Finding and keeping skilled promotional staff can turn an ordinary event into a memorable brand experience. Your promotional team isn’t just filling roles; they’re creating connections, embodying your brand, and helping build lasting impressions. Anne M. Mulcahy, former CEO of Xerox Corporation, captured this perfectly:
Employees are a company’s greatest asset – they’re your competitive advantage. You want to attract and retain the best; provide them with encouragement, stimulus, and make them feel that they are an integral part of the company’s mission.
Here, we’ll explore tips to hire promotional staff and powerful strategies to retain top talent, building a strong, loyal team that delivers results.
What is Employee Retention?
Employee retention is an organization’s ability to keep skilled staff engaged over time. This is particularly valuable in promotional staffing, where consistent, high-performing employees bring major benefits. A solid retention strategy reduces costs, strengthens team dynamics, and drives event success. With effective employee retention strategies that motivate and retain top talent, you can create a reliable network of skilled, loyal staff who become integral to your brand’s success.
What Motivates Your Promotional Staff?
Promotional work is often short-term or gig-based, which means you’ll need strong motivators to attract and keep the best. Here are some proven motivators that top-performing promotional staff value:
- Competitive Pay: Offering a fair rate for demanding work shows staff you value their time and effort, which builds loyalty from the start.
- Recognition and Rewards: Acknowledge staff with perks, bonuses, or exclusive rewards. Small gestures go a long way in reinforcing their importance and building brand loyalty.
- Growth Opportunities: Providing training, skill development, or added responsibilities attracts talent looking to expand their careers. When staff see chances to learn and grow, they’re more likely to stay invested in your team.
Understanding these motivators and implementing effective employee retention strategies can make a meaningful difference in how your team performs and engages with each campaign.
Why Retaining Employees is Important
Retaining talented promotional staff isn’t just about reducing turnover—it’s about strengthening your brand from the inside out. Here’s why how to attract and retain employees matters to promotional staffing success:
- Consistent Brand Representation: Staff who know your brand can engage with audiences more genuinely and build stronger connections.
- Cost Efficiency: Lower turnover cuts down on recruiting, training, and onboarding expenses, saving valuable resources.
- Enhanced Performance: With each event, retained staff become more collaborative and effective, building stronger team dynamics and driving better results.
A focus on retaining staff means your team will show up ready to deliver every time, creating lasting value for your brand.
Tips and Strategies to Hire Promotional Staff
Building a standout promotional team requires hiring the right people from the start. Use these tips to hire promotional staff who bring value, professionalism, and reliability to your campaigns.
1. Build a Reliable Network of Candidates
- Create Your Go-To List: Develop a list of trusted candidates for faster, smoother staffing. Having a core “A-Team” with verified skills and experience saves time and ensures quality at every event.
- Set Clear Job Requirements: Define essential qualifications, like event experience, customer interaction skills, and any industry-specific expertise. This upfront clarity helps filter candidates who are genuinely suited for your brand’s demands.
2. Use Modern Staffing Platforms
- Leverage Technology: Platforms like Liveforce make it easy to manage promotional event staffing by centralizing sourcing, scheduling, and performance tracking. Using tech to keep top candidates organized can build a high-quality pool that’s ready to mobilize when needed.
- Social Media Recruiting: Tap into LinkedIn, Facebook Groups, and industry-specific forums where promotional staff actively look for gigs. These channels connect you with experienced talent who understand the demands of promotional work.
3. Partner with Trade Schools and Specialized Institutions
- Source Entry-Level Talent: Trade schools or industry-aligned institutions can be ideal for entry-level hires, especially those pursuing careers in relevant fields. These candidates often bring foundational knowledge and strong motivation, making them excellent brand ambassadors.
Screening and Interviewing Promotional Staff
Effective interviewing and screening help you select the best candidates with confidence, professionalism, and the right skill set.
1. Focus on Real-World Experience and Skills
- Ask for Examples: Go beyond standard questions and request specific examples. Try, “Can you tell me about a time you engaged a challenging audience?” or “Describe a situation where you had to adapt quickly.” Behavioral questions help assess how they’ll handle real-world situations.
- Industry Knowledge: For roles that require specific expertise, ask questions that confirm candidates understand your goals and can confidently interact with your audience.
2. Prioritize Core Qualities
- Personality Fit: Enthusiasm, adaptability, and a customer-centric attitude are essential for promotional roles. Situational questions can reveal these qualities, giving you insights into their mindset and approach.
- Teamwork Skills: Strong collaboration makes events run smoother. Ask for examples of teamwork and reliability, and look for candidates who naturally enjoy working with others to achieve shared goals.
Retaining Your Best Promotional Staff
Retention is key to building a consistent, reliable team that grows with every event. Here’s how to motivate and retain top talent and create a work environment that engages your best promotional staff.
1. Offer Competitive Pay
- Fair Compensation: Fair pay is foundational to loyalty. While budget constraints are real, cutting corners on compensation can lead to high turnover, which is costly and disruptive. Invest in competitive rates to build a loyal, dedicated team.
- Avoid Cost-Cutting Temptations: When possible, avoid small cuts in pay that can discourage loyalty. The difference in long-term performance makes fair compensation worth the investment.
2. Implement Reward and Incentive Programs
- Exclusive Perks: Offer rewards like branded merchandise, event tickets, or exclusive product samples. When staff feel like insiders, they naturally become enthusiastic advocates for your brand.
- Performance-Based Bonuses: Set specific goals and offer bonuses for hitting milestones. A little friendly competition keeps the work engaging and motivates staff to perform their best.
3. Invest in Training and Development
- Skills Development: Providing training and professional feedback not only builds performance but also shows you’re invested in their growth. Upskilled employees are more confident, capable, and loyal to your brand.
- Empower Staff with Added Responsibility: Identify those who show promise and provide leadership roles or special tasks. Empowering staff builds trust and fosters a referral-driven network of top talent, continually improving your hiring pool.
Conclusion
Creating a team of high-quality promotional staff is about more than just filling roles; it’s about building a motivated, consistent group that represents your brand with passion. With these tips to hire promotional staff and effective retention strategies, you’re set to create a team that drives success for every campaign.
Want a more efficient approach to managing promotional staff? Platforms like Liveforce simplify hiring, sourcing, and managing top talent, making it easier to connect with reliable promotional staff who are excited to represent your brand.
