As drastically as 2020 has shaken up our day-to-day lives, no one could have imagined just how greatly it would impact the driver recruiting landscape. As we’ve adapted and innovated to meet the ever-changing needs of truck drivers, a few trends have emerged as standouts. If you’re looking for ways to freshen up your strategy in the new year, these could be the perfect additions for 2021.

Using AI to Nurture Leads

As recruiter fatigue hits an all-time high, there’s nothing your team needs more than a reprieve from the rabbit hole of chasing down leads. Tools like Lead Assist can help nurture leads, guiding drivers through a short form via Facebook Messenger or SMS, eliminating the need for a recruiter to respond manually. Lead Assist is also incredibly effective in turning short forms into full applications. In just one month, one carrier converted 33% of the short forms collected through their Messenger campaign into full applications.

Another use case for Lead Assist is text and email nurturing to drive more full applications. After just three months of using Lead Assist Basic, one carrier generated 470 total leads at a $4 CPL. From these efforts, they made four hires and had four additional drivers in processing/orientation. Lead Assist helps add touchpoints where they matter most, alleviating stress from your recruiters and allowing them to focus their efforts elsewhere.

Virtual Hiring Events

With traditional in-person hiring events off the table for the foreseeable future, transitioning to virtual hiring events can be a great way to connect with prospective drivers in a more socially distant fashion. Not only can virtual hiring events be customized to reach your target audience, they can also cut down on the overhead cost of hosting an event – think savings on things like food and marketing collateral.

In addition to cost savings, a virtual event can take what has historically been a top-of-funnel brand awareness strategy and turn it into a highly trackable tactic. Since everything from registration to the event itself takes place online, a virtual event can help build a strong pipeline and feed digital remarketing efforts down the road. And, because we can open up these events to a larger radius and drivers can attend from anywhere in the U.S., we’ve seen higher lead volume and impressive turnout. With the success of virtual hiring events in 2020, they may be here to stay long after the pandemic is behind us.

Driver Reviews on the Rise

In Q3 2020, driver reviews increased 15%, which means that drivers are writing and consuming more content on employer branding sites. In a recent survey conducted by Conversion Interactive Agency and Professional Driver Agency, nearly 75% of drivers cited online reviews as their go-to resource when researching a new carrier, making it the #1 destination over driver referrals, job descriptions, videos, and others.

Taking control of your online reputation has never been more important. Responding to new reviews (good and bad!) is essential, as is generating new positive reviews for your company. Carriers are finding success in improving their scores on niche platforms like TruckersReport, with one company seeing a 135% increase in ratings through just one outreach campaign. Their overall rating grew from a 3.1 to a 4.2, positioning them much more favorably to those drivers who are digging in and doing their research.

If this year has taught us anything, it’s to expect the unexpected. While no one quite knows what the next few months will hold, we can call upon the strategies with proven success to help carry us through. Our team is constantly evaluating and adapting to meet the needs of our clients, and we take our role as your partner very seriously as we navigate this uncharted territory together.