Attracting the right candidates is tough enough, but reaching them, to begin with, can make hiring a real struggle. In a recent post, we dug into why to use radio for recruitment advertising. Radio offers extensive and targeted reach plus a trusted ad environment, making it a strong platform to engage and encourage action from potential candidates.
Of course, knowing that you want to use radio advertising is only step one. Effectively leveraging radio for your recruitment campaign relies on execution. After all, an ad that doesn’t resonate or never gets heard isn’t going to attract top talent or convince them to consider your company.
We’ve compiled 5 tips to help you develop a winning strategy for reaching and attracting top candidates.
1. Lean on Current Employees
Consider using your current employees in your radio ads. Employee testimonials and quotes can give potential recruits real insight into your business (namely, into the culture and the personalities they’d be working with) and establish a level of trust that’s important for encouraging them to apply.
If you use testimonials, remember that they must be authentic in order to be effective. If it seems scripted when current employees talk about key benefits and what it’s like to work there, you’ll fail to establish a proper emotional connection and may even hurt the way potential hires perceive your company.
Also, it’s smart to test your radio ads on your current employees — especially your top performers — before running them. Their feedback is invaluable because they can let you know whether they feel it accurately reflects company culture, as well as what inspires them to come to work each day. What’s more, they can tell you whether or not it would have attracted them to the position.
2. Go with Your Gut on Creative Development
As much as we like to think of ourselves as logical, the truth is that people make many decisions based on emotion rather than strictly on facts. Adding a new personality to your team is an emotional process for you while envisioning the place they’ll work every day is emotional for your candidates.
Your business is made up of humans and you’re attempting to add to your work family. Focus on feelings in your radio spot. Don’t rely on cold facts and figures in a dry or generic ad, because it simply won’t work. You’ll miss out on opportunities to be both authentic and memorable enough to cut through all the other advertising and listings your candidates are navigating.
3. Give Job Seekers a Clear Next Step
As with all marketing, your radio call-to-action is crucial. Use the end of your ad to be absolutely clear about what candidates need to do next in order to apply. At the very least, direct listeners to your website for full details about how to apply, especially if they can submit their resume and any other pertinent documents (e.g., a portfolio or references) online. If your CTA is unclear, then potential hires won’t be able to follow the necessary steps, and you could miss out on the right talent.
4. Pick Stations Consistent with Your Ideal Candidate
Again, while the goal of your recruitment advertising is different than other marketing, the tactics you need to use are similar. You ought to know what you’re looking for in a candidate already, so be sure to develop a complete profile for them as an audience. This will allow you to target them on the most appropriate radio stations at the optimal times throughout the day to maximize frequency.
5. Always Be Advertising
It’s challenging to be short-staffed with a lingering gap in your team or trying to fill multiple roles at the same time, especially at the last minute. Filling a position with sub-par talent in order to have one less person you need to hire is never the answer. It’s best to keep a full pipeline of potential hires that you can tap into when necessary. Advertising regularly on the radio allows your company to stay top of mind with both active and passive job seekers.
Bonus Tip: Partner with Experts
Zimmer Communications has a long history in radio, and we have the experience and talent to make your recruitment campaign a success. Our creative team can help you develop a compelling message to engage your target candidates, and our marketing team will maximize your reach by matching the persona of your ideal hire with one of our 13 stations. Our mission is to help you achieve your goals and help your business thrive.
Originally Posted 3/25/18 - Updated 2/23/24