Scared of Programmatic Advertising? Let’s Face Those Fears! (Part 2)

The mere mention of the term “programmatic job advertising” makes staffing and recruiting professionals’ eyes glaze over. Most aren’t very familiar with the topic; as a result, it can seem a little intimidating.

It’s fine; I’m used to it!

When people are scared (especially in business) they recoil. They turn off. They want to stick with what’s familiar – namely, the job boards and aggregators they trust. But what if there were a smarter, more efficient and cost-effective recruitment advertising tactic could provide a real competitive advantage?

That’s exactly what programmatic does.

So, if you’re still shying away from it, it’s time to face your fears – and get comfortable with programmatic advertising.

In an earlier post, I tackled two of the biggest fears professionals have when it comes to programmatic:

 Fear Number 1: “My Applications Are Going to Go Away.”

Fear Number 2: “It’s Too Complicated.”

Today, I’m addressing two more:

Fear Number 3: “I’m Afraid of Technology.”

New technology can be scary if you don’t understand it. Jumping back to the top of this blog, just hearing the word programmatic and not understanding what it means can instantly turn companies off to trying this new, but effective, tactic.

That’s where working with a company that clearly explains how the technology helps your staffing agency becomes imperative.

For example, what does programmatic mean? It just means “using software and rules to purchase job advertisements faster than humans can.”

Let’s look at some examples of a company that has 50 open job orders.

• Programmatic software organizes campaigns where each job can only go into ONE campaign.
• Your agency can develop a bidding strategy for each campaign. Let’s say you have jobs in industrial, clerical and healthcare. It naturally makes sense to have three campaigns.
• Now, your bidding strategy says you’ll pay $0.25 per click for industrial jobs, $0.50 per click for clerical jobs and $2 per click for healthcare jobs.
• Let’s take it even further. When you reach 20 applications, turn off spending to that job because you have enough applications for that open job order.
• One more rule: If you don’t have 10 applications in seven days, increase your bidding. Why? Because you need applications faster and the market is showing your bidding strategy isn’t working.

That’s all the technology is. Looking at your priorities. Creating campaigns. Developing rules and bidding strategies to meet your staffing agency’s priorities and goals.

Fear Number 4: “Everything Is Fine Right Now.”

The staffing industry is experiencing some of its best success in recent memory. Recruitment is a big challenge, but overall, staffing agencies are making money and seeing success.

Is that good enough for your business?

The answer could be yes. Your recruitment spend strategy is working. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I get that.

But what if I tell you it could be better? What if I tell you that programmatic tactics aren’t going away? Numerous industries outside talent acquisition have been using these technologies and software for years. They use these tactics because they deliver results more efficiently. They use these tactics because they work.

When things start to turn south in the economy and staffing industry, is that the time to try something new? Is that the time you want to work through your questions about new technology? The change at Indeed brought a big adjustment to the staffing industry. A shift in the economy will bring a bigger one.

Programmatic tactics are just becoming known in the staffing industry. Now is the time to implement these tactics into your recruitment strategy. Before it’s too late, and you’re playing catch up to your competitors.

Photo courtesy of Jo Szczepanska