Texas Wing

                               
                                Recruiting Page 3

The Recruiting Page will be updated frequently. Check back periodically to see new topics added as they are completed.

Because the purpose of this page is to be your recruiting tool, please consider contributing your ideas, 
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Target Market Recruiting

        Target Market Recruiting simply means focusing your efforts on a specific group of people. In other words, finding concentrations of the kind of people you feel most are most likely to be interested in what you have to offer. An example we are all familiar with is kid's breakfast cereal commercials during Saturday morning cartoons. You don't see many commercials for Metamucil then. The audience isn't big enough to be cost effective for the advertiser.  The more specific, or niche, your "product is, the more you need to concern yourself with who the target market is. Just about everybody watches TV, so your local TV network affiliate can put up a "News Team 4" billboard on the main freeway, knowing that all drivers that pass are potential customers for news viewing. The market hasn't been focused much more than "drivers." 

        It is not nearly as effective for CAP, with little or no money available for advertising, to spend on such broad tools. (However, if the billboard space and poster is donated, or provided, then there is good "general awareness" benefit and some "name recognition" building can come of it.) But even if a billboard is free, how effective is it to CAP recruiting? Most non-CAP passers-by will see the message and say or think, "What's that? Never heard of it." There is no connection between the viewer and what we in CAP want.  There would be such a connection between the soda drinking public and a catchy Mountain Dew billboard. So what are we in CAP to do?

        In recruiting, CAP is usually trying to educate, then interest people in being a part of our organization. We can't do that on a billboard passed at 65 mph. But if we take the time to think about where like-minded people might be found, we can create or capitalize on an opportunity to catch their attention and spend some time with them. The previous discussion on lunchroom set-ups in schools provides such an example.  Students in that setting are age-eligible, comfortable in their "natural habitat," and have a little time to spare during lunch break. They represent our ideal target market for Cadets. That is to say, they represent the market grouped by age. But what percentage would be interested in CAP? Still fairly low, maybe 5%. But by examining the numbers, we see this is still an effective tool. In a school of 600 students, 5% would be 30. If the CAP table is properly placed, all 600 will get the exposure, and you will speak to 100, get strong interest from 50, and actually get 30 to give you contact information. That's a lot of good "leads!" Another section will discuss how to be an effective recruiter and make the most of the 30 contacts.  Compare the lunchroom set-up with a booth at the mall. How many people pass by the CAP booth? How many of them are potential members by age? Why are they there -- do they have time to talk to you? Or are they with someone, worrying about being cool? Mall booths are a good awareness tool, but aren't usually big recruiting successes. Recruiting in the mall is like boating out into the middle of the lake and dropping a fishing line. A good set-up at a school is like knowing where the local anglers' sweet spot on the lake is -- where all the hungry fish are.

        What are other examples of Target Market Recruiting? For recruiting pilots: hanging posters and placing literature at FBOs, pilot shops, FAA offices, tower lobbies, flight planning rooms, etc. These approaches are free, except for materials, and the work is in taking the time to travel around to the places, making friendly contacts, and negotiating your space with the proprietors or authorities. Similarly, for emergency services and medical specialists, literature could be placed at the volunteer fire department, county emergency services offices, hospital and clinic break room bulletin boards, etc. The opportunities vary from city to city, so there is no perfect approach that works for everyone. However, it can be useful to gather a group of squadron members and hold a brainstorming or roundtable session to solicit ideas for places and opportunities. Once you have some clever ideas, make a plan to get the word out.

        Next, we will look at some specific recruiting approaches.

Other topics planned:                   

Recruiting in generic public places (malls, parking lots)

Airshows, fly-ins, and other aviation related events

Recruiting in the media

Blending Recruiting and Public Affairs efforts

Civic and Service Clubs

Influencers

One-on-One recruiting

Making anything a recruiting opportunity

Recruiting drives and contests

What makes a good "recruiter?"

Where Imagination Takes Flight