Rush hour traffic jams can be a recruiters best friend. Moving at the speed of molasses trickling down a glacier, Morning and Afternoon commutes present recruiters with an excellent opportunity to reach, engage, and create emotional-connection with professional, hourly, and skilled-workforce candidates. Especially passive candidates not actively seeking a new position with a different employer.
Captive Audiences
An updated Urban Mobility Report by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute says big city commuters can waste up to two full work weeks every year as part of the “captive audience” stuck in traffic.
The Gridlock Advantage
So what can recruiters do to take advantage of the situation? Sure Payroll reports 70% of the respondents to a workforce questionnaire say they fill their open positions through “Word of Mouth.” As an employer once told me, “AM/FM Radio gives our job opportunities the biggest mouth in town!“
Connection
Consider adding Traditional AM/FM Radio to the regular recruitment advertising mix. A targeted campaign, based on both Quantitative and Qualitative research, is a proven way to tap into fresh pools of potential applicants and generate the additional awareness, emotional-connection, and competitive separation needed to attract top candidates, especially those passive job seekers.
“Once people get into their commute and work routines, that’s where radio really shoots up. It remains a humongous factor all the way into early evening.” Nielsen Audience Insights
Yes, members of ALL demographic groups still listen to Traditional AM/FM Radio on a regular basis. According to the research from Nielsen:
- Traditional AM/FM radio’s greatest usage is from 6am to 6pm. (Providing employers with those captive audiences during Morning and Afternoon commute times.)
- Tony Hereau, Nielsen VP of Audience Insights, says, “Once people get into their commute and work routines, that’s where radio really shoots up. It remains a humongous factor all the way into early evening.”
- AM/FM stations reach 97 percent of the U.S. adult population on a weekly basis.
- Only 15 percent of Adults are choosing Pandora
- Only 6 percent of Adults are choosing Spotify
- AM/FM stations reach 92 percent of the Millennial population on a weekly basis.
- Hereau says, “When you look at some of the younger demos, like 18-34, the story is even stronger. There are even more hours where radio is the top medium for share during the morning.”
- For workplace “Diversity” initiatives, Nielsen also reinforces Traditional AM/FM Radio as an equal opportunity reach medium with a consistent performance across demos, races and ethnicities.
It’s time to consider fresh strategies…
While Traditional AM/FM Radio remains an often overlooked media resources for employee recruitment advertising, a number of employers in different industries have found it to be one of the most effective, cost-efficient ways to reach passive job seekers who possess needed skill-sets.
If you are not satisfied with the quality or timeliness of results being produced by current recruitment advertising resources, it might be time for a fresh set of eyes. Send an email with the specific hiring challenges and together we will look at fresh strategies that blend the media resources proven most effective for your workplace.
Author
John Mitton is President of Mitton Media, a recruitment advertising firm in Houston, Texas. John is a SHRM “Pinnacle Award” winner, noted author and speaker, and a member of the “Texas Radio Hall of Fame.” John can be reached via email at jmitton@mittonmedia.com.
