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Driving Traffic 1 (June 09, 2005) It's funny that people still talk about "traffic" as if it were a monolithic force. "Traffic comes to our website and visits our employment area," is the kind of numb-speak that we usually encounter. "We've got plenty of traffic," they say, without knowing much at all about where it comes from or what it is. Maybe John Sullivan is right. The only way to hire top performers is to proactively identify them. In that case, traffic will never matter. Employment branding will never matter.
Sadly, Sullivan's idea assumes that the organization has no influence on individual performance and that organizational culture should be set aside in favor of the next guy's definition of performance. While there is a place for proactively seeking out some kinds of talent, it's small. Proselytizing is generally a better deal for the missionaries than it is for the converted. You can see that we think there is a small case to be made for Sullivan's position. But, if all we needed was mercenary recruiting for talented individuals, we'd recommend outsourcing the whole thing to seasoned executive headhunters. Recruiting is the gateway to the organization and as such must be managed systemically The difference between "you find us" and "we find you" is the difference between attraction and promotion. Promotion, the tool of street corner evangelists, involves targeting an individual and persuading them. Attraction, the opposite, means engaging in behavior that draws a desired demographic towards the organization. The flaw in Sullivan's reasoning is that attraction can be managed, it doesn't just happen. A quick look at the pioneering work done by Susan Burns of Federated Department Stores shows the value of harnessing and targeting traffic to produce bulk hire candidates. Retailology, which services Macy's, Bloomingdale's and the Federated administrative chain, develops traffic and has become expert in traffic refinement. There are several avenues for traffic development that depend on your goals. The easiest place to start is Search Engine Optimization (the process of making your web materials accessible to the audience you desire).
In the coming articles, we'll look at the relationship between traffic development and workforce planning, other techniques for developing traffic, and various measures of effectiveness.
John
Sumser
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