For most businesses, people are a critical part of business, serving customers, moving product, making product, and keeping stock organized and on shelves. When you have shortages, you have to make hires, and that means putting up ads and waiting for people to send an email or make a phone call. Unfortunately, while much of advertising has moved on, some remains local. With no means to incentivize travel and no way to afford bringing people in, entry level employers like grocery stores, quick service restaurants, warehouses, and retailers must advertise locally.
New barriers to successful local hires
Historically, most of that advertising has been handled with signs at store entrances and on websites. You might also choose to solicit at high schools or colleges – when allowed – but for the most part, you wait for people to come to you. Unfortunately, that’s less and less effective – while costs rise.
Labor shortages – Across the EU, some of the world’s largest economies are facing labor shortages. Those shortages hit hardest in low-wage, entry-level jobs, where recruiting must be done locally. This means that even large retailers are short-staffed, and that staffing issue cuts into margins, increases employee turnover, and increases costs.
Increasing Ad Costs – Local advertising is traditionally done using flyers, posters, and signage. The cost of doing so has increased exponentially over the last year, with the cost of paper more than doubling in some markets. Print experts predict total rises will more than quadruple total costs to print – which greatly increases the cost of the local print ads.
Changing Demographics – Today’s young people are more and more often not paying attention to paper ads and posters, they don’t receive flyers at home, and they may not even go to a grocery store. Targeting this audience in a storefront doesn’t work. Instead, ads have to be digital.
Targeting local prospects with hyperlocal digital ads
Adcombi’s hyperlocal advertising technology allows retailers to create digital ads targeting specific local areas using zipcodes and radius targeting. These ads, which are served over a DSP, are as flexible, traceable, and dynamic as any other programmatic ad.
Hyperlocal hiring on a national scale – Adcombi's platform allows retailers, quick-service, and franchises to set up advertising campaigns as part of a larger national campaign. Local ads pull local resources, addresses, available roles, and route information to direct prospects exactly where they need to be. But, branding and hiring information remain the same across the campaign. However, each location can pull from its own budget.
Flexible and dynamic ads – Paper ads take at least 2 weeks to send to a printer – by the time you get the ads back, you may have filled some of the roles listed. Digital ads distributed through programmatic are dynamic, real-time, and easy to update. Adcombi’s API allows you to link real-time data, like your HR system, to dynamically display ads only for available roles.
Personalized Ads – Create dynamic ads with route information to show how long it would take to get to work. Or, personalize ads with zip-code or point-of-sale specific information to create a better initial experience. That might include advertising for cashiers, specifically targeting people in fitness for jobs that require movement, etc.
Track and test ads – Digital advertising allows you to track metrics, see success rates, and see exactly how your ads are working. That gives you freedom to A/B test, optimize, and improve how you advertise open roles over time.
The local advertising space is the last ad space to digitize, but it is happening. Adcombi offers a tried and tested hyperlocal advertising solution, complete with everything you need for local recruitment. And, it’s already in use by top brands like McDonalds, Albert Heijn, ElectronicPartner, Young Capital, Plus, Jumbo, Heineken, and others. Multi-location brands use our technology to run tailored recruitment ads per location – giving them the flexibility to showcase open roles to the specific people most likely to be hired.
If you’d like to learn more about our success with using hyperlocal ads for local recruitment or about our hyperlocal ad technology, get in touch.
