We are often asked, “What should my radio recruitment ad SAY?” To answer that question, let’s tell the tales of two radio recruitment ads: one that worked, one that didn’t, and why.
TALE #1: NATALIE MISSES SOMETHING GOOD
Natalie Howard was plowing through a mountain of paperwork, trying to meet an impossible deadline, and feeling underappreciated by her boss and co-workers.
The rest of the day, week, month, year, stretched out before her like a dark tunnel. No light at the end.
Truthfully, she didn’t mind the work itself. Filing, organizing, making order out of chaos… she was good at it. But she had no support, and knew she would probably end up working late again tonight. No one would thank her for it, either. She sighed.
The office radio finished playing Train’s “Drops of Jupiter” and went to commercials. A voice stated: “MacNaboe Associates is currently hiring for its local office.”
Although the words “currently hiring” had briefly drawn her attention, Natalie continued with the task at hand: check and file, check and file.
The voice continued. “MacNaboe is an equal opportunity employer, and a trusted name in business for over 40 years. With numerous awards for customer service excellence….”
She filed “Jensen” under “J”. Check the folder, and… file.
“Available positions include: shipping and receiving, drivers, office manager, sales support, part time data entry, and third shift warehouse selectors. These are both part time and full time positions…”
No longer listening, Natalie filed and wondered if she should make steak or pork for dinner tonight. Check and file. Steak would be good.
As she did all of this, of course, she completely missed the office manager’s position being offered at MacNaboe. Too bad– it would have been a perfect fit for her.
But what if…
TALE #2: NATALIE HEARS THE CALL
Natalie Howard was plowing through a mountain of paperwork, trying to meet an impossible deadline, and feeling underappreciated by her boss and co-workers.
As she worked, the office radio finished playing Train’s “Drops of Jupiter” and went to commercials. A voice asked: “Love your work… but maybe not WHERE you work?”
Natalie paused, holding the “Jensen” file in her hand.
The voice went on. “MacNaboe Associates is looking for an Office Manager—someone to join a team where great ideas are heard, and hard work is rewarded.”
The radio now had her full attention, and she absently filed “Jensen” under “M”.
“We’re growing fast—and we need an experienced, positive person who can grow with us. You’ll oversee and help organize an exciting, dynamic workflow– with support from staff and ownership all the way.”
“You had me at ‘support’,” whispered Natalie, grabbing a pen to write down MacNaboe’s name.
“MacNaboe Associates has been around for over 40 years. We love what we do, and we’d love for you to be a part of it. To find out what we’re all about, visit macassociates.com and click “careers”. Who knows? Maybe the next MacNaboe Associate… will be you.”
The light at the end of Natalie’s tunnel had just appeared.
THE MORAL OF THE STORY: SPEAK TO THE NEED
One ad talks about the company that’s hiring… the other talks to the candidate. So:
- Speak to the need. Fully half of all employees are ready and willing to find a new job. What’s their hot button? If you come out of the gate saying what’s on their mind already, they will sit up and pay attention.
- Keep branding. Recruitment ads are also opportunities to reinforce who you are with your regular customers. You should sound like yourself.
- Present one position/idea per ad. Sticking with one idea is always more effective—and a laundry list of positions might make it sound like your entire staff has left suddenly.
- Keep it simple—don’t make lists of qualifications and requirements. That’s information prospects should be able find on your website, or when they make the call.
- Make it easy to apply. An easy-to-remember web address is key, or at least be very clear in the ad copy who (and where) you are so that you are easily Googled.
EPILOGUE: HAPPILY EVER AFTER (FOR ALL)
Two weeks after she heard the radio ad and interviewed with MacNaboe, Natalie was hired. Her organizational systems for filing and workflow were quickly adopted, resulting in a 225% increase in productivity for the company after 2 years. She currently oversees a 14-person staff and is helping the company to open three new branches.
And on her way in to work each morning, she gets herself motivated by listening to “Drops of Jupiter”. Every time she hears it, she smiles.
