Recruiting Session 5:

Hey guys, it’s Matt. In our last Recruiting Session, we defined driver landing pages and began counting down the top three reasons to use them. Reason 3 was that they provide a dedicated channel to speak directly to drivers. Reason 2 was that they reduce distractions. You can eliminate any information or links that would divert someone from the job opportunity. And that brings us to Reason #1 to use landing pages:

They get results

Landing pages work. Studies have proven that they have better conversion rates than general websites. In fact, the web marketing and analytics company, Omniture, found that landing pages work at least 25% better. But even without a study to prove it, these results just make sense. It’s no surprise that you’ll get a stronger response from a clear, focused message and call-to-action.

Not only does a landing page give you good results, it gives you results that are easily measured. Accomplishing this requires some back-end IT set-up, but you can and should integrate a reporting tool such as Google Analytics to track page activity. This can inform you of the total number of new or returning visitors, where they’re coming from, and how much time they’re spending on the page. Having these stats helps you track performance and make adjustments. More on that in our next Recruiting Session.

Alright, those are three key reasons to use a landing page. Let’s wrap up this session with some best practices for an effective landing page, and I’ve lumped these into two categories: distinctiveness and responsiveness.

Distinctiveness

Don’t let your pages just blend in, or smile and wave. Make them stand out. As we’ve already noted, they should stand out as separate from your main website--dedicated to particular driving positions and free of links or content that divert attention.

They should also stand out in terms of your brand. In the previous session, we talked about how the main goal of a brand is to showcase what’s unique about your business—what separates you from competitors. You want to extend that same overall brand to your landing pages, but in a way that’s driver-specific.

You’ll recall that Keep On Trucking’s brand emphasizes how they out-care the competition, so this landing page communicates that same message, just as it relates to drivers. For instance, the headline here coordinates with the one from their home page and with the company tagline, “We’ll quit when someone else cares more.” And the rest of the page supports and expands on this idea.

One more feature here that helps highlight their distinctiveness is a driver testimonials video. Letting existing drivers share their experiences can be a really powerful and credible way to speak to potential drivers. So, those are some best practices for distinctiveness. Now let’s talk responsiveness.

Responsiveness

A landing page should provide convenient ways for drivers to respond, including a phone number and link to your full application. However, these channels probably won’t generate the most leads. We’ve observed that drivers are increasingly hesitant to initiate contact with a phone call. And typically they’re going to have some questions and won’t be ready to fill out a full application until getting some answers and more details from a recruiter.

This is why you’ll get the most responses from a short form, also called a lead form. Drivers can simply enter their basic contact info, answer a couple of pre-screening questions, and then submit the form to indicate their interest and let you follow up. The form should be prominent and easy to access. Typically either the form itself or a link to it is at the top of the page.

I strongly recommend using lead forms, but here’s the catch. You’ve also got to be prepared to respond. I recently read a report that said if you follow up with a lead in the first 5 minutes, you’re 900% more likely to hire that person. Now I realize that’s a very fast response time, and if you’re strapped for staff or resources, it simply might not be possible to follow up that quickly. But if you’re going to use a lead form, then you have to establish a process for following up, preferably within an hour. Cause if not, the driver’s moving on to another opportunity.

Briefly, there’s one more way your site needs to be responsive, and that’s mobile-responsive. Recent surveys found that the main way drivers access the internet is through their smart phones. And that just makes sense. Drivers are mobile, so they’re using mobile devices. That means your landing page must be designed for use on smart phones and tablets. Otherwise, you’re missing out on your largest audience.

And with that, I think it’s time to bring this Recruiting Session in for a landing, but be sure to catch our next one. It’s on how to use advertising to direct drivers to your landing pages and job opportunities. Until then, I’m Matt.