Branding and Recruiting
I was reading the daily newspaper with morning tea this morning. My eyes, by default, get stuck with any print which has any close or remote connection with ‘healthcare.’
A medium sized hospital in Delhi had placed an ad for recruiting an administrator and a few nurses. What struck me about the ad was that there was nothing in it which would inspire any person to apply for the job. Not only that, the hospital could have promoted its positioning and subsequently gained on the brand equity points by putting a carefully designed ad in the paper.
A good ad will elicit good employees. It will enhance the brand associations and awareness. Almost every hospital I visit talks about the high attrition in most of the departments. Well, it starts from how you recruit. Look at it from a marketing point of view- Are you not marketing the job opportunity to potential buyers? If there is nothing unique and great about your opportunity, why would someone take it? Yes, people who are desperate about taking up any job may get back you. But chances are that these people may not be the best in the circuit. Mostly the best are already taken up by someone or the other. To attract them, the ad has to be carefully designed. If you have the budget, you can even hire a professional agency for the job.
The promotional messages are the job of the marketing department. Recruitment ads are placed by the HR people. This is the primary reason why the recruitment ads do not forward the brand in the market. What a loss of opportunity!
In short- Every department in an organization should forward the brand. Every outgoing message to the market should forward the brand. Your bottomline [profits] is directly proportional to your brand strength.
Vivek Shukla
Healthcare Marketing Consultant
Sai Mahima Hospital, Ram Nagar,
Dharamshala H.P. 176215
India
Phone +91-9816086868
