Yes…
But also no.
Carriers still need to be advertising on the platform and building a presence. However, long gone are the days of relying on a Facebook lead generation campaign to be the foundation of your recruitment.
Let’s take a look at how Facebook advertising has changed and the direction it is heading.
- The Golden Era of Facebook Ads for Driver Recruitment
- Current State of Recruiting on Facebook
- Predicting Facebook’s Future
The Golden Era of Facebook Ads for Driver Recruitment
Not so long ago, Facebook was the number one producer of driver leads. With 96% of all drivers being on the platform, no site could match Facebook’s reach.
96% of drivers were on Facebook and they spent on average 2 hours per day on the platform.
Throw in the advanced level of targeting that Facebook provided advertisers and campaigns were performing at unbelievably high levels.
To put this into context, today Meramec Solutions aims to have our campaigns achieve a $25 cost-per-lead by the end of the month. From our experience, we have that this is the benchmark for a campaign that has high quality and quantity.
During the Golden Era of Facebook ads, we could run lead generation campaigns that resulted in $10 cost-per-lead. Not only did Facebook provide more quantity, but the quality was also higher.
All of the driver leads from Facebook during the golden era were direct. There were never any multi-carrier or matched leads.
Like everything else that is great in this world, the Golden Era came to an end. Now people are trying to figure out what is the best use for Facebook.
Current State of Recruiting on Facebook
Earlier this year Facebook updated its employment advertising policies to prevent employment discrimination.
These updates severely restrict the amount of targeting recruiters can use to promote their open positions. For example, you cannot change the age targeting from 18-65+. Even though 18-year-olds are not legally allowed to drive a semi, carriers cannot exclude them from seeing the job ads.
The targeting on Facebook is now far more restricted, but the audience and their attention are still there.
You need to keep advertising and building your presence on Facebook.
However, in Facebook’s current state you cannot rely on it to be your base for generating driver leads. Facebook needs to be moved higher up the lead generation funnel. It is great for getting your company in front of the eyes of drivers and developing your driver brand.
Building your driver brand on Facebook will lead to a higher conversion rate on other job boards or when your recruiters call them. This is because drivers will be familiar with your company and be interested in driving for you if you have an attractive offer.
Predicting Facebook’s Future
The future of driver recruiting on Facebook looks bleak.
Earlier this year Apple and Google both implemented features on their operating systems that allows users to block Facebook’s cross-platform ad-tracking.
Not only are tech competitors restricting Facebook, but the United States government is also targeting the social media giant. There is bipartisan support in D.C. for breaking up Facebook and some of the companies it owns (Instagram and WhatsApp).
The government fears that Facebook has become a social media monopoly. If Facebook does get split up, that would put an end to recruiters being able to advertise on Instagram and WhatsApp from the Facebook Ads Manager portal.
Despite all of this, Facebook will still have the largest truck driver audience and attention. It remains a crucial part of any driver recruiting campaign.
The increasing number of challenges with Facebook advertising is further reason for you to hire an expert. Fill out the form below and speak to a Meramec expert today!
