Business-to-business companies are increasingly using social media as an effective tool for communication and growth. 87% of B2B companies across all sectors are using social media. Especially in the transportation industries, owners are finding they need to reach a broader audience in order to be competitive. In commercial trucking, one marketing expert reports that 79.9% of company truckers and 69.7% of owner-operators are on social media. Twitter and Facebook are the most commonly used platforms. Recently, however, the trucking industry has a growing presence on LinkedIn as recruitment and communicating brand quality to a wider audience becomes more important. This article will discuss how you can stay competitive and even improve operations by utilizing social media for your trucking company.
UTILIZE SOCIAL MEDIA FOR YOUR TRUCKING COMPANY BY CONNECTING WITH OTHER DRIVERS
You’d be hard pressed to find a driver without a mobile phone. It is more and more common for drivers to keep in touch using mobile apps that allow them to communicate about the route including safety alerts or travel tips. While CB radios are the traditional communication device long used by drivers, this new social media connectivity can save a fleet money and time by avoiding hang-ups or even preventing accidents with a more robust archive of information. These updates can be reviewed during breaks or read aloud by the phone’s AI assistant (No distracted driving!). It also provides an educational aspect that is lost from direct radio communication in that participants can post industry news to share with the network. Groups are commonly broken down by location, truck brand, or even interests. While drivers can connect with each other by joining Facebook groups (there are many driver-centric groups that are closed, meaning you have to request permission to join) and other traditional social media avenues, there is talk of creating social networking apps that are specific to truckers.
From a logistics standpoint, fleet specific networking groups can improve operations and safety for drivers while keeping fleet managers more informed with real-time reports. Fleet managers can also network with each other through joining groups and get advice or share recommendations of who another manager can contact if they’re having a specific issue. Niche professionals can connect with each other on an exponential level using social media. You never know when a tip, an alert, or a piece of news might lead to improving your own operations.
UTILIZE SOCIAL MEDIA FOR YOUR TRUCKING COMPANY BY RECRUITING NEW DRIVERS
The commercial trucking industry has been experiencing a shortage of drivers. One of the main reasons for this is that current drivers are aging out. The average age of a for-hire driver is 46, according to the American Trucking Associations. There is also a very low number of truckers who are women—less than 7%. Industry leaders are hoping to turn this around. Additionally, the DRIVE Safe Act, which was introduced to the House of Representatives in February, would allow CDL carrying drivers under the age of 21 to do interstate routes. All of these efforts call for new and improved recruiting strategies that reach a broader audience.
Enter social media. Recruiting through social media platforms requires creativity and commitment. Though it may be more work, the returns will likely be better than what you get from putting a want ad in the paper. While the transportation industry is not necessarily glamorous, it is pivotal to our country’s operation and somewhat mysterious since companies are just starting to get into the social media game. You can create interesting and eye-catching content in the form of infographics, professional looking pictures of your fleet and on-the-road snapshots, links to original articles being written by your company, quick tips for drivers or suppliers, and more. Developing a foundation of valuable content that is interesting, accessible, and reflects your brand will help generate interest in networking with you.
When you’re new to social media, the perfect leads won’t flock to you right away. You will have to do some work to reach out and build a meaningful network. Follow any industry partners you may have, all of your employees (and ask them to follow the company page back), people who seem like they could be potential recruitment leads, and anyone else who might be interested in your content. When people receive a follow or a friend request, they will commonly check out this new connection. If your foundation of content is good, it’s more likely people will want to keep up with your company.
When you are ready to publish job postings, use your social media to announce that you’re looking for new talent and provide a mobile friendly link to a simple, initial application. While your overall interview process will, of course, be more extensive, you want to make this initial contact as smooth and easy as possible.
UTILIZE SOCIAL MEDIA FOR YOUR TRUCKING COMPANY BY EXPANDING BRAND AWARENESS
One of the best perks about marketing through social media is that having an account is free. All of the foundational content we discussed above will attract the attention of top talent because it boosts your brand in the industry and shows off the wonderful qualities of your leaders.
While Facebook and Twitter are popular for connecting with everyday people by answering comments, sharing success stories, and announcing other company news, LinkedIn is a popular site for B2B connections and provides a platform for company leaders to build their professional brand by having their own personal profiles as well. Enhancing a leader’s reputation can generate interest in the company as a whole. Showing that you are connected, responsive, and knowledgeable on social media can lay a foundation of trust with potential clients.
All major social media platforms also provide the opportunity to buy advertising. Marketing through social media can happen organically by posting frequently, responding to comments, etc. However, if you want to boost your reach to those who are not yet following you, paid advertising across the site can be really successful. And while you will be putting money down for these ads, they usually aren’t as expensive as other ad outlets. One report from LinkedIn found that, on average, you will spend $57 on reaching 1,000 people through direct mail but only $3 to reach 1,000 people with social media ads. These ads are directed to people who are most likely to be interested based on their recent web activity. One study found that the main reason, by far, that B2B companies buy social media advertising is for lead generation which is where these targeted ads can help.
No matter the size of your fleet, developing a marketing strategy that incorporates strong, organic content with targeted ads has a good chance of gaining you more customers and good employees. It can also ultimately increase the value of your fleet, which you’ll be glad for if you intend to sell it in the future.
DEVELOP YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY
Now that you know the benefits of utilizing social media for your trucking company, how are you going to make it a meaningful part of your overall strategy?
First, consider what your objectives are with using social media. Have a clear message and brand that you are promoting. Don’t just tell people what your services are over and over again—they can go to your website and see that. Are you trying to engage existing customers? Develop new leads? Promote brand awareness? Consider touching on your company culture and highlighting the personalities of your leaders as part of what makes your brand unique.
Do your research on where potential customers are most likely to be. Research where your top competitors are already posting and what types of posts are getting the most attention. Social media is a frontier of possibilities: don’t shy away from starting an account somewhere your competition may already have a presence. If there is a major social media platform that doesn’t seem to have a lot of companies from your industry in it, consider why. It may just be your chance to dominate that space.
What will put you above and beyond is if you actually measure the impact your social media is having and use this feedback to improve your brand, messaging, customer relations, and more. Once you’ve defined what your objectives are for engaging on social media, come up with realistic ways you can measure if you are achieving your goals. If increased customer engagement is a goal, then track how often customers are liking, sharing, or commenting on your posts. If generating leads is your goal, track how many new leads have come from your social media presence.
If possible, consider hiring a social media manager part-time or even full-time so that they can engage frequently with followers and customers. If part of your brand is superior customer service and communication, this consistent engagement will be the proof in the pudding. If your business ever has extra money on hand, this is one way you can invest in growth.
Even if you’re new to the scene on social media, the potential to boost your brand and improve your business is endless. There are thousands of possible leads out in the digital world—go get ‘em!
