Yes.
I’m glad we cleared that up.
Many of you have probably read 3 Marketing Principals to Help you Recruit Truck Drivers. But there aren’t just 3 marketing principals that can help you be a better driver recruiter.
If you are a recruiter, you are a marketer.
Hopefully this revelation doesn’t worry you because it is actually fantastic news. Learning how to be a marketer is one of the easiest things to do. Why? Because there are limitless free resources available to you online that can teach you everything you need to know. Someone who recruits truck drivers for a living should be excited to learn that they are a marketer. Looking at your position from this perspective will help you approach your job in a new way.
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If I am a marketer, how does that change things?
Driver recruiters are a very diverse group. Some of you are tech savvy and are constantly looking for new and creative ways to target drivers online. You understand the basics of things like social media and content marketing. But for others, seeing themselves as marketers changes everything.
The first question any good marketer asks themselves is “who is my target audience?”
Even large fleets with lots of open positions for drivers are looking for a more targeted audience than just “drivers.” But you knew that. What is really important to know is how different types of drivers behave and consume content. If you want to know how owner-operators get their information, use resources like the Overdrive Connectivity Study. Proper targeting always begins with complete and accurate data. Marketers have this concept thrown at them constantly, but some driver recruiters may not have ever thought about ways to use data to refine the channels they use to get applications from qualified drivers.
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As a recruiter you should be researching how the marketing industry is changing.
Marketing, especially online marketing changes almost every day. Search engine optimization, new social networks and new ways of targeting prospects online are in a constant state of flux. One of the most important things any recruiter (or marketer) can do is to set aside at least a half hour every day to keep up on industry trends. Find a few blogs or websites that consistently deliver helpful content and check them regularly. You can also find podcasts, youtube channels, and other sources of content that can give you ideas for new ways to reach a targeted audience of drivers.
Realizing that marketing principals apply to your recruiting efforts opens up a whole new universe of content for you to consume and use.
Don’t be intimated by a whole new set of terms, buzzwords, and jargon. If you don’t understand what a word means or how a concept works, just Google it. Trust me, someone else has had the same question, and there are plenty of resources out there to help you find your way.
Congratulations, driver recruiters! You are now marketers. You have been all along you just maybe didn’t realize it. Recruiting qualified drivers is getting more and more competitive every day. Becoming an informed and savvy marketer will give your fleet the advantage it needs to keep your trucks on the road.
