Using Video to Take Your Auto Shop’s Recruiting to the Next Level

6 MIN READ
Wy You Should Use Video for Auto Shop Recruiting

Meeting Your Hiring Needs for Skilled Automotive Workers

Whether your auto shop focuses on basic car maintenance or collision repair, you rely on good workers to get the job done. There’s an ebb and flow to an auto shop, with your long-timers helping to train entry-level techs and apprentices. You don’t become an experienced mechanic overnight; it requires an individual to commit to training and years of time on the job.

Your most experienced mechanic could probably put a car on a hydraulic lift in his sleep. He is at home among the service bays and tools and draws on years of experience to identify corroded brake pads, make transmission repairs, or replace an engine with ease. Whatever needs to be done, he can do it. He’s a leader in the shop, dependable, and respected by his fellow techs. 

But what happens when he retires or chooses to take his skills elsewhere?

There are 70,000 more openings for automotive service technicians and mechanics projected by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics each year through 2030. The openings are caused by employees either expected to leave the automotive industry or retire from the workforce. This leaves auto shops scrambling to recruit skilled technicians to fill key roles on their team, while at the same time finding entry-level workers that can be trained as apprentices.

Auto shops across the country are realizing that if they are in dire need of mechanics and techs, the shop around the corner is too—so they better figure out a way to set their recruiting apart. That means thinking beyond job boards and traditional advertisements. Take Rad Air Complete Car Care & Tire Centers, a Northeast Ohio chain of automotive repair centers. In late 2020, Rad Air was looking for mechanics, tire technicians, and lube technicians to join their team. As part of their paid social media recruiting campaign, they decided to run video ads. And we’re not talking about anything flashy—no fancy animation, gimmicks, or overproduction. When it is done right, video can be extremely successful at recruiting for your auto shop.

 


 

Rad Air: Join the Family

Video Recruitment Advertising Campaign

Rad Air wanted to focus on one central message for their campaign: When you work for Rad Air, you aren’t just joining a company; you are joining a family. Rad Air’s founder, Andy Fiffick, is passionate about the open and honest workplace culture he’s fostered at all ten Rad Air locations, and the fact that his employees don’t operate on quotas or commissions. 

If prospective employees could have a short conversation with Andy, they would likely feel confident and excited about taking the job. And that was the goal of the video shoot: Let candidates hear directly from Andy in his own words. When your message is to the point and genuine, video is a powerful recruiting tool for this demographic. 

Rad Air’s videos anchored a 3-month paid Facebook campaign that reached more than 26,000 people. All positions were filled before the campaign ended. 

 

 


 

Components of a Strong Recruitment Video

What Does It Take to Convert a Candidate?

  • Build trust: Use video to take prospects behind the scenes of your auto shop.
  • Make a positive impression: Show younger prospects, and their families, that an auto industry career is a great choice.
  • Highlight the benefits: Paid vacation and time-off? No evening hours? Hit on each benefit.
  • Focus on what sets your brand apart: If a mechanic is going to leave a good job at another shop, he’s got to have a good reason. Make sure your message is compelling.
  • Keep it short: Your videos should be easy to consume—no filler, to the point, and concise
  • Have fun with it: If you or your techs are stilted and uncomfortable, it will show. Relax and have fun.

 


 

D&S Automotive: More Than Coworkers

Careers Page Video

D&S Automotive, a collision and repair shop in Greater Cleveland, chose video as a key element of their revamped Careers page. Many members of their team—from the collision center manager and company president to several auto body technicians and the marketing director—get screen time talking about their unique experience working at D&S Automotive. For prospective employees, the chance to hear directly about the company culture, benefits, and work experience could be the difference between submitting their application or looking for a new job elsewhere. 

 


 

Company 119’s Unique Approach to Video

Our video production team knows that to get the best content, you have to go straight to the expert: The client. You are the expert on your business—who can speak better to your auto shop’s mission, values, and benefits? We don’t put words in your mouth. We let your voice drive the content, and we handle the rest. Our video production crew captures genuine moments among your automotive technicians and pulls back the curtain on your shops. We’re there to take your message and the experience of working for your shop and package it in high-quality digital video. 

What to Do With Video Collateral You Create

  • Update your website’s Home page or Careers page.
  • Run a paid Facebook and Instagram campaign.
  • Post to your social media channels in the main feed.
  • Run a LinkedIn campaign.
  • Post to your Google Business page as an update.
  • Design a recruitment-driven email campaign.

 


 

Where Do You Begin With Digital Video?

Take Your Auto Shop’s Recruiting to the Next Level

Before you can film a video, you need two things: Your message, and your desired audience. You need to know who you’re talking to—your ideal candidates—and what you want them to know about your business in just a couple of minutes. Our partner Main Street Recruitment can help you think through how to deliver the right message to the right people at the right time, and we can help execute your video and bring your vision to life.

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