Feeling the pinch of the 2021 labor shortage? You’re not alone. Everywhere we look, there’s another story detailing the difficulties businesses are having in hiring and retaining employees. It’s a challenge that extends across all industries and geographies, from restaurants unable to staff busy shifts to American Airlines’ recent cancellation of 950 flights due to limited staffing.
Due to capacity issues, many companies may not be able to handle the additional business that their marketing efforts deliver. To complicate the situation further, recruiting has become highly competitive. In these unusual times, it often takes more than posting an open position on job sites to find the perfect candidate. And while employers may be willing to pay a premium to attract new hires, recruitment budgets are not unlimited.
With that in mind, we wanted to share some under-the-radar tactics that businesses can deploy to help recruit talent. You might not immediately think of online listing platforms such as Google My Business and YP.com (AKA the Yellow Pages’ website) as recruitment tools, but these platforms can act as your digital “help wanted” sign for little or no cost.
Google My Business posts
Claiming and optimizing your Google My Business (GMB) profile is the first step towards securing your business’s online hyperlocal presence. Make sure you understand the importance of GMB and start the process of claiming your listing if you haven’t already. One easy way to capture the attention of your GMB profile visitors is through GMB posts. Posts appear on your profile, just below your core business information. Keep in mind that GMB profiles often get more traffic than a business’s website itself, so your profile is a great place to display that “help wanted” sign!
Your GMB recruitment post can link back to your company’s career page (or any page you’d like) for application fulfillment, and can stay posted to your profile until the position is filled.
Online listings
There are many online listing platforms where you can further your recruitment efforts. YP.com, Bing, and Yahoo are just a few of the hundreds of sites that host your business information and are frequented by internet users. Many of these sites have an area to display a short “featured message,” which can be the perfect area to let visitors know you’re hiring.
Check out this online listing of ours, for example:
You can update your online listings manually, or save time by updating them automatically through tools such as Yext. Yext is an online listing management platform that distributes your business information to Bing, Yahoo, YP, and over 150 other global digital search, directory, navigation, and voice platforms. When you edit your business information through Yext, the change is reflected across all your online listings. That means you can essentially post that digital help wanted sign across dozens of sites with a single click. Yext is available through certified partners at a competitive price.
Traditional recruitment sites
To complement these tactics, we recommend advertising your open positions through traditional job posting boards such as LinkedIn, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter, as well as any smaller hiring sites specific to your industry. These sites offer various pricing plans ranging from free to premium sponsored job listings, and they’re proven channels for bringing in steady flows of applicants.
Leveraging your online presence platforms for recruitment purposes extends your reach beyond traditional job sites and hiring outreach methods. By extending your recruiting efforts to your online listings, you can ensure that you find the perfect person for the job, every time—in 2021 and beyond.
Learn more about the 2021 labor shortage in Ruby’s infographic.
DSG is a Marketing Agency in Malvern, PA.
