If you’re like many association leaders, you have several factors to weigh when making pricing decisions about your job board. Factors like stakeholders’ opinions, concerns over alienating members, and sensitivity to having users see the job board as a revenue generator instead of a member benefit. Many partners have faced all these questions and more. Here is a standard narrative of an association’s pricing journey.
Free or Fee
When considering price changes, it is essential to be cognizant of your job board’s value in the recruitment marketplace. Recruiters are seeking access to niche talent that is only available through your organization. That insight can be acquired by researching your competition or speaking with an experienced job board sales representative in your industry. The most suitable outcome is pricing your job board products to match industry standards. Assign prices that show recruiters the value of reaching your professional members. Having a free product invites irrelevant job postings, discouraging members from seeing your job board as a viable employment resource.
Educating Stakeholders
What is the mission of your organization? When thinking about pricing for your job board, stakeholders need to understand the importance of attaching a cost to the products. Revenue earned from the job board can be used to invest back into your members’ programs and events. Likewise, employers need to understand that by paying to connect their job openings with your members, they will be reaching active, qualified job seekers. The job board will be a job search destination because the jobs listed here will be relevant for interested professionals.
Attract Talent
The last piece of the puzzle is raising career center awareness with your members. Inform members of the professional resources available on your association job board through all marketing channels. Friendly reminders on social media, in the monthly newsletter, featured jobs on your association homepage are great ways to drive job seeker traffic to the job board. An active job board means repeat postings and more non-dues revenue to reinvest in your members.
