at least a few times a day isn’t doing his or her job properly. Every time you write a blog article, a piece of copy, or anything that will end up in front of potential applicants, you have to keep your reader in mind.
This should affect your vocabulary and tone just as much as it does your choice of topics. Write about topics that truck drivers are interested in, but don’t limit yourself to just trucking-related content.
Look into the demographics of drivers already at your company as well as unique habits of drivers you need to recruit. Get truck drivers interested in what your company has to say, and pretty soon they will be interested in driving for you.
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Find your audience.
Most of us have a marketing medium that we are exceptionally comfortable with. Some of us like using online advertising, others prefer print or even television.
Your choice of where and how you spend your advertising budget shouldn’t be dictated by your comfort level.
Do your homework and find out all about the media consumption habits of not just truck drivers in general but the specific type of driver you are looking for (owner-operators, team drivers, specific certifications, etc). Don’t assume that the type of driver you need is a stereotypical truck driver, or you might find advertising dollars being far less effective than you need them to be.
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Impress your audience.
Your company’s brand is more than just putting a logo on some pens and handing them out at an event. Your company needs a consistent message that will grab the attention of every truck driver that comes across it. Your company might pay especially well, or you may want to emphasize the community that your drivers enjoy. Maybe your company works especially hard to take care of their drivers or to give them specific perks.
Whatever your company’s “hook” is it need to be concisely and consistently emphasized as you reach out to find the drivers you need.
Your website should be easy to use and sharply designed, print advertisements should leap from the page, and PPC ads should be A/B tested and carefully worded.
Take a step back from your current recruiting efforts and see if some of these principles can help your company recruit more drivers just by paying attention to a few details and doing some basic research. It may take some time, but that time is an investment worth making.
