Recruiting is essentially marketing. And if you have paid attention to marketing trends in the last five years or so, you have probably come across the concept of content marketing. It’s all the rage these days. But does it fit within the realm of recruiting truck drivers?
The short answer is yes. However, it isn’t that simple.
Recruiting isn’t exactly like B2B or B2C marketing. You have something drivers need — a job. But with a significant driver shortage and extremely high turnover rate, competition for good drivers becomes pretty intense.
This intensity brings demand to the world of driver recruiting. You have quotas for applications, hires, drivers in orientation, and so on. Because of this demand you align your recruiting dollars to tactics that drive volume and results. Adding expensive content into that mix could drive up your cost-per-hire. And additionally, I’m not sure drivers really want to look at infographics when they need a job ASAP!
I wouldn’t recommend content marketing as the central strategy to capturing driver applications. However, content marketing does play a role in recruiting drivers. Content marketing should play a central role in both retaining drivers you hire and branding to increase inbound marketing.
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Driver Retention
Life on the road is hard, and being a professional driver is not an easy career. As a fleet you can establish a steady flow of content assisting drivers. Think broad here. Your fleet should be a lifestyle brand for drivers. Entertainment, life hacks, advice, financial management, health, and reviews are all great avenues to pursue. Show drivers you care by providing them with content that makes their life easier.
Better yet, give your drivers a voice and enjoy the benefits of user-generated content. Allow them to share stories, opinions, and reviews. Create online communities allowing drivers to connect with one another in meaningful ways.
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Branding to Increase Inbound Marketing
As you start your lifestyle brand providing a constant stream of content, share that content outside of your fleet. In fact, encourage drivers from other fleets to contribute to your brand. The goal here is to get drivers used to seeing great content with your brand attached to it. Let them see you taking care of your drivers. There is no better branding than great content attributed to your brand.
And what effect does the branding have?
What we have seen is an increase in inbound leads, or drivers seeking you out when the job hunt begins. And statistically this type of inbound lead will convert better and cost half that of an outbound lead.
So there you go. Content marketing does belong in the world of recruiting drivers. This blog post doesn’t cover every nuance, but it does give you a great place to start. Focus on driver retention and increasing inbound leads. Both areas are key to reducing your cost-per-hire and saving your fleet money.
