Bayfront Medical Center was challenged to recruit qualified candidates to fill it’s R.N. positions due to the “severe” nursing shortage in Florida.
“When utilizing the radio advertising, our Registered Nurse event had over 40 Register Nurses attend, and we have made almost 10 hires. This has been our most successful nursing event to date.”
–Stan Lasater, National Sales Director, Axxis Advertising
Incorporating Broadcast Media into Recruitment Advertising Campaigns
By Mike Pakowski
This is the second article in a series of three
In this three-part series, you will learn how broadcast and out-of-home media can be powerful media for employer branding, direct response, and employee testimonials. Part two of this series will focus on how these advertising vehicles can be used to facilitate a successful direct response recruitment advertising campaign.
Whether you are being proactive and looking to build upon your existing talent pool or reactive due to sudden turnover, a strategically planned and executed direct response advertising campaign can contribute to meeting an employer’s recruiting objectives. It starts with one or more employment opportunities that are currently available or will be available in the near future. Combine that with some attention-grabbing creative and you’ve got the basic elements for a successful direct response recruitment advertising campaign. Now comes the hard part – how to get the word out about these employment opportunities and get them into the hands of the right candidates.
A traditional media outlet such as print is one effective way. The various on-line advertising options such as job postings, banner ads, email blasts, and Search Engine Marketing are also tremendously effective means for generating buzz and building qualified applicant flow. There are also several broadcast and out-of-home media vehicles that can be used to successfully spread the word about employment opportunities and bring qualified candidates to an employer’s doorstep.
In part one of this series, broadcast media (radio and television) and out-of-home media (cinema and outdoor) outlets were discussed as effective ways to accomplish employer branding objectives. In this article I will be providing examples of how broadcast and out-of-home (aka “non-traditional,” “alternative” and “out-of-the-box”) media can help an employer meet and exceed their hiring goals through a successful and well-thought-out direct response broadcast and out-of-home media campaign.
Radio advertising is a great way to incorporate a broadcast element into a direct response recruitment campaign. Because an active job seeker doesn’t normally use the radio as a job search tool, radio functions as a means to reach a passive or impulsive job seeker. However, with the right “call to action” message and a well-thought-out schedule, an employer can grab the attention of an active job seeker who may be using the radio recreationally and can pique the interest of a passive or impulsive job seeker. Radio can also be a great way to promote an upcoming career-related event such as an open house or career fair. According to the Arbitron Radio Study: What Happens When the Spots Come On? The Impact of Commercials on the Radio Audience, on average, radio holds more than 92% of its lead-in audience during commercial breaks. The same study also points out that radio audience levels do not drop significantly between the third, fourth, fifth and sixth minutes of a commercial break. So the audience is out there; and they’re listening! The key is to build a solid customized radio schedule that will reach an employer’s desired audience by using the most effective dayparts and frequency levels.
Another medium and one of the more innovative out-of-home advertising vehicles that has taken off over the last few years is mobile marketing, most specifically, text messaging. In 2006, over 11 billion text messages were sent each month in the U.S. alone. This is a huge increase from the 2.5 billion text messages sent in the U.S. each month in 2004. There’s no question that the use of mobile devices such as cell phones has grown tremendously over the years and advertisers have definitely taken notice and are interacting and directly targeting consumers via mobile advertising campaigns. Employers can also capitalize on the growing use of cell phones as advertising vehicles. Employers can send information on career opportunities or career-related events directly to a job seeker via text messaging. And because of the immediacy with which a text message is sent, received, and responded to, text messaging can be a great asset to a direct response campaign.
One way that employers are utilizing text messaging is to include a text messaging option as part of the response information of a recruitment ad. For example, an advertiser can broadcast an ad on the radio and in the radio script can give the listener the option of responding to the ad via texting (“to apply now, text the word ‘jobs’ to 2345″). The text response option can be used on its own or can be paired with other response options (“to apply now, text the word ‘jobs’ to 2345 or apply on-line at jobs@company.com”). Both of these messages instill a sense of urgency in the listener through a call-to-action message while providing the listener with options on how to respond. Another benefit of text messaging is that when an individual responds via text he/she will receive an immediate receipt message from the advertiser, which can be forwarded on to friends, family, and acquaintances who may be interested in the available career opportunities or events. This allows employers to benefit from a form of mobile “word-of-mouth” advertising that can result in additional qualified applicants.
A successful direct response recruitment advertising campaign requires several elements and the good thing is, when it comes to the choice of media, there are effective options for employers to consider. By combining the right creative with an effective media strategy, you can be sure that your call-to-action message will be answered by the qualified applicants you seek.
[Source: http://www.shaker.com/HumanCapitalTimes/fall07/indexsub.php?campaign=3&p=article6]
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