Marketers call it “brand equity.” Although entire books have been written about it, the idea is simple enough. People establish an image of a product or service in their mind, and that image, once set, will cause them to remember the product or service rather than its competitors. That’s why companies spend so much time and money endlessly repeating an advertising slogan. They want you humming that ditty in the shower and seeing it in your dreams. They want you to hear it at work, at play, and-most importantly-when you’re shopping.
Take the case of a brand of coffee called Brim. Thanks to an ubiquitous advertising campaign from 1961 to the mid-1990s, 92% of the U.S. population are now familiar the phrase, “Fill it to the rim-with Brim!”. It’s a crummy branding statement-the tag line says nothing about the distinctive characteristics of the product or the benefits it conveys-but hey, who cares if better than nine-out-of-ten Americans know that Brim will be there for them in the morning (and any other time of day). The Pavlovian repetition of a simple jingle creates the necessary familiarity and positive association-the memory- that sell a lot of coffee.
And that’s the point. Our colleagues in product and service branding know that people buy what they remember … as long as the memories are positive. The inverse of that truism is also true, however. Your product or service is what your prospective (as well as your current and past) customers remember. In other words, if people have no memory of a product or service or the memory they have is negative or (almost as bad) dull, there is almost no chance of a sale.
What does that have to do with recruiting? As you think about your organization’s employment brand, your goal should be to create a statement that people will remember and recall positively. To do that, you have only two options:
The largest employers will often exercise both of these options. Even good memories can fade so these organizations will continuously reinforce their brand equity so that the best talent never forgets them or their value proposition as a place to work. For the vast majority of employers, however, such an ongoing and robust branding initiative is beyond both their budget and the capacity of their staff. If that’s the reality facing your organization, the best option is the second: take the steps necessary to create a startlingly memorable impression of your organization in its recruiting process and then get those who have that experience to tell others about it for you.
How can you do that? Here are a number of suggestions that will get you started:
Preparation
Implementation
Brands and brand advertising remain important weapons in the War for the Best Talent. The memories you create among the candidates in your recruitment process, however, can be just as powerful sources of brand equity, and for many organizations they are a far more realistic goal to pursue, especially in a difficult economic environment.
Thanks for reading,
Peter
P.S. READER’S ALERT: Don’t miss the write-up below on WEDDLE’s latest book-Finding Needles in a Haystack. Shally Steckerl called it “A rare and uniquely useful reference guide for recruiters!”.
P.S.S. Don’t forget to send us your new e-mail address if you move.
This Issue’s Sponsor: Recognizing Richard Rabbit
This issue of WEDDLE’s newsletter is brought to you through the generous support of Recognizing Richard Rabbit, Peter Weddle’s big bestseller in a little book that is this year’s first choice for summer reading.
Recognizing Richard Rabbit is a fable for adults, young and not so young. In the genre of Who Moved My Cheese?, it’s a tale about some forest friends that make an amazing discovery by trying to help one of their own. They don’t uncover the key to organizational change, however, or to setting strategic goals for the enterprise. No, Recognizing Richard Rabbit is a much more personal book and its gift is unique to each and every reader.
This story opens the door to genuine self exploration. It is all about finding the secret to authentic living. To being your own true self. How does Recognizing Richard Rabbit do that? Unlike traditional fables, this tale unfolds in two synchronized parts: one in fiction-the fable, the other in nonfiction-a parallel self-interview. In essence, you are invited to tap both the creative and the analytic sides of your brain-to probe the whole of your inherent talent-so you can find the pathway to the person you are meant to be.
Make this the summer when you figure out how to meet the person of your dreams-the one who lives inside you. Get your copy of Recognizing Richard Rabbit today. All you have to do is call WEDDLE’s at 317.598.9768 or click here. So, don’t delay. Make sure you have Recognizing Richard Rabbit packed in your suitcase for your summer vacation.
Section Two: Site News You Can Use
MarketingSherpa conducted a study of the return on investment produced by various types of online ads. Respondents gave the top rankings to the following:
They gave the lowest ratings to:
Of the options, behavioral targeting has generated the most buzz of late. It determines the online behavior of potential customers and then follows them around the Web with ads targeted to their inferred interests. On the plus side, people see only the ads that will interest them. On the negative side, Harris Interactive has found that a majority of Americans, across all age groups, are “uncomfortable” with advertising that is based on their private behavior.
RecruitingBlogs.com is hosting a RecruitFest! on September 19th (“and a little of the 20th”) in Toronto. According to the guy in charge, well known recruitment blogger Jason Davis, “It’s about making a bigger commitment to networking while engaging everyone to a higher degree within organized and framed discussions that start when you walk in and keep going after you leave the room.”. Discussion leaders include Scott Love, Craig Silverman, John Sumser, Susan Burns and Dennis Smith. Cost to attend is $225.50, plus hotel. Discounts have been arranged at the Intercontinental Hotel. For more details and to register, call Jason at 416.995.3693.
WEDDLE’s has released a powerful new tool for recruiters. Called Finding Needles in a Haystack, it’s the first comprehensive listing of keywords for successfully searching resume databases online and off. The book provides thousands of search terms and phrases for the:
If you’re not getting the yield you need from job board resume databases, data mining or even your own resume management system, this is the reference book for you. In fact, sourcing guru Shally Steckerl described this book as “A rare and uniquely useful reference guide for recruiters!” It doesn’t get any better than that! To order your copy, please call WEDDLE’s at 317.598.9768 or click here. Get Finding Needles in a Haystack today!
WEDDLE’s also offers a number of other publications for recruiters seeking to win the War for the Best Talent and maximize their ROI … their return on the Internet. They include:
So make sure you’re at the top of your game, get your WEDDLE’s books today. Click here or call WEDDLE’s at 317.598.9768.
Section Three: Site Profiles
Site Spotlite … from the pages of WEDDLE’s 2007/8 Guides and Directories
There are 40,000 job boards now in operation in North America and an equal number operating elsewhere around the world. The key to recruiting top talent online, therefore, is knowing where to find and how to select the best sites for each of your requirements. WEDDLE’s 2007/8 Guide identifies 350 of the top sites worldwide and provides the information you need to determine which job boards will deliver the optimum yield for you. For example:
ExecuNet
Post full time jobs: Yes
Post part time, contract or consulting jobs: Yes-Contract, Consulting
Distribution of jobs: National-USA
Fee to post a job: $199/posting
Posting period: 45 days
Can posting be linked to your site: No
Resume database: Yes
Number of resumes: 20,000+
Source of resumes: Direct from individuals
Top occupations among visitors: Finance & Accounting, Information Systems, Management, Operations, Sales & Marketing
Other services for employers: Discussion forum for networking, Assessment instruments, Status reports-postings
Member, International Association of Employment Web Sites: Yes
Get Recognizing Richard Rabbit Today!
This issue of WEDDLE’s newsletter is brought to you through the generous support of Recognizing Richard Rabbit, Peter Weddle’s big bestseller in a little book that is this year’s first choice for summer reading.
Recognizing Richard Rabbit is a fable for adults, young and not so young. In the genre of Who Moved My Cheese?, it’s a tale about some forest friends that make an amazing discovery by trying to help one of their own. They don’t uncover the key to organizational change, however, or to setting strategic goals for the enterprise. No, Recognizing Richard Rabbit is a much more personal book and its gift is unique to each and every reader.
This story opens the door to genuine self exploration. It is all about finding the secret to authentic living. To being your own true self. How does Recognizing Richard Rabbit do that? Unlike traditional fables, this tale unfolds in two synchronized parts: one in fiction-the fable, the other in nonfiction-a parallel self-interview. In essence, you are invited to tap both the creative and the analytic sides of your brain-to probe the whole of your inherent talent-so you can find the pathway to the person you are meant to be.
Make this the summer when you figure out how to meet the person of your dreams-the one who lives inside you. Get your copy of Recognizing Richard Rabbit today. All you have to do is call WEDDLE’s at 317.598.9768 or click here. So, don’t delay. Make sure you have Recognizing Richard Rabbit packed in your suitcase for your summer vacation.