Employees the world over know the value of a good benefits package, but many employers still don’t understand the draw of the right perks. Nearly 80 percent of workers are likely to remain with their employer just because of the benefits they have access to. That number should make any salary-focused recruiters think twice.
Even as employees continue to value benefits, employers continue to market the benefits they offer incorrectly. By showcasing them effectively, you can give yourself a powerful hiring edge.
To market your benefits correctly, you need to keep a few key areas in mind, such as:
Playing the Long Game
Far too often, businesses attempt to sell low-hanging fruit: ping-pong tables, unlimited snacks, or yoga classes. While these benefits are undoubtedly appealing, they’re unlikely to appeal to employees in it for the long run. Recreational opportunities may be a plus, but securing a stable financial future takes precedence.
Benefits like a small business 401(k) or a loyalty-based salary schedule can encourage employee commitment. Adding a vesting schedule is also a smart idea. That way, short-term employees can’t walk away with employer contributions. Although 401(k)s may not be “exciting” on the surface, they provide a powerful incentive to stick around.
Hitting the Right Channels
Not all job postings reach the same audience. Nearly one-quarter of LinkedIn users are between the ages of 18 and 29. Changing your business’s benefits package can be expensive and time-consuming. It’s crucial that you tailor your benefits to the right crowds instead of changing your benefits to suit others’ needs. If you want to market your benefits effectively, you need to ensure you’re marketing in the right place first.
Businesses offering long-term benefits shouldn’t waste their time and money with big marketing pushes toward younger workers — it’s simply not what they’re looking for. Posting on more established industry-specific sites will likely yield better results. Those sites generally have older user bases.
Businesses with benefits geared toward younger people, such as elegant office spaces or convenience perks, should get their job postings on social media sites with younger users, such as Twitter or Instagram. Loads of workers would be overjoyed with the benefits your business offers — you just need to find a way to reach them.
Sending the Right Message
Around one-fifth of Millennials report that finding a more fulfilling career would be the single biggest deciding factor in changing jobs. That number is much higher than their older counterparts’. Simply put, different groups of workers are looking for vastly different things from their careers. If you want to appeal to certain demographics, you need to send the right message with your benefits marketing.
It may seem like sharing your employee benefits is a simple process. But communicating benefits to prospective employees and new hires is complicated and can be framed in a number of ways. With younger workers, an emphasis on impact and meaning could be particularly effective. More experienced employees might be more interested in hearing about stability and security.
Using Your Employees
If the benefits you’re offering are good, your employees are the greatest asset you have in marketing them. Studies have shown that strong benefits directly correlate with job satisfaction, so showcasing satisfied employees during the hiring process is a great way to guarantee the quality of your perks to prospective employees.
Encourage your employees to reach out to applicants at various stages in the interview process, allowing them to ask questions about what it’s like to work at your company and the benefits you offer. Hearing firsthand testimony nearly always has a greater impact than simple marketing materials, making direct employee-to-applicant communication a massively undervalued aspect of hiring.
Your company’s benefits can have a huge impact on the workers you attract — if marketed properly. By being strategic about how you communicate, you can leverage your business’s benefits into a serious hiring boon, both now and in the future.
