Interesting Development

Everyone knows you can get tons of free content online.

I'm not talking about the illegal downloading of stuff either, which is its own separate issue.

I'm talking popular shows streamed from major network sites like NBC hosting episodes of 30 Rock or CNN streaming the Inauguration in partnership with Facebook. Clips from popular shows like The Colbert Report, Saturday Night Live, The Simpsons and others are available on Hulu.com, while nearly anything you are searching for can be found on YouTube or metacafe. Many companies fail to recognize how this sort of free advertising can lead to increased sales and greater name recognition, and some organizations have gone so far as to pull videos others have posted, rather than take advantage of the business opportunities presented to them.

In an interesting turn of events, the classic British comedy group Monty Python took matters into their own hands. First they set up their own channel, essentially a page maintained by YouTube but with content controls for the members of Monty Python. For every unauthorized posting of a snippet or sketch from their show that someone else had posted, they uploaded their own high-quality version. They added new content including familiar television personalities talking about when they first became fans of the group, members discussing writing or acting or anything really, and other items.

And then they linked to their material for sale on Amazon.

And you know what?

Despite having tons of free content available online, within days of setting up their own channel, the guys from Monty Python saw their DVD sales on Amazon rise to the number two spot with an amazing 23,000% increase in sales.

Now, how does this relate to advertising and specifically to recruitment advertising?

Simple.

With a creative approach to marketing yourself and your organization and by taking advantage of the free distribution of content, you can set up your own YouTube channel and begin spreading the word. You can post videos of hiring event games or clips of employees telling the world what a fun place to work you are. You can show that your hospital is inviting and pleasant, cutting-edge and compassionate. You can illustrate the kind of high-tech manufacturing environment you're seeking to staff. You can highlight your latest retail location.

Too many companies are just names and addresses to potential job seekers. Why not put a face with that name and show the world you're an organization worth working for?

This panel of experts agrees.

[+/-] Read More...

[+/-] Summary only...

Equal Opportunity

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits an employer from discriminating against employees or potential employees on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin.

Almost every single recruitment advertising piece includes somewhere in its body a statement of the organization's commitment to upholding the law in relation to EOE standards. The passage of this law provides for diversity hiring in the workplace which has proven remarkably beneficial to companies as we move toward an ever-more global economy, but more importantly it has expanded the promise of opportunity for all that our nation was founded on, that we promise to every citizen.

Today, we celebrate the legacy of one man who worked tirelessly to do just that, to hold our nation accountable to its dreams, its aspirations, and its ideals. By happy coincidence, tomorrow, the culmination of part of that dream will occur when America officially hires its first African-American President. Today and tomorrow, back to back, that is history you're living in.

[+/-] Read More...

[+/-] Summary only...

New Year Resume Mining

The start of the New Year is typically the beginning of one of the more active times in the recruitment and hiring world, though the current economic situation suggests that fewer positions will be filled this year than usual.

However, human resources and other hiring managers can expect a glut of applications and resumes for the limited positions that they post. Our own Freelance Copywriter position has netted us no fewer than one hundred resumes with a swelling number of attendant follow ups. That's one position at one company. Imagine what happens when you have four positions to fill...

With so many people looking for work and with even HR staff feeling the pinch of budget shortfalls, your job search situation can easily snowball out of control, leaving you swamped in applicants but without adequate time to give each resume your full attention.

At times like this it is even more important than ever to partner with your Recruitment Advertising partner. We can sift through your resumes, finding the applicants that match your specifications. On the more active side of the equation, we can seek out great applicants who might have missed your posting but are searching for work nonetheless.

The upcoming year will present organizations with many challenges, not all of them at the HR level. But for your neck of the woods, shouldn't you work with a partner with years of experience that include the good times and the bad?

Shouldn't you partner with The David Group?

[+/-] Read More...

[+/-] Summary only...

Social Networking

MySpace. Facebook. LinkedIn. It seems everyone either belongs to one or more of these social networking sites or knows someone who does – and that's just three of the biggest names out there accounting for an audience share of over 400 million readers.

The list of social networking sites goes on and on and on, and new sites with new readers keep popping up every day. The advertising possibilities of so many viewers can be a bit daunting (how do you choose the right site to target who you're looking for?) but can also be completely overlooked.

As younger generations grow into working age, they bring with them their online habits, networks, friendships, and mindsets. Today, you might not need to know everything there is to know about these social networking hubs, but what about tomorrow?

To find out more about what social networking can mean for your organization, the benefits and the pitfalls, you need someone who can guide you. You need someone like The David Group.

[+/-] Read More...

[+/-] Summary only...

Analytics Gets Own Tutorial Page

Google Analytics is a great tool to have in your job marketing skills. There are few online applications out there that are better at slicing and dicing the data that is compiled about visitors to your company's website.

The only problem?

Analytics is updated with new features and tweaks so frequently it's hard to keep up with the latest developments. While there are many books on the subject, the speed of online updates means you'll have to move almost as fast as Google if you want to keep up with their newest offering. Thick volumes about CD or DVD based software packages, like Microsoft Office or Adobe Creative Suite, are immensely helpful because the software is only seriously updated every few years, the online world is an ever-changing one.

Two incredibly helpful resources can make your life easier. As always, blogs – like this one ;) – are your best resource. With the instant response times of online published material and the hive-mind power the internet has harnessed, bloggers will keep you up to date on every new twist and wrinkle.

One of your best starts is, of course, the Google Analytics Blog itself. Tapping the source should almost always be step number one. To make that power even easier to undestand and harness, Google's done one better by creating their own dedicated YouTube channel stocked with videos showing you how to get started and how to begin putting Analytics to work for you.

The future is online. You just have to find it.

[+/-] Read More...

[+/-] Summary only...

Why You Need Fun

Office work, let's face it, can somedays be trying. Rapidly approaching deadlines, an inbox filled with requests, administrators and managers who misunderstand your placement in the company, positions that need filled, desk supply shortages. It is important now and then to find a way to squeeze some fun into your hectic schedule.

Studies indicate and experts agree that fun breaks can actually boost employees' productivity by relieving stress and stimulating the brain. These can be games or short videos or quick exercise routines on the stairs or in your office. Otherwise, employees feel like they're simply going round and round and gaining nothing, as in the following example:

An example of fun – YouTube videos.

Fun can also be a great way to brand your company, letting prospective candidates know that you value a healthy work/life balance and that you're an employer who is pleasant to work for – as well as one with an eye on success. Branding strategies that are compelling and entertaining hold the attention of your target market and leave your audience with a pleasurable impression of you as an employer of choice.

With just a little investment of time, energy, and initiative, your standing online and in the general job search market can rise exponentially. Perhaps your greatest asset in the recruiting and retention end of business is your company's reputation. Turning current and prospective employees frowns upside down is the most essential step along that path.

To that end, consider advergaming as a highly effective tool in burnishing your reputation and spreading the word that you're an employer who "gets it." A targeted game, using your branded colors and associated with your organization's goals and market placement, can deliver serious market penetration when it comes to name recognition.

The fun and timely advergame below was a little something we cooked up for our clients and for everyone associated with making The David Group an effective leader in recruitment advertising. Isn't it time you started thinking about where fun fits into your branding toolbox? We can help you find the answer.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone out there – and enjoy the GAME.

[+/-] Read More...

[+/-] Summary only...

Onboarding

We've all been there before – the first day on the new job. You go through it all, excitement, nervousness, giddy heights and the overwhelming fear that you might not be up to the job. It's natural enough to go through this, but is there a way organizations could make the experience easier for new hires?

Onboarding services – like the kind the David Group can help you build – can slow this emotional carnival down and give new employees a chance to find their groove.

Years and years ago, during graduate school, I got to experience several first days with companies when I was a temp. Temping can be the ideal arrangement for full-time students, but, as the name implies, jobs come and go. There were good employers and bad employers like everywhere, but one particular bad example stands out even years later.

The job was an overly technical one, not the kind of thing you could just walk in and take on. The client had a proprietary software, the entire work process had to be done on this software, and no one had ever bothered to create a manual. After the usual walk through the building, watching my supervisor point at one person after another while rattling off at least thirty new names, she sat me down at a chair and started to train me to do the job.

And here my troubles began.

Not only was the software confusing, the precise process I was performing was never explained to me and my trainer had little patience or ability for the task. What the goal I was meant to accomplish was completely left out of any explanation. Was I in the billing procedure, the marketing function, the inventory department – what?

If you couldn't guess, I flailed on the software for half the day, constantly getting out of my chair to approach my supervisor with questions. Somehow in the twenty minute tutorial, I hadn't managed to absorb every contingency and its accompanying alternate work flow chart.

And each question only increased my supervisor's frustrations. By 11:30am, she was openly raising her voice at my incompetence and sighing heavily and sarcastically. By my noon lunch break, I was on the phone to the temp agency requesting reassignment.

While my example might seem a little extreme, the fact is that 90% of new employees make up their mind whether or not they will stay in a position within the first six months of hire. New employee turnover rates can bedevil the best companies if they don't have a thorough and inviting onboarding strategy in place.

That means, obviously, a well-developed, easy-to-follow training process with manuals and competent instructors, but there are a lot of easy to implement procedures that can make all the difference in the world. A welcoming gift is simple to provide and it doesn't need to cost much at all. It can be as small as a cookie or the first day's lunch on the company. The important thing to remember is that onboarding has to start almost immediately after an applicant accepts your offer, has to have the new employee's comfort and satisfaction in mind, and can't simply disappear after the first couple hours of employment.

If you're not sure what you should do, then consider consulting experts who can guide you in the nuts and bolts. The payoff is almost sure to follow.

[+/-] Read More...

[+/-] Summary only...