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Job fairs can be an ideal environment for both the individual who is looking for a new job opportunity and for hiring managers from the company looking to find the best candidates. In order to accomplish this, however, it is important to strategically set up the booth in such a way that it helps to attract the types of candidates your organisation is seeking. But sometimes space is limited and you are working from a small table along with other employers competing for the same candidates. With that said, here are three important tips that can assist hiring managers when recruiting at job fairs.

Tip #1 – Set-up the Booth before the Job Fair Starts

Get an early start. Make sure the booth is set-up and stocked before potential job candidates start walking in. Not only does this project a professional and polished company image, the morning rush of eager job seekers when the doors open is often candidates who are ready to start a new job. By being prepared early, hiring managers will have a better chance at filling open positions quickly from qualified applicants.

Tip #2 – Proper Signage

Be sure to invest in proper signage to make it easier for job fair attendees to find your booth. A large vinyl sign is a great investment. They are not very expensive, can be used at other marketing events and will help your company stand-out whether you have a large booth or a small table. You will also want to use additional signage to alert prospective candidates that your company is setting up interviews on the spot. This can provide a steady stream of candidates enabling your company to hire the best people for the job.

Tip #3 – Offer Promotional Giveaways

Job fairs are not just recruiting events they are marketing events as well. Although some candidates at job fairs may not be ready to apply at your booth during the event, they may want to contact the recruiter at a later date. Providing inexpensive promotional items such as pencils, pens, mouse pads, tablets, key chains, coffee cups and the like will help keep your company fresh on the minds of potential future job candidates.

If you’re planning a grand opening or throwing a special event, you want to attract as many potential attendees as possible. But in order to accomplish this you need to spread the word. Whilst this may sound simple enough, many business owners fail to attract the required number of attendees to make the grand opening or special event a success. Here are a few ideas that will attract a crowd to your next event.

Advertising

Advertising is the most effective method for reaching a target audience. There are plenty of advertising resources to choose from such as newspaper, radio, TV, email and direct mail, to name a few,. Choose the mediums that will best help you reach as much of your target audience as possible within your available budget. To get the most out of every advertising dollar, carefully craft your message that will be receptive in such a way that it encourages a crowd of attendees to show up at your grand opening or special event.

Special Event Signs

Whether you are hosting a grand opening or special event having the right signage inside and outside the venue is essential in communicating with attendees and bow banners are a great way to increase brand awareness at a grand opening or special event. These special event signs can be printed with your custom design, are inexpensive and easy to install. They can also be used to advertise charities and sponsorships for maximum exposure throughout the event.

Social Media

Announcing your grand opening on social media and asking your friends and followers to share the message with their friends is a fast and inexpensive way to get lots of people excited about your grand opening or special event. You can also use Facebook’s event feature to broadcast your event to fans who live near your where your event will take place.

Working with charities and sponsors

If you’re passionate about a cause chances are your potential attendees are too. Aligning with a charitable organisation can be a win-win. They can help publicise the event in exchange for you raising awareness of the issue. You may also consider donating a portion of the proceeds that your event collects or allowing the charity to seek donations at the event. Another option is to work with one or more sponsors who will help underwrite a portion of the grand opening or special event in exchange for advertising or other mutually agreed upon consideration. In either case, this is not something you can jump into at the last minute. Working with sponsors and charities takes careful planning often at least six months or more in advance of the event.

Hire a local celebrity or motivational speaker

If it is within your budget consider hiring a local celebrity or motivational speaker. Many celebrities and motivational speakers have thousands of loyal fans and garner attention wherever they go. For example, hiring a local or popular fashion model to attend the grand opening of a clothing store, or a well-respected motivational speaker to speak at a special event is a great way to attract a crowd. Just be sure that whomever you hire will resonate with your target audience and will enhance your brand image.

Most small business owners understand that marketing is an essential element of growing a business, but with so many channels competing for your budget, trying to figure out which one is going to offer the most visibility for the dollar can be a difficult task to achieve. So, if you have a limited marketing budget, here are three proven ways to boost the visibility of your local business.

Sponsor charity and community events

Sponsorship marketing is considered to be one of the most affordable ways for small and local businesses to gain exposure. Sponsoring community or charitable events by supporting a cause that resonates with your brand and customers creates positive publicity that can generate a buzz in the community. It also enables your business to target a niche market that distinguishes your local business from competitors which helps drive sales. Sponsorships can take various formats such as cash or prize donations, pro bono or free services, fundraisers, corporate grant programs and matching gift program, to name a few. To promote your local business and increase visibility at sponsored events be sure to prominently display large vinyl banner signs throughout the event.

Encourage customers to spread the word on social media

With nearly 74 percent of consumer decisions influenced by friends and followers on social media, encouraging customers to spread the word is one of the fastest ways to boost visibility of a local business. However, be sure to ask for their support in a tactful yet unobtrusive manner such as by providing a fair and honest testimonial or review about their experience with your store, product or service. So be sure to encourage your fans, followers and clients to share testimonials and reviews of your local business.

Attract customers with location-based marketing

With Australia leading the world in smart phone use, location-based mobile marketing is a brilliant way to not only increase visibility, but attract both new and existing customers to your local business as well. With location-based marketing, coupons or special offers will instantly display on the mobile devices as potential customers drive by or walk near a competitor or other locations in a defined geographic area. Getting started is easy. Users only need to download an app and opt-in to receive marketing messages from your business.