Hiring? Everyone Else is Too: Marketing Staffing Hacks

Drive down any street, and look at the signs. They don’t say “try our sandwich,” or “save on shampoo here.” No, they all say “We are Hiring.” America is stuck in a hiring crisis, and businesses are trimming hours and services, and raising prices as a result.

From manufacturing to hospitality to basic services, the crisis is acute. Try calling an 800 # for consumer support, or worse, try calling an airline to change a ticket. And get comfy, because it will take a while. Hours…

Regardless of how this happened, or what can be done to address the root causes — it is a communications crisis too. It impacts everything from customer service to products to pricing.

An employee retained is a lot cheaper than recruiting a new one. Be sure to communicate well, and loop them in on changes. Listen to them, communication is a two way street. And see them as your greatest recruitment asset; happy employees will help recruit new staff, and unhappy ones will drive them away.

Focus on experience, not just the prospective employee's skills, but the work environment — what do you offer to be special? Healthcare? Make it special.

Tell your story - use social media to share the good news of how nice it is to work with you. And, empower your staff to be ambassadors. Make this good news into a video, and blog posts to garnish good SEO and engagement.

Use simple and engaging language when you place ads on platforms such as Indeed, don't have it read like any other ad, but be real and honest about your work environment

Surprise your staff with treats, gifts and remember to let them know that they are special.

Think twice about big outdoor signs saying you are hiring - what kind of message does that send to your customer base? That you are short staffed, that you can’t live up to your promises? Ask, do those signs really bring people in?

Look at your Brand: Is it strong? Does it stand up? Do you stand out? Is it clear what your cool factor is? If you can't get excited, a prospective staffer will not either.

Listen and learn — your staff may have issues that would lead them to quit, so do you have a feedback loop for them to get back to you? Is there a process for their feedback and sharing ideas?

Love your town: Share the fun of living and working where you do - location is part of the equation.

The point is, get in front of your image, take good care of your employees - this is not about just hiring - it is about family.