When our customers ask us how they can get more applicants for job openings, one of our go-to recommendations is to run hiring advertisements on social media.
When we say “hiring advertisements on social media” we’re not talking about posting open positions to Facebook Jobs; we’re talking about running an ad that shows up in targeted users’ feeds as they scroll. The former puts you in front of job-seekers in your industry, while the latter puts you in front of people not actively job-searching who might be open to switching jobs or industries. Both should have a place in your portfolio of recruiting tactics.
Before you start running job hiring advertisements on social media, you need to design and write the content of your ads—which is often easier said than done. Sometimes though, all you need is a little inspiration to get started, so we combed the internet to find some great examples of recruiting ads on Facebook and Instagram, starting with landscaping.
Landscaping Job Ad Example #1 (Instagram)
(click image to see native post)
Why we like it:
- The images show a landscaper, so the viewer knows what the post is about before deciding to engage with it.
- The unique visual formatting is effective at getting the viewer to engage with it because the brain sees an image that's been cut in half and naturally wants to find out what the second page in the image says.
- Continuing to swipe left on the post reveals a close-up of the text in the book, which emphasizes valuable, non-tangible benefits of joining this company:
- The caption includes a call-to-action (CTA) to follow the link in their bio, and the fourth tile in the post includes an email address, phone number, and another bio link CTA.
Landscaping Job Ad Example #2 (Instagram)
(click image to see native post)
Why we like it:
- Another post from Birchwood! This graphic is mostly just a photo of people hardscaping, which quickly grabs the attention of the right type of people while scrolling in the feed.
- The graphic doesn't use a lot of text, utilizing just the company logo and the invitation to “Build with us.” which lets viewers know it’s a recruiting ad. People come to Instagram to look at photos, not text, so less is always more when designing graphics for recruiting ads.
- Since there is so little text on the image, the company elaborates on who they're looking for in the caption, and again emphasizes the hallmarks of a high-retention company: career advancement and deep respect for employees.
- The caption includes a CTA to follow the link in their bio to learn more.
Landscaping Job Ad Example #3 (Instagram)
(click image to see native post)
Why we like it:
- The entire graphic is in Spanish, which signals to Hispanic and Latinx workers that this is a culturally aware employer who will respect their differences and create a welcoming environment for them.
- The caption is bilingual, in case any English-speaking viewers want to pass this along to Spanish-speaking landscapers who might be interested.
- The caption includes a CTA to follow the link in their bio to learn more.
Landscaping Job Ad Example #4 (Instagram)
(click image to see native post)
Why we like it:
- The unique visual formatting of this hiring ad from a recruiting agency speaks to landscaping laborers who are job searching, as well as owners who are actively hiring landscape assistants.
- At a quick glance while scrolling in the feed, the background image and text make it obvious that this is a hiring ad for landscape assistants.
- The caption includes a CTA to follow the link in their bio to apply today.
Do It Better: Recruiting Videos
Instagram and Facebook both operate on an advanced algorithm to decide what content gets shown to which users. You can always take a deep dive on “beating” the Instagram algorithm, but the key thing to know is that the more engagement a post receives, the more likely it is to be shown in users’ feeds.
Because a video is inherently more eye-catching and engaging than a static image when scrolling the feed, it’s wise to incorporate video into your social media recruiting strategy. It doesn’t have to be professional quality video, either. As Brent Barnhart from Sprout Social advises, “Simple time lapse, behind-the-scenes videos, or short Reels are enough to draw in viewers for brands both big and small. What matters is that you’re producing some form of video.”
One really easy way to make a recruiting video is to animate still images using a simple graphic design program like Shotcut, or upload video clips from your phone and edit them in a Canva video template.
Here are two landscapers that attempted to create a video recruiting ad, but just missed the mark.
What would make it better:
- Photos showing the employees’ faces
- Photos with more variety
- Some indication that it’s a hiring post, such as “We’re Growing” or “Join Our Team”
What would make it better:
- A more compelling reason to work for the company
- More photos of employees on the job and/or at company events
Best Practices for Creating "We Are Hiring" Ads for Landscaping Companies
The key takeaways from these great examples of recruiting ads are:
- Use an image of real workers on the job, or an eye-catching photo that shows off something interesting about your company
- Always include a call-to-action that tells viewers what to do next (e.g. follow link in bio to apply now)
- Don't go overboard with text, in the graphic or in the caption.
- Consider making graphics and posts that put Spanish speakers first.
- Experiment with videos, even if you don't have any experience making them.
Want to see more examples of hiring ads? See our complete roundup featuring 'Now Hiring' ads for construction, distribution, HVAC and manufacturing.
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