It seems like everyone is trying to hire right now, that’s why it’s more important than ever that your messaging sets your company apart to have a successful recruitment campaign on the radio.
Radio reaches more than 90% of adults each week. Rocky Curl, an account executive at Federated Media, explains that that radio has the reach and frequency a company needs, but the messaging the business puts out is just as important.
“It’s what you say multiplied by how often you say it. That’s the answer to success,” Curl says. “You need an incentive — something to spark people to come work for you — and you need to be on-air consistently.”
Messaging is a key component to making sure you have a successful recruitment campaign for your company. Let’s take a deeper look at what that means and how your recruitment strategy works as a whole.
MESSAGING AND A CALL-TO-ACTION
Your messaging is one of the most important parts of your recruitment campaign. It’s your opportunity to set yourself apart from your competitors and give prospective employees insight into your business.
Kathy Uebler, general sales manager for WBYT and WRBR at Federated Media, explains that having a strong message with a good call-to-action goes a long way in an effective recruitment campaign.
“A good radio recruitment campaign only works if your message is good — you need a call-to-action and there needs to be a benefit to working for you,” she says. “What makes you stand out as a business? Because everyone is hiring right now.”
The perks of working for your business can be just about anything, but you need to identify what they are. Uebler offers a few suggestions:
- High wages
- Signing bonuses
- Referral bonuses
- Retention bonuses
- Flexible schedules
- Benefits packages
- Being a family-owned business
Uebler suggests thinking about your recruitment messaging like a car dealership. All vehicles will get you where you need to go, but what’s the difference between a BMW 5 Series and a Honda Accord?
“We want to make sure what’s in your ad is what separates you from others,” she says. “We want to make sure there’s some uniqueness to you.”
TESTIMONIALS
If you’re trying to figure out your messaging and what makes you special, you may simply need to look inward.
No, this isn’t Buddhist advice. Look at your employees who have been around for several years and talk with them to find out why they work for your company.
You can use their answers (and their voices!) as testimonials in ads, and it can inform your overall messaging.
Testimonials from your current employees give prospective employees valuable insight into your business and help to build trust. However, testimonial ads need to be authentic — not scripted — to come across as genuine, otherwise, you risk hurting your reputation.
“I love testimonials, as long as they’re real testimonials. I like commercials that are done by the client because it’s nice to have a variation in voices on the radio,” Curl says. “If you hear someone new, it gets your attention. They may not sound like a great announcer, but it feels more real.”
It doesn’t hurt to play your recorded testimonials back to other employees, too. Ask them for feedback on the ads and whether the ad would make them interested to work at your company if they heard it on the radio.
ON-SITE HIRING EVENTS
Job fairs and on-site hiring events are completely different beasts.
While job fairs can be effective, you’re also competing against other companies instead of having a captive audience at your business. When on-site hiring events are combined with a radio campaign, you gain a lot of recruitment power.
Curl points to a client, Southwire, whose recent on-site hiring event was a resounding success.
“They had a good, high-frequency schedule, and they had a great offer,” Curl says. “They had a $1,500 signing bonus with up to $30 per hour pay.”
Prior to the event, the company hoped to hire 5 to 10 people for open positions. By the end of the hiring event, 46 people had applied for a job and Southwire made 26 employment offers.
That event was boosted by a pair of two-hour remote broadcasts: one with 103.9 The Bear morning show hosts Jason Lee and Kluck and a second with B100 morning show host Zach Miller. Radio remotes help drive results through frequency and beloved hosts educating listeners.
“For those two hours we’re there, you own the radio station. You're going to be on three times per hour, at least a minute per break, talking to people and educating them about your job,” Curl says. “(Applicants) may not come in that day, but they may come in tomorrow. More importantly, they’re learning about your business.”
A successful on-site event is more than a job fair or a place for people to congregate and pass out resumes. Kassie Taksey, general sales manager of WBYR, WFWI, and WKJG at Federated Media, explains that it’s about creating an atmosphere and an event people want to attend.
“We also work with businesses to make sure they put on a good hiring event that people want to attend,” she says. “It’s not just coming, getting information, walking around, and talking to people. We see more success when it’s more of an event.”
Radio stations help make it more of an event by driving excitement with the listener base and by hyping the station's presence at the event.
“The key to a good on-site hiring event is all about what added value the station can bring,” Taksey says. “Whether it’s giving out t-shirts, zoo passes, or concert tickets, it’s about partnering with the business to make sure we’re bringing in our listener base.”
RECRUIT WITH FEDERATED MEDIA
Are you looking to hire new people for your business? Interested in building a talent pool for future openings?
No matter what your recruitment goals are, we can help you achieve them at Federated Media. We can advertise your openings on our job site Michiana Job Finder, advertise your open positions on our radio stations, host a hiring event or even create a digital marketing campaign. Contact us today to find out what solutions are right for you.
To learn more about how digital advertising can help your recruitment campaigns, read The Secret To Better Digital Recruitment Campaigns by Federated Digital Solutions.
