Since the beginning of the pandemic, droves of American workers have been voluntarily resigning from their jobs during a phenomenon now coined “The Great Resignation.” Employers have caught on to the idea that they need to devote some resources to marketing their business as a place potential employees want to apply if they want to fill open positions.
Now we’ve entered into a new phase: “The Great Reshuffle.” More than half of Americans who resigned switched their field of work altogether. Others quit their jobs not necessarily to move up on the pay scale but because they’re looking for a different working environment, flexibility with hours or because they want to work fully remote or on-site. As workers’ values shuffle, so too should marketers’. We’d love to help you stack your recruitment marketing deck so the shuffle lands in your favor.
1. Attract the best talent with proactive recruitment marketing.
First and foremost, it’s important to incorporate recruitment marketing into your regular marketing mix and maintain a steady drip. As more employees reshuffle, there is less downtime for business leaders between searching for an employee and having a full workforce. Just as companies constantly market products and services, they should be sharing messages about what it’s like to work at their company, their company culture and other perks that set them apart from industry competitors as an employer.
“Recruitment marketing should be always on,” said Brett Adams, Trilix president and chief marketing officer. “If it’s something you have to dust off when you’re down workers, your company’s productivity is going to suffer.”
Additionally, companies are finding it more difficult to find skilled workers and those with diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
“A consistent recruitment marketing effort allows a skilled worker to learn about your brand and why your organization would be a great place to work,” said Travis Ziemke, Trilix media director. “They might not be looking now, but they may be interested in learning more when you have an opening.”
2. Craft your breakthrough message.
It’s not as easy as it used to be for employers to secure skilled workers simply by offering competitive pay. Employees want to know about paid time off and other benefits, remote work opportunities, work-life balance, company culture, organizational values and more. One example, Trilix recently partnered with a client to showcase the vast amount of job opportunities that are part of the company and share what an actual day is like for those employees. Our Video Department shadowed several employees to create a Day in the Life video series.
Employees have more choices than ever before, so you have to educate people on why your experience is better than the other employers who may be offering similar benefits and targeting the exact same potential employee.
Brett Adams, Trilix president and chief marketing officer
“Employees have more choices than ever before, so you have to educate people on why your experience is better than the other 10 employers who may be offering similar benefits and targeting the exact same potential employee,” Brett advised. “If you want to attract top talent, give them an inside look at what it’s like to work within your company.”
3. Share your message far and wide.
If you want to get your message onto the screens, into the search results and in the social media feeds of specifically skilled workers, a paid media strategy is a must. Digital marketing efforts allow you to target online users based on education level, previous work experience, geographic location, income level and more so your message is served to those who would be most interested and those you’re most interested in recruiting.
If someone is on Google and searching ‘IT jobs in central Iowa,’ for instance, there’s a good chance they’re qualified for your IT job, and they are intending to apply to open positions.
Travis Ziemke, media director at Trilix
“Paid search advertising, especially, is often a popular choice for recruitment marketing,” Travis said. “If someone is on Google and searching ‘IT jobs in central Iowa,’ for instance, there’s a good chance they’re qualified for your IT job, and they are intending to apply to open positions. Marketers want their digital ad to appear at the top of search results.”
And while digital marketing efforts can allow you to zero in on a demographic subset, it may be a good idea to cast a wide net because so many employees with unique perspectives switched their career field entirely in the last few years.
Digital marketing strategies shouldn’t be your only paid marketing effort, however. Advertising through industry trade publications, radio and TV spots and outdoor ads can still help you reach a relevant group of potential employees.
4. Use owned channels.
Take advantage of your brand’s owned channels when recruiting. While posting open positions on your company’s website may seem like a no-brainer, don’t forget the power of integrating your message in social media posts, newsletters, blogs and more. In addition to sharing open positions, regularly communicating about company culture and brand values, providing an inside look at the organization and offering employee appreciation on your owned channels speaks volumes to industry peers who may jump at the chance to join your workforce.
As a social media platform for professionals, LinkedIn offers a variety of features perfect for recruitment efforts. Brands should regularly share updates about what sets their company and employees apart on the organization’s business page. Posting open positions on LinkedIn is also a requirement in this day and age; 50 million people use LinkedIn to search for jobs each week.
It’s also a great idea to network with young professionals through owned channels. We recently helped a client gain awareness with high school- and college-aged students about all the career possibilities as a direct support professional. Videos and blog posts featuring interviews with current direct support professionals provide the target audience insight into these specific positions.
5. Don’t forget your trump card: Visuals.
Dynamic visuals with compelling copy always make for a dynamite marketing effort, but this pairing is even more essential with recruitment marketing. What provides better insight to prospective employees than pictures of your workplace or videos featuring your employees’ testimonials?
Our Media Department was recently working to help a factory in central Iowa fill hundreds of open positions. The target audience may likely have been aware of the business’s footprint within the community, but they had never gotten a peek at the pristine, top-notch facility that they were shown in the recruitment campaign.
“The visuals were bright, attractive and showed the impeccable equipment and appearance of the workers,” Travis said. “It really helped ad performance.”
As you anticipate your company’s recruitment needs today and years into the future, remember that a proactive, always-on marketing strategy will help your organization during the Great Reshuffle — and beyond.