How Promotional Products Help You Attract The Right People

We’ve talked a lot about using promotional products for getting the attention of customers and potential ones… but not so much about the valuable role that these items play in attracting the attention of talented people to work alongside you. As we enter the season when grads everywhere are moving from the hallowed hallways into the hard, cold reality of the working world, it’s a good opportunity to consider how promo products can help you snare the cream of the crop.
When it comes to job hunting, today’s graduates have an abundance of technology at their command. Social networking websites like LinkedIn and Facebook have replaced the help wanted sections of local newspapers. Those companies who have a presence on these sites and post openings on job boards have embraced the changes in the way applicants search for work, but make a mistake in relying on hard, cold technology alone. Choosing where to work isn’t always a purely logical decision… there are other considerations… feelings involved… intangibles. Promotional products are the way to take your recruitment efforts to that next level, offering your business a tangible, lasting way to reach talented people… to show them they are of value… sought after… important.
The promising news for the 2011 graduate is that this is the first time since 2007 that businesses report a two digit increase in hiring according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). Employers are actively recruiting on campuses once more, and hiring is up 19.3% for 2011. What’s more, companies aren’t holding being young and inexperienced against you… growth has been fueled as a result of  improvements in earnings and liquidity, leaving them facing a human capital replacement cycle unlike anything in the last 20 to 30 years.
You see, all those “baby boomer” employees are starting to reach retirement age… and they want out. Companies have more of a need than ever to bring in people to replace these workers.
In the scramble to attract the best people, a recent ASI survey of Human Resources pros finds that many businesses are turning to branded promotional products (pens, calendars, t-shirts and such) to help lure those new grads. Quality, unique yet useful imprinted products bearing your company name are known to deliver the message “We want you” in a way that gets noticed, and remembered.
It’s a connection… a tangible connection with another that can’t be denied. And isn’t forgotten.
And unlike the icy efficiency of our ever present technology, an imprinted product has the ability to make a potential employee feel valued, important, sought after… just as your customers (or prospective ones) feel when you give them an imprinted promotional item. In this case, it’s smart to work with a specially trained pro to choose the right thing — something unusual though not too quirky… useful but not boring — a cell phone cover or skin perfect examples, but there are many other items too. Go for original, interesting and most importantly, appropriate to the audience.
And don’t be surprised when your business starts to get the reputation as “the” place to work.