Recruitment Advertising Strategy: Print vs. Digital
Choosing the most effective advertising medium is one of the most important decisions a hiring manager will make during their recruitment process but it is also one of the most overlooked. It’s easy to quickly throw together a Seek advertisement or to call the paper and book in an advertisement in the Saturday edition but it’s extremely important to consider where your ideal candidates will be looking before hastily placing a job listing.
The growing disparity between the number of advertisements placed with online job boards and those placed in newspapers is potentially misleading to hiring managers or HR Professionals who are considering where to place their advertisement. On one hand, a digital advertisement often has visibility over the course of a month, is relatively inexpensive and offers the savvy copywriter nearly unlimited space to educate their candidates on exactly what they’re looking for and what they’re offering in return. A print advertisement in a capital city paper is only visible for a few days, is expensive and extremely limited in terms of size (a business card sized advertisement can easily cost more than $1,000).
While it may seem like an easy choice when weighing an online advert against a print ad, it’s not as clear cut as the above points make it seem. For instance, if your ideal candidate is currently employed in a very similar position and not actively looking for work (passive candidate), you’re more likely to capture their attention with a print advertisement placed in the general news or your industry specific section (i.e. business, aviation, etc.). A well placed and compelling advertisement is highly likely to pique the interest of candidates as they leisurely flip through paper over the weekend. Print is also an excellent option if you looking for a more experienced candidate as newspaper demographics skew older than online job boards. On the other hand, if you feel that your ideal candidate is a new graduate or if the labour market for the position you are hiring for favours you as the employer, then digital advertising might be the better option.
If your organisation operates in a regional or remote location, print advertising is an excellent option. Advertising rates directly correspond to their readership numbers so the cost of advertisement in a regional newspaper is significantly less than a capital city paper.
Regardless of the nature of the vacancy you are preparing to advertise, the most important thing to keep in mind is that the longer your vacant position exists, the more business you will miss. A comprehensive advertising strategy should always be put together before going to market with a vacancy. If you allocate an appropriate budget for each vacancy incorporating generalist job boards, niche job boards (where applicable) and print (depending on role and location), you’re much more likely to quickly fill the vacancy. Employment Office specialises in Recruitment Advertising strategies so, if you have any questions about putting together an effective recruitment campaign, don’t hesitate to call our office at 1300 366 573.
