Why Branding & Marketing Matter in Attracting Quality Drivers
With more trucking jobs than drivers, you’ve got to stand out. What’s your strategy? You can’t always offer the most money, the best hours, and benefits that beat the rest. So what makes you stand out?
Branding and marketing can help you find the right truckers.
You may not be convinced! The fact is, truck drivers are not attuned to a sell. They are way more interested in a great gig and a company that understands their needs than they are in a slick website, your signage, or your search engine savvy.
So how do branding and marketing matter in attracting quality drivers?
Maybe you’re eager to experiment. Maybe you’re thinking: Logo on letterhead is as far as I go, pal! I’m about substantial business, not frills.
If you don’t think branding and marketing really matter that much, or you think they might but aren’t sure how to read on. It’s way more practical than you might think. And it integrates with what you’ve already got going…
Applications: “Dress your best”
Get creative and up the ante on how you reach out to people who apply for jobs with your company.
From emails to PDFs to supplementary materials (and more on those below!), when these materials are all branded with the company logo, match corporate colors, and look like a direct extension of the company itself, truckers are getting a full-on, seamless response from you, right away.
Truckers aren’t sitting there analyzing your tactics—your brand is working on the level of the subconscious. It’s like “dressing your best” for an interview. And in this job market, the pressure is on. It’s up to you to make the first best impression.
First Contact: Screen truckers with on-brand material
Imagine applying for twenty trucking jobs online. From most of them, you’ll get an immediate response thanking you for your interest and asking for next steps. But what if, from one company, you also got a custom video module, testing your knowledge of the job you’re applying for? What if you also received a custom-made “Day in the Life of” video or documents showing exactly what you can expect from day-to-day in this job?
What are you thinking?
This business isn’t messing around.
They’re professional. They follow-up.
They don’t want just anyone. They’re trying to get the right person.
And then, you might either continue the interview process or not, depending on whether you can tell you’re suited for this job at this point.
But wait — I don’t want to turn people away from an interview! I’m short enough on drivers as it is.
Yes. But the fact is, you do not want to hire the wrong drivers for the job, ever. What you think you’re saving yourself in understaffing, you will easily lose in negotiating the problems that come with an unsuitable employee, including quitting, firing, and more frequent re-hires. That’s time and thousands of dollars that could be better spent.
Onboarding: Attract drivers by standing out
Where do drivers first interact with your brand?
There’s a psychological principle that says when you need something, your eyes are only tuned in to those things that are going to help you get what you need. When drivers encounter your brand on Indeed.com, they’re looking for salaries, hours, job descriptions, locations—the absolute basics.
Now, if your company’s a total mess and your brand can’t provide a cohesive, basic impression that you know what you’re doing, that may turn prospective truckers down. But that’s going to be the rare case.
The better question is: where do drivers first interact with your brand where it makes an actual difference?
The answer: onboarding.
Even though it’s not the first stage in the game, you know how quickly recruiting goes. Onboarding is still a very early stage in a trucker’s relationship with you. A mistake here can cost you. But a branded onboarding process can really help you find and keep the right people. Orientation starts within just a few days (or less!) of that first application, and you’re still making your first impressions. Drivers want to know they’ve made the right choice.
In onboarding and training, you respect your new drivers by not wasting their time. And don’t waste yours! A truck parked is lost revenue and a client waiting on freight. You want to get new employees onboarded as soon as possible, but:
Are you just jumping through the hoops? Or are you taking time to see that they have as high quality an experience you can offer?
Marketing is working for you during onboarding and training if:
- On-brand materials are consistent, complete, and clear
- Your whole process is quick and professional
- Training methods and requirements are all relevant
- No unnecessary in-person meetings, no needless repetition, and no overlap
Branded materials unify a driver’s first experiences with you. They professionalize them. And, if the content is good and worthwhile, they reinforce a good feeling about your company. Don’t just get it done. Seek to impress!
Brand identity: Get clear on what you’re offering
Finally, when drivers are clear on who you are, they’re clear on what kind of job(s) you’re offering. Branding weaves hiring and training into your marketing strategy and less room for guessing what kind of company and job this is. It looks great. It shows your safety training is sophisticated. It shows you care about meeting drivers where they are, making sure the success of your business relies on their confidence in working for you.
Infinit-I training modules change the way trucking does business. We move the majority of your safety training and onboarding online, and all our videos and resources that go to employees will match your logo and corporate colors for a seamless connection between training and branding. Take initiative. Stand out. Try a free demo!
