Conversion Interactive Agency Explains How to Win at Driver Recruiting

At Conversion Interactive Agency, we see today’s driver shortage as a critical problem in the trucking industry. According to the American Trucking Association, there is currently a shortage of more than 25,000 truck drivers in the United States. In addition, truck driver turnover remains extremely high. Turnover at trucking companies in the fourth quarter of 2014 was 96 percent for large fleets and 95 percent for smaller fleets. Growing freight volumes, regulations and expected attrition have led to a driver shortage that has grown to dangerous proportions. In an effort to improve the driver situation, we are providing these tips to help you win in your recruitment and retention efforts.

Create a Plan of Action

The first step to winning in your recruitment and retention strategy is to develop a plan that produces real results. Developing a clearly defined driver marketing strategy is critical for recruiting drivers. At Conversion Interactive Agency, we know that part of that marketing must be digital and social media. Carriers that are successful in recruitment are using a variety of strategies that may include:

• Search Engine Marketing
• Remarketing
• Geo-Targeting
• Performance Marketing
• Text and Call Blasts Campaigns
• Job Boards
• Social Marketing
• Social Advertising

Incorporate Video

At Conversion Interactive Agency, we are well aware how influential video is in today’s marketing world. Statistics indicate that 59 percent of viewers will watch a video that is less than one minute long and that mobile video is shared by 92 percent of those who view them. An email with a video link included has a click-through rate of 250 percent and video on landing pages can increase conversions by 80 percent. For those of you who believe no one is interested in a trucking industry video, consider the fact that there are 1,000 truck driver videos viewed each month on a variety of media. Tips for using video in your recruitment campaign include incorporating user-generated videos or how-to tutorials that explain how to survive life on the road.

Content is Critical

The point of content is to create as many points of entry to your company as possible. You do this by providing blogs, white papers, articles and infographics. This doesn’t mean your content must always be a sales pitch for drivers. It can provide valuable information, answer questions drivers may have or engage the person who is reading it in some way. Consider that Facebook users check their mobile app up to 14 times per day or that the average American spends 60 hours per week consuming content through various devices, and it is easy to see why content provided through social media and other digital outlets is critical to your driver recruitment and retention strategy.

Leverage Your Data

One of the biggest mistakes we see at Conversion Interactive Agency is trucking companies that do not use the data they have available. Weekly, you have data regarding drivers who did not show up for orientation. Developing a formal strategy for dealing with no-shows is one way to leverage that data in order to reach out to those drivers who were approved but never showed for orientation. Companies have access to partner data on a regular basis that can provide them with information on advertising, remarketing and other types of campaigns. You also already have data on rehires that can be used to develop Facebook advertising, email campaigns and other methods that target rehires.

If you are ready to begin a winning strategy for driver recruitment and retention, contact Conversion Interactive Agency today to see how they can assist you in creating the best campaign available. You can find them online or follow them on social media.