Today’s trucking fleets are all competing for the same drivers. Whether you are just trying to net the most quality drivers possible or more focused on specifically landing more niche drivers (flatbed, team, women, or former military), fleets need to find a way to reach the desired prospective drivers.
One way fleets and recruiters can target drivers is with content marketing. Content marketing can be a very effective way to target and provide prospective drivers with information and content that is relevant to them.
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Advantages of Content Marketing
- Content can be distributed to the desired prospective drivers at regular intervals without overwhelming the prospects.
- Even if a driver is currently with another fleet or decides to go with another fleet instead of yours, staying in contact with them with quality content, you will never be far from thought.
- When a driver is ready to make the move to a new fleet, by maintaining a nurturing relationship with them through your content, you have a significant advantage over competing fleets.
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As with any topic or industry it’s important to make sure your content conforms to the 3 pillars of content marketing.
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1. Value
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2. Relevance
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3. Frequency
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Applying these principles to content ensures you always supply quality content to prospects. But what kind of topics or areas should the content address that drivers will find useful? Here are four ways you can ensure your driver recruiting content is quality content.
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1. Tell them about your fleet.
This can sometimes prove to be tricky, but is still very important. The focus of your content always needs to be the intended readers and what they find significant, in this case, prospective drivers. This means the goal should always be to supply them with useful, informative, or entertaining content that they find valuable.
So, while you don’t want to make everything about you or your fleet, it is okay to tell them about it. Be careful to make it about more than just you. What is it about your fleet that current drivers love? Have there been any recent changes to your fleet or policies? What makes you stand out from competing fleets? But most importantly, how do these things relate to or help drivers?
The content can’t just be about you. To make it meaningful for the intended audience you have to be able to show them how it relates to them. If your fleet gives above average sign-on bonuses, perhaps you could create content about what your drivers have done with their increased bonuses. This tactic allows you to talk about your fleet and how beneficial your bonuses are, but at the same time shift the focus to the drivers themselves. Which brings me to my next point.
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2. Regularly highlight driver-created content if possible.
One thing we know for sure is that drivers trust other drivers. They love to hear from and about other drivers’ experiences. Word of mouth is very important and can be a key factor in a driver’s final decision. Showcase any driver-generated content you can to show drivers just how happy and productive the drivers of your fleet are.
This doesn’t necessarily have to be content directly contributed by drivers (although that wouldn’t hurt), but something as simple as highlighting a particular driver or team and their travels throughout the country could be an interesting form of content to supply to potential future fleet drivers. This type of driver-centric content can prove to be quite popular.
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3. Be informative or educational.
Another key factor is to be informative. Drivers need to keep up to date with the industry. Producing content that talks about the latest buzz, trends, or even new regulations is a great way to make sure your content provides the valuable information drivers crave.
This is also another way to segue into exactly how your fleet in particular is dealing with or addressing changes in the industry and how it effects fleet drivers.
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4. Produce entertaining content.
Last but not least, provide content that is entertaining. It doesn’t have to be over the top, silly, or completely irrelevant, but something a little more lighthearted never hurt anyone.
Funny YouTube videos, podcast discussions, or articles and lists with a more humorous slant can be a way to hook drivers and keep them coming back for more.
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Who are you trying to reach with your content?
Adhering to the three pillars of content marketing and generating content that entertains, informs, is driver-centric/generated, or tells them about your fleet can help you produce quality content that drivers find enjoyable and valuable.
Regardless of how many or what kind of driver you need, content is a great way to gain and keep their attention moving forward. Consistently putting out quality content can lead to recruiting success.