5 post-pandemic recruitment advertising strategies that increase revenue for associations

Entire career paths have changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions initially lost their jobs during early layoffs, while a hiring freeze left many in an extended state of unemployment.

However, there’s more than that going on now. Simply put, there are currently millions of jobseekers out there right now. Over 15 million workers have voluntarily quit their jobs, just since April 2021.  

Employers, however, aren’t the only ones trying to adapt to post-pandemic recruitment.

The workplace upheaval brought by the COVID-19 pandemic shows no sign of slowing down, creating a challenge for employers but an enticing opportunity for associations who can adapt to this new, rapidly-changing environment.

So, how can associations increase their revenue by adapting with new post-pandemic recruitment strategies? We take a look at five revenue generating ideas for associations in detail below, but first examine the current workplace landscape.

What does the post-pandemic recruitment environment look like?

The post-pandemic recruitment environment for associations is heavily impacted by the fact that millions of workers are currently seeking new employment. In fact, a staggering one in four workers are currently looking for new jobs in the post-pandemic economy.

When social distancing restrictions were first lifted, some firms attempted full in-office work hours with no exceptions. This, however, has led to millions of employees quitting in what has been dubbed “The Great Resignation” by many.

The workforce has made it clear: recruiting, hiring, and keeping skilled talent depends on providing benefits that support a healthy work-life balance.

Employers seem to have quickly gotten the message, adjusting to provide signing bonuses and revamping their entire working situations to cater to employee demands. This trend is likely to pick up, leaving more employers competing in a location-independent post-pandemic hiring environment.

Now, with recruiters and employers desperate to find quality, skilled employees, associations are one resource they’ll naturally turn to. During this time, it’s a good idea to find ways to take advantage of this demand and maximize revenue generation for your association.

So, here are five post-pandemic recruitment advertising strategies that make great revenue generating ideas for associations through your career center, both immediately and in the long-term.

1. Humanize employers

One revenue generating idea for your association is to turn your career center into a place where employers can humanize themselves and showcase their employment value proposition (EVP).

This post-pandemic hiring environment heavily favors employees. In August 2021, there were almost 10 million available jobs with around 8.6 million people unemployed. Job availabilities are record high, yet unemployment numbers aren’t dropping much.

So, what’s changed? Essentially, the labor force’s values and attitudes towards work after enduring a pandemic.

Candidates want work that supports their overall life. Autonomy, flexibility, and work-life balance are high on the list, according to Madgex’s own extensive research. 42% of candidates also expect the ability to influence their job role.

Employers need to bring far more to the table than a mere offer. Aside from a healthy cash bonus, the main thing they need to offer is a great culture, flexible work, and the ability for employees to exert influence over their work life.

Use your association’s career center to spotlight them, for a fee. One way to do this is with featured or sponsored content — a great revenue-generating idea for associations. This way, employers and recruiters can humanize their brand to attract new talent, all the while creating a new revenue stream for your association.

2. Spotlight member skills

Recruiters are still struggling to find skilled employees.

Gartner names this as one of the prime post-pandemic recruitment challenges, estimating that “only 29% of new hires are highly prepared with the skills needed for their role, and only 23% are prepared with skills needed for the future. Further, only 16% of new hires have both.”

Your association’s skilled and engaged members are a treasure trove of talent. Plus, Gartner notes that traditional talent pools are still the best source for capable personnel. What needs to change are the methods used for hiring.

Fortunately, it won’t take much work to optimize your association for post-pandemic recruitment.

Use your online content, digital assets, and career center to spotlight your members’ critical skills and expertise. By doing so, your association can make members feel more engaged and satisfied, like they’re part of a leading group of experts. This, in turn, can boost member retention and lower churn rates dramatically.

Make sure your career center recognizes both traditional and nontraditional skills. Many recruiters inadvertently exclude viable talent by focusing purely on listed credentials.

Keep your members informed of what employers want as well, using rich informative content and targeted email marketing.

3. Focus heavily on member engagement

Members are, of course, an important revenue stream for professional associations. Raising their engagement level is another revenue generating idea for your association and one of the first things you should do in this economy.

More engaged members translate into more revenue for associations, as these members are more likely to renew their membership as well as attend both online and in-person events, both of which are potential revenue streams.

First, double down on your mission to become a useful, valuable resource for jobseekers and professionals.

Increase the value they gain with helpful, informative content, tools, and virtual events. Since your members will likely be missing in-person events, this is the perfect time to position your association as more of an educator through webinars, online seminars, and the like.

Your association should also be offering members useful information on how to navigate the post-pandemic hiring environment.

The shift from jobs towards careers won’t come easily for everyone. Many members will be unfamiliar with what it takes to nurture their careers within post-pandemic restrictions and fluctuating employment. They’ll need some guidelines to transition to this new work era.

Including more career-building insights, skill development tips and virtual networking assistance will increase your value to them and naturally bump up engagement levels.

Boosting advertiser and other non-dues revenues for associations also helps mitigate losses from in-person events. Again, boosting membership engagement is the key to all of this. Ultimately, by refocusing on your core mission of helping members advance their careers, your association can boost engagement and ultimately drive increased revenue.

Second, provide a stellar virtual experience.

The association’s website is its new home base and, by thinking of it as such, can help you shift your thinking to boost revenue. COVID-19’s fundamentally altered our behavior and our expectations. We tend to prefer remote, self-driven activities now, meaning we need a better digital user experience than ever before.

Your website, therefore, needs to be dynamic, advanced, and appropriate for the digital-first experience.

4. Boost your branding

Be more than simply a professional association with a job site or member directory. Boosting your brand can help your association reap the rewards financially.

Standout branding is one of the most effective ways to generate revenue streams for professional associations.

In addition to improving your branding, consider rewriting your mission statement. Professionals are always looking for career development support, and by refocusing in this area, your association can position itself as more attractive to prospective members in this regard.

Your association won't need to go as far as altering its name, but it’s essential to take a fresh look at what your association’s directive is and how well your online capabilities and offerings serve it. By taking a hard look at your brand, your association can position itself as more attractive for members, sponsors, and advertisers.  

5. Showcase recruiter benefits

Finally, another revenue generating idea for associations is to put recruiters front and center.

Recruitment ads and services are essential revenue streams for professional associations. With the widespread adoption of virtual networking, recruiting, and hiring, there is increased potential for higher non-dues revenue for associations.

This can play a key role in your post-pandemic recruitment strategy. Showcase everything you bring to the table: people, services, technology and tools.

1. Engaged members who are highly-skilled in the niche area they’re looking for
2. Tailored and targeted email marketing, driving new and returning jobseekers
3. Social media reach for scaling out recruitment searches
4. Great UX to create a smooth experience for jobseekers as they navigate through the career center
5. Machine learning to deliver great recommendations for jobseekers
6. Data-driven optimizations to your website and career center

Looking to revamp your career center? Get in touch with us today to learn more about our market-leading solution and expertise backed by more than 20 years of experience working with associations and societies like yours.

Your association’s online career center and jobs services can streamline and scale their post-pandemic hiring activities. Capitalize on your talent pool by making sure recruiters know everything you have to offer. By making your association’s career center the go-to place for recruiters in your profession, you can reap the financial rewards over time.

Position your association for success with these post-pandemic recruitment strategies

Right now, your association has a prime opportunity to reinvent itself for success.

There are plenty of jobseekers looking for the perfect fit and even more employers trying to fill empty positions. With the work market still in extreme flux, both groups are looking for guidance and resources — and they’re doing so in a remote, digitized environment.

Your association’s online career center and job services are vital. Leveraging these technologies can put you in the center of their post-pandemic hiring activities.

Take action now with these five revenue generating ideas and your association will be positioned for success for years to come.

Want to learn what Madgex can do for your association?

Contact us today to learn more about how our market-leading career center solutions can unlock the value of your audience.