In 2011, Starbucks removed its brand name from its logo, yet no one had trouble recognizing the familiar green branding. If you see double yellow arches, you think of McDonald’s. You glimpse an exit with the Shell logo from miles away and know what type of gas station you’re going to get.
These are all examples of companies that have built up fantastic brand awareness — where people recognize them by their branding, no matter the context. There’s a lot that companies can learn from this type of branding, and if you want to see success in the trucking industry, you must know how to build brand awareness.
When people recognize your brand, it helps attract and recruit the best hires while also standing out to customers and setting yourself apart from competitors. Don’t forget that your brand is a valuable asset that you can strengthen.
Here are some of the best ways to build brand awareness and stand out in the trucking industry.
1. Create Memorable Touchpoints
On average, it takes about eight touchpoints (moments of interaction with the audience you want to reach) to make a sale. If we think about recruiting new workers, the desired outcome is to get high-quality applications and ultimately hire the best drivers.
You also want to maintain many touchpoints at once. You want to create memorable interactions with your audience and do it better than your competition.
Touchpoints could include:
- Facebook posts
- Instagram pictures or videos
- Social media stories
- Social media polls
- Blog posts and whitepapers
- Company videos
- Email newsletters
- Website visits
- Online ads
- Infographics
Think about engaging and strategic content you can create and share, and put yourself in a potential recruit’s shoes.
2. Build Trust with Great Online Content
Let’s say a driver sees a Facebook video ad from you, likes it, and clicks through to your company page. They see a blog post you’ve shared and click through to it.
Over time, they see your posts and follow you on other social media channels. About a month later, the driver is thinking about leaving their company and visits your LinkedIn page. Maybe they look up reviews from other people who have worked for you.
Eventually, that driver clicks through to your website and fills out an application.
The driver has your fleet at the top of their mind because you’ve built up your brand awareness through meaningful touchpoints. Awareness has a massive impact on your lead funnel.
Also, keep in mind that your brand awareness is as strong as your weakest touchpoint. Focus on high-quality content that your target audience will relate to.
3. Pay Attention to the Data
Always watch how your brand awareness efforts are performing. Without the numbers, you’re mostly taking a shot in the dark.
If you’re working with a marketing or recruiting company, they should have key performance metrics on online ads, click-through rates, and more. That will help you shape your content to increase your brand awareness.
At AMG Driver Driver Recruitment, we report on page views, engagement rates, click-through rates, time spent on the content, and more. And that’s just one part of our recruiting and marketing process, which includes reaching passive candidates who will think of you when they’re ready to job hunt. Learn more about how we work here.
4. Understand How Long It Takes to Build Brand Awareness
Brand awareness doesn’t grow overnight. It takes time to make people aware of your company and what it has to offer. Depending on the industry, it can take months or years to build up the type of brand awareness you have in mind.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t make great strides with an effective plan. Multiple touchpoints, targeted ads, and an aggressive strategy will take you leaps and bounds beyond your competition over time.