For years, advertising in the driver recruiting world has been centered around one or two primary recruiting platforms that generally yield great results. As technology has advanced, advertising strategies have adjusted to the market. Despite those advancements, many fleets are still in the habit of dumping all of their ad spend into a single platform every month.

Not only is this strategy holding your recruiting pipeline back, but it is also potentially dangerous as even the most trusted sites fall in and out of favor over time. Taking a balanced approach is more critical than ever, especially for fleets that are working with a more stringent budget.

Why You Need to Diversify Your Advertising

It is hard to argue against Facebook as it is currently the largest source for driver recruiting, but how long will that last? For the longest time, we said that Craigslist and Indeed would always be vying for the number one spot; but now, they are nowhere near the top of the list. Much like an investment portfolio, having a diversified marketing strategy will help in the event a source falls flat. Even if you’re seeing a record number of hires from Facebook, having a contingency plan is a good idea. Here are three factors that you should consider regarding Facebook.

Facebook Is Crowded

While this might not be an earth-shattering revelation, it is a fact. Now, will Facebook stop being a powerhouse overnight? Unlikely. But there is more noise and traffic on the site than ever before. That increased traffic has resulted in two very challenging facts. First, each year it becomes more and more expensive to advertise on the Meta suite of platforms. And second, drivers are constantly bombarded with advertisements from competitors that you may not know even exist. 

Facebook Isn’t For Gen Z

Facebook, for all of its greatness, is a platform that is largely favored within older generations such as Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers. Although the bulk of drivers fall into one of these three categories, the next generation isn’t on Facebook. Look no further than the meteoric rise of platforms such as TikTok and Discord. It may not be a major factor today or tomorrow, but eventually Facebook’s inability to entice the next generation will catch up with the social media giant.

Advertising Platforms Constantly Change

Marketing platforms are constantly moving targets. They change their algorithm, their metrics, and maybe most importantly their pricing on a regular basis. When these changes come, and they will, you have to determine if the change is worth the resources.

Using the 80/20 Rule In Advertising

For those that are bold enough to venture out of your happy recruiting ground, taking a balanced and practical approach is required. This means not pouring all of your resources into a platform that is somewhat of an unknown. Even if it works for your competitor down the road, there is no guarantee that it will work for you.

This is where the 80/20 rule applies. In its most simple form, here is a breakdown of the rule:

80% of your marketing budget remains tied to the staple platforms that you know will pay off. The remaining 20% can be sliced and distributed to a variety of different options that allow you to test the water relatively risk free.

As you might have guessed, the biggest benefit to the 80/20 rule is risk mitigation. By only allocating 20% of your marketing budget to the “unknown”, you reduce any damage should a campaign on a new platform fail to pan out. In turn, this allows your marketing team to be more creative and take risks that they might otherwise have avoided.

When done correctly, the 80/20 rule will open doors that you might have otherwise missed, creating a more diversified marketing strategy that will stand the test of time.

Diversifying Your Digital Marketing Strategy

If you are not familiar with marketing on a wide variety of social media platforms, you may be hesitant to branch out – and that is OK. By devoting limited resources, you can slowly dip your toes into the marketing water and see if there is value in going back to the well. For the vast majority of fleets, this is where outsourcing to an expert team comes in handy. This approach removes the burden of training and testing on a new platform from your team.

Whether you are a social media juggernaut or just getting started building your audience, the KJ Media team can help you reach more drivers and stretch every advertising dollar you spend. Our team has been in the recruiting chair and we know the value of having a diversified recruiting pipeline that is fed through multiple channels. To learn more about our services or schedule a consultation, connect with our team.