Innovation
Podcast Marketing in Anne Arundel County
Job fairs usually target workers who are unemployed, underemployed, or looking to switch jobs. However, a job fair sponsored by Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corporation (AAWDC) resulted in a new job – or, rather, a new job responsibility – for the Corporation’s public relations director.
When AAWDC’s Heather Henry saw a local radio station, WNAV-AM, reporting from the job fair as well as seeking new employees, she approached the station staff about working together somehow. They came up with the idea for a series of podcasts that would market the workforce development system’s services to WNAV’s 500,000 listeners. The subscribable series of 16 podcasts that emerged from this creative partnership began airing right after Labor Day and ran through the end of 2010.
Ms. Henry coordinated AAWDC’s involvement – selecting topics, arranging interviews – and WNAV’s news director Karl Magenhoffer conducted the interviews. Since the workforce system serves multiple customer segments, the podcast topics varied widely to appeal to job seekers, employers, and the general public. Topics ranged from tips for job seekers and businesses to hot topics such as green jobs and cybersecurity.
AAWDC President Kirkland J. Murray kicked off the series and AAWDC staff brought their expertise to the series. Sallie Sarelas highlighted employer recruitment strategies. Program directors discussed targeted populations, such as ex-offenders, older workers, and hard to place job seekers. Tom Frankovitch, Project Manager of Cybersecurity, discussed the regional Pathways to Cybersecurity Careers Consortium initiative, while Howard County’s Jeryl Baker discussed opportunities under the Maryland Energy Sector Partnership. The series also highlighted staff from the Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation (DLLR). Andre James, who oversees the Glen Burnie One-Stop Career Center, talked about job search techniques. Veterans Day week was the occasion for an “Employment Focus on Veterans,” featuring Zella Brown, DLLR’s Veterans Workforce Supervisor. The fall series closed with business and job seeker success stories, including the Maryland Business Works program (spotlighting the Baltimore Washington Medical Center). Individual job seeker success stories rounded out the podcast series.
AAWDC’s website (www.aawdc.org) experienced a dramatic increase in traffic over the 16 weeks of podcasts, in part because each podcast ended with a listing of the top 10 “hot jobs of the week.” The hot jobs page jumped exponentially to be the first page the people viewed on the website each week. Another outcome was a dramatic increase in partnerships. The DLLR interviews strengthened AAWDC’s relationship with that agency. Featuring Howard County in the green jobs podcast augmented AAWDC’s connection with the workforce department there.
A new spring series of 13 podcasts, now in development, will target growth industries such as healthcare, high-precision manufacturing, information technology, and electrical contracting. Several of these new podcasts will present interviews with business members of AAWDC Workforce Investment Board, discussing necessary training for new jobs on the horizon.
Listen to the podcasts at: http://www.aawdc.org/html/podcast_news_01.html. |
