Spoiler Alert… hiring has changed. But if you have been awake the past 5 years, and are in the HR space at all, you know that all too well. In this brief piece, I’m only taking a look at this through the lenses of marketing & advertising.

The pandemic, economic and political changes, new generations coming on the scene, and increased reliance on technology all play a role in how things have shifted. But, today we’re not talking about the WHY, we’re talking about the WHAT. What we need to do now to change our strategy and think a few steps ahead of our competitors (or at least catch up to them so we even the playing field).

3 Ways You Need to Switch Up Your Workforce Marketing Strategy

1. If you did it in 2019, RE-EVALUATE IT
   • Anything pre-pandemic deserves a hard look. The world has changed. Your audience has changed. And your competitors surely are not using the same strategies.
   • MEASURE the results on everything you do. You will see clear performers. Start there and work your way toward the channels that don’t perform, then cut them.
   • Create a STRATEGY – If you need help, we are here. If you have internal marketing resources, lean on them heavily. Ask flat out– “What marketing tools should we be using to get the best talent.”
   • Decrease cost per lead – Yep, you heard that right. A Marketing guy saying “decrease spend” — I don’t mean spend less on what works, I mean – if you are efficient, you can stop wasting so much spend and your cost per lead will decrease, making everyone happy.
2. If you are not using digital platforms for 90% of your ad spend – START
   • Yeah, hate to bust that bubble, but billboards and newspaper ads just won’t perform as well as targeted ads that speak to individual audiences
   • Digital can be more cost effective (cost per lead) as well.
   • With print/out-of-home ads, they are set once created. Digital is dynamic, you can continually change the message to push performance.
3. If your ads are not targeted and specific for the position itself, THEY SHOULD BE
   • Targeted is the key word here – Meaning, if you have a position in the logistics space – why advertise to people who are unqualified. Only advertise to logistics folks.
   • Each position should have it’s own ad. That’s not to say you can’t have ads that focus on Employer Branding – “We have great culture, come work for us.” – But that should be an “always-on” campaign, and each position deserves it’s own focus.
   • Use keywords in the digital ads that your audience is searching on. And, when using Google Ads, bid on the keywords the audience will be searching. “High paying logistics jobs” etc. – lure them in, THEN sell the Culture/Pay/Benefits.

Bonus tip – Don’t set-it-and-forget it. Digital ads are like young plants… water them (ad budget), give them plenty of sunshine (change them up/move them around where needed), and watch for signs they need trimming and adjusting (cut/change them if they don’t work).

It’s a new landscape out there for talent acquisition teams hiring with digital advertising. We’re always here if you’d like to talk. But, work on some of the above with your marketing team and lean on their expertise. Try to use targeting and get more than a “warm body” – drive TALENT.