How to Use Real-World Consumer Insights to Successfully Advertise Job Openings

As job openings hit a record high, employers face the challenge of finding qualified workers to fill their open roles during the time of the “Great Resignation.”

It’s clear that the job advertising techniques that worked to attract candidates before the pandemic no longer cut it. Companies can enhance their digital ad campaign strategies and fill vacant positions by promoting job openings using location-informed advertising audiences. This approach lets companies connect with more qualified prospective hires using audiences built on observed consumer behavior. 

Billions of mobile location signals are processed to understand the types of places consumers go in the real world. When it comes to employee recruitment, companies can use these advertising audiences to ensure their job ad campaigns will resonate with potential candidates and be seen by those who are most likely to be interested in the positions they’re trying to fill. Without this analytical approach, businesses are more likely to experience costly ad waste, and more importantly, less likely to fill their open roles. 

Take a look at two example target audiences that illustrate how companies can use location intelligence to reach job applicants. It is important to note that location-informed advertising audiences are not just limited to these examples but can be replicated across many different positions and industries. 

Truck Drivers

COVID-19 has affected the global supply chain in many ways, and pandemic-related issues have led to a shortage of truck drivers. As a result, companies have been working to fill open driver positions to meet the surge in shipping demand. According to the American Trucking Associations (ATA), the truck driving industry will need to recruit 1 million new drivers by 2030. Hiring more truck drivers could be part of the solution to the global supply chain issues that are now impacting countless businesses and consumers. 

While many companies are finding it a challenge to recruit truck drivers, they can better advertise open positions with a location-based advertising audience that includes people who are likely working in the trucking industry. You can build this audience by looking at mobile users who visit places and events associated with trucking and who have recently been observed at warehouses.

Instead of posting positions on job boards and waiting for the talent to apply, companies can advertise directly to truck drivers using audiences built on real-world consumer behavior. Companies that could use this audience include manufacturers of goods, retailers that frequently ship products to large corporations, large corporations that rely on trucks to move products from one location to another, or trucking companies.

With location-based advertising audiences, these companies can circumvent crowded job boards, reduce ad waste, and reach suitable applicants at the right time.

Restaurant and Retail Employees

The pandemic has significantly impacted restaurants and retail stores. As a result, many workers have left these industries, leading to a significant shortage of workers.

Furthermore, many restaurants and retail stores prefer to hire employees who already have industry experience, but these businesses may struggle to reach qualified candidates with information about available opportunities. 

Location-based advertising audiences can help companies advertise job openings directly to those likely employed at places like fast-food chains, grocery stores, restaurants, home improvement stores, hotels, or car dealerships. Employers can reach more qualified candidates with information about job openings, improving campaign response rates and ROI with location-based advertising audiences.

Restaurant and retail employee advertising audiences are created by analyzing mobile users who frequently visit these businesses and are likely to be employees. Here are some popular audiences that companies can use to get in front of the current restaurant and retail employees in the market for a new job:

• Fast food employee
• Restaurant employee
• Food delivery driver
• Grocery store employee
• Home improvement store employee
• Hotel employee
• Car dealership employee

Enhanced Job Advertising Campaigns With Location Intelligence

The pandemic has impacted nearly all businesses across every industry in some way. During this time, many workers have decided to leave their jobs and make a career change for various reasons. This period of high turnover has created new challenges for companies looking to fill vacant positions. Now more than ever, companies should consider and implement new strategies to attract potential candidates.

Instead of focusing their advertising efforts on job postings that reach a generic audience, businesses can use location intelligence to build effective job ad campaigns based on real-world consumer behavior.

Location-informed advertising audiences can help enterprises get interested candidates and do so in the most relevant and impactful way. When companies reach the right audience with their job ads, they raise their chances of attracting qualified candidates, improving engagement, and ultimately filling open positions.

Jeff White is the CEO of Gravy Analytics.

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