Your association’s job board connects employers with top industry talent but it won’t thrive without the right promotion. To effectively promote your job board, you need more than search engines; the most successful approach is multi-channel, using proven techniques to reach both employers and job seekers. Below are 10 proven ways to promote your job board and grow non-dues revenue.
Why You Should Promote Your Job Board
A job board builds on your association’s reputation by offering a service that directly benefits your members and industry. It connects employers with top talent while generating non-dues revenue through posting fees and related services. Employers are often willing to pay for the convenience, credibility and targeted reach your board provides.
The American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE) is a prime example. After strategically revamping and promoting their job board, they saw significant growth in employer participation, repeat postings and revenue — proving that visibility directly impacts results.
Promoting your job board also positions your association as a trusted hub for employment connections, much like the guild halls of the past. Over time, job seekers and employers will come to view your site as the go-to resource for industry-specific opportunities, driving both engagement and long-term revenue growth.
10 Proven Ways to Promote Your Association Job Board
1. Add It to Your Main Navigation
Include the job board link as part of your website’s main navigation menu. Job seekers and casual browsers alike are more inclined to click on the link when it’s prominently displayed. Alternatively, you can “punch” up your association job board by including it in a banner or button at the top of the home page. You want something that draws the user’s attention, and makes it easy for a job seeker to find the board.
2. Share It in Your Member Newsletter
Mentioning the job board in the member’s newsletter is an easy and effective method of promotion. You can put in a standard blurb every month, or block off a section to highlight and link to the board.
Make sure to include language that tells the reader that the board gets new job postings on a regular basis. Encourage employers to put up their openings with a simple note that reads “Post your job here!” This can be made more efficient with an anchor link that connects to the job board.
3. Announce It at Events and Meetings
Advertising the job board at an industry event or meeting is another way to attract the attention of potential users. The best time to make an announcement is before the start or after the start of the event. It’s a shift in tone and catches the ears of the attendees. They’re more likely to remember to ask for more information or take notes at these stages.
You don’t have to spend a lot of time on the announcement. However, you want to make your announcement a memorable one. The purpose of the board is for members to get hired, and for employers to get skilled labor. Talk about the success everyone has had by using your job board, and why it’s great for old and new members.
4. Leverage Social Media (and Industry Hashtags)
Use your association’s social media accounts to promote job board opportunities to employers. Take actions such as posting job listings and aim your call to actions at employers. Use hashtags for hiring managers in your industry. They’re effective at targeting specific people and getting their attention.
5. Create a Dedicated “Post a Job” Landing Page
Creating a landing page for employers makes it easier for them to put up their job listings. Design the page so that it answers as many questions as possible, and include a link for creating a job posting. Make sure to include the pricing for posting, packages, and why they should post on your job board. Success stories and statistics also help encourage an employer to post their jobs.
You can create a job posting template through a site like Canva, then put it on your association website. A posting template simplifies the input process, and you can tailor it to reflect the job positions that are in your industry.
6. Promote Through Targeted Emails
Direct contact with employers helps spread the word about your association job board. It’s something that’s doable on an occasional basis, and keeps your job board fresh in their minds.
The email should show why they should post on your job board. These include metrics such as how long it takes to find and hire a candidate, testimonials and success stories and average number of daily users. Essentially, you’re showing the employer that it’s worth advertising job listings with your association.
7. Network with Employers at Industry Events
Promoting your association at an industry event involves talking to many professionals who have the power to hire people. This is a great opportunity to bring up your association job board. The reason being is that the simple act of telling someone about your association job board creates interest in the listener. You never know who you’re talking to at an event, and you could find yourself talking to someone who’s looking to expand their job listings.
You can easily drive home your association job board with a simple flyer that’s focused on the job board. Include the URL, why it’s a great resource for people in the industry, and what it offers to the user. Make sure to talk about how it benefits people from an employer and job seeker’s point of view for more impact. Keep the flyers stacked on the table and in hand for easy distribution.
Consider offering employer sponsorship opportunities to increase your revenue and boost visibility. Employers are always looking for places to advertise, and an association job board offers them another place to put their name. Learn more about how to increase sponsorship revenue for ideas you can apply alongside your job board promotions.
8. Use LinkedIn Strategically
LinkedIn is an excellent resource in terms of spreading the word about the job board. It makes it easy to connect with headhunters, HR professionals, and hiring managers who work in the industry or complimentary fields. Let them know what your job board offers to its users and why they should post their openings on your board. These professionals understand the value of a job board and how it helps fulfill their needs.
9. Encourage Word-of-Mouth from Members
Ask association members to spread the word about the job board with others. Suggest they mention the board to co-workers and the HR department when they’re seeking a new employee with the right set of skills. If someone has success stories with hiring through your board, ask if they would share their experience with others in the industry. The best people to approach are ones with hiring power, but those who have influence are also worth asking.
10. Run Paid Ads for Broader Reach
Google Ads and LinkedIn marketing resources are both low-cost options for advertising your job board. Each of them lets you customize your advertising campaign so you can reach the demographic you’re seeking. You can create a budget-friendly ad campaign while reaching your desired audience.
For example, you want to find HR representatives in your industry niche and related industries. The ad campaign gives you the options for the type of demographics you’re targeting, and lets you fine-tune the details of how the ad is presented to them.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
A successful promotion campaign for your job board relies on avoiding these common mistakes:
- Limiting your audience.
- Only using social media.
- Not creating a dedicated landing page for your job board.
- Overlooking the creation of an email campaign.
Existing members are an excellent source of recurring revenue, but you need new members for growth. Make it a point to reach out to companies that may not be aware of your board.
Social media makes it easy to promote job board information. However, you can’t rely on it as your only source of information for new users. It’s better to use multiple channels to spread the word about the board.
Potential users need to be able to learn more about the job board in an efficient way. A dedicated landing page with a link to the board helps the user understand the purpose of the board, what it offers and how to post jobs.
Don’t overlook an email campaign as a channel for attracting new users. It’s true that a lot of emails are deleted without being opened, but you never know when someone is looking for a new place to post jobs. Your email can find itself in the right place at the right time.
How to Turn Your Job Board Into a Long-Term Revenue Stream
Your job board can become a source of recurring revenue that’s stable and can grow over time. Upselling, being consistent in your promotional efforts, and showing employers the value of posting on the board all serve to generate non-dues revenue.
The value of non-dues revenue is that it builds upon the base income generated by dues-paying members. The income from dues is steady, but can be difficult to grow. Job board revenue overcomes this issue because it creates a new stream of income. Engaging in consistent promotion, such as through a newsletter, works by reinforcing awareness of the job board.
Include value-added services such as a featured listing that places the post at the top of the page. You can also create posting packages that are competitively priced. Create employer sponsorship bundles to offer the employer a low-cost advertising option on your association’s website and job board. These fees are in addition to job posting fees, which further increase your job board’s revenue.
Final Takeaway
There’s no time like the present to get started with implementing some of these strategies. You’ll start seeing results in less time, and you can begin growing your job board.
Download The Ultimate Guide to Non-Dues Revenue for Associations and keep it handy while you plan. This resource features proven strategies to strengthen your job board, make smart promotion decisions and turn it into an industry resource that drives lasting value.
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