What should you consider from your marketing when recruiting in hospitality?
Recruiting is a tough business these days.
Almost all sectors are struggling, but hospitality has been one of the hardest hit.
Traditionally, hospitality has had a strong reliance on the continental labour pool. Many European cultures hold a career in hospitality in high esteem, meaning it’s seen as a long-term path, and something to be respected and pursued.
In the UK though, it’s all too often regarded as a stopgap – merely a steppingstone to a wider career, or a useful way of earning a supplementary income whilst studying.
Post-Brexit, the labour pool has shrunk considerably, while the pandemic has made things far harder too – with many opting for an alternative career, as hospitality came to a standstill.
You could say then, it’s been the perfect – or perhaps imperfect storm – for a hospitality recruitment crisis.
And consequently, hotels and other businesses have to do ever more to stand out and make themselves an attractive place to work
But how to do that?
Marketing can play a big part.
All too often, hotel marketing is focused on trying to attract the consumer. And whilst the guest is the bread and butter of what you’re trying to do (and the source of income), you need to sell yourself to prospective employees too. And, let’s be frank, marketing is all about selling.
Here are a few suggestions on how to make you stand out from the crowd.
Work on your ‘employer’ brand. As mentioned, it’s often about what the guest wants. But make sure you tap into potential staff too. Promoting your ethics and values and making sure you look like a good place to work is all part of it. The two go hand in hand as well, as guests will appreciate a place that looks after its staff to create a happy workforce – so it has double the benefit.
Create a culture video. Video is a fantastic medium to show what you’re all about – and it really helps to convey what it’s like to work in a place, from the physical environment to the camaraderie in the team. Use existing team members to talk about how much they enjoy working there and the culture any newcomer can expect to experience.
Celebrate successes. From social posts, to press releases you can provide recognition for all sorts of things – from significant work anniversaries to career progression. Got employees who’ve been there a long time? Celebrate them and applaud their loyalty. Someone risen through the ranks to a senior role? Promote their achievement to your local press. Making noise about your employees’ success makes you look like an employer that values them.
Twerk your work perks. Sorry about that, couldn’t resist the alliteration. But, basically, make a thing about any employee perks you might offer. Your social channels are great for this, and will help you create more rounded content for your audience. And if you don’t have any perks? Well, maybe that’s something worth considering as it genuinely helps in today’s job market
And if you want help executing any of these? We can help you develop and maximise all of the above suggestions – from creating videos, to crafting a social strategy, to celebrating your employee achievements in your local or trade press – we can supercharge your marketing and amplify your efforts. So just get in touch.
