If you’re recruiting truck drivers, you’re probably using all sorts of advertising channels: landing pages, email, search engine marketing, pay-per-click, social media, PURL campaigns, newspaper, radio, job boards… but one of the forgotten and misunderstood channels is blogging. There are many fantastic benefits to integrating blogs to recruit drivers, and we want to help you do it right.
Optimizing your trucking company blog posts will enhance your overall strategy. It’s about taking what you have, then figuring out ways to make it even better. Here we go!
Step 1: Calls-to-Action
When it comes to optimizing your blog posts for lead generation, calls-to-action (CTAs) are your best friends. Lead generation CTAs are designed to take visitors to landing pages, where they can then fill out forms in exchange for valuable resources. Example: a free guide on “Tips to Making More Money as a Truck Driver”
Tip: Put your CTA at the end of your post, leading your readers to take an action after they finish reading your blog.
SEE ALSO: 5 Steps to Create Effective CTAs When Recruiting Drivers
Use a secondary CTA – If your site’s visitors aren’t interested in what you’re offering in your primary CTA, make sure you give them a second opportunity to engage. Here are a few types:
- Blog Subscription – If someone is reading your content, there’s a good chance that they’ll be interested in future content that you post. This is a good way to capture their data and continue that relationship with potential drivers.
- Connect on Social Media – Make it as easy as possible for your readers to follow you on social media by showcasing your social platforms. If all they have to do is click a button to follow you, they will be more likely to do it.
- Blog Comments – Many blogs end their posts by encouraging readers to comment and share their thoughts on your article. You can say something like, “Comment below to share your thoughts,” or ask them a question based on the topic. The goal is to get more people engaging with your brand.
Step 2: Blog Post Headlines
Writing great headline copy is essential when it comes to getting visitors to read–and, ultimately, convert on–your trucking company’s blog. Your headline needs to 1) be optimized for SEO 2) be engaging and interesting so people will read your blog once they discover it. Try these tips:
- Put target keywords near the front of your headlines – Keeping a target keyword or phrase closer to the front of your headline can be beneficial for SEO and discoverability.
- Keep headlines to 65 characters or less – Search engines won’t recognize long headlines, so by delivering a short, concise headline, you can make sure your full message gets across to search engine users. Plus, the shorter it is, the more likely your visitors will take the time to read it.
- Use brackets to call out content formats – Have an infographic, video, SlideShare, or other cool piece of content embedded in your blog post? Make sure everyone knows about it! Use brackets [ ] in your headline to highlight content.
- Example: How to Stay Healthy On the Road [CHECKLIST]
Tip: Write your blog post first, then go back and brainstorm the best possible headline.
SEE ALSO: How to Write Better Email Subject Lines & Recruit More Drivers
Step 3: Links and Anchor Text
When crafting a blog post, you should always try to include links to other relevant pages and posts on your site. This offers SEO value. By linking to a page, you’re telling the search engines, “Hey, this page is important.” What’s more, you’re letting search engines know what that page is about.
Internal linking can also help move people through your site, creating more opportunities for them to engage with your brand and (ideally) convert into leads and drivers. Here are a few pointers:
Link to pages that are already ranking highly in search – To boost your blog post SEO efforts, include internal links to your highest-ranking pages. This tells search engines that your blog is legitimate and holds validity, resulting in better search engine results.
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If you link to the same page multiple times in a post, make sure the first link is keyword-optimized – It’s not uncommon to link to the same internal page multiple times in a single blog post. However, search engines really only care about the first link. So, make sure your anchor text for the first link includes the keywords you’re trying to target.
- Link to your new posts from your old posts – Writing about a topic that you’ve written about before? Help give your new post a little extra SEO authority by going back to an old, related blog post that gets a lot of traffic. Edit it to add a link to your new blog post. Hit save and you’re done!
Confused by anchor text? Check out this article from Moz.
We hope these tips to optimize your trucking company blog posts have been helpful!
Comment on our blog with your thoughts or questions. Need help with recruiting truck drivers or enhancing your driver recruitment advertising strategy? Contact the Hightower Agency, one of the top driver recruitment advertising agencies in the industry.
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