Can "Super-Consumers" Minimize the Talent Shortage?

No matter the industry you’re in, the current talent market is tough. And guess what? It’s only getting tougher to find the right talent. In fact, 40 percent of global employers report talent shortages within their organizations, and the number one reason jobs go unfilled is due to lack of available applicants.

With millions of unfilled jobs across the nation, we are experiencing one of the biggest talent shortages in history. All organizations are feeling it, and many are getting creative with their employer branding and candidate attraction efforts.

If you search Google for untapped talent sources, you’ll likely find articles on hiring ex-convicts, military veterans, candidates with disabilities, and many other sources. All of these are viable and potential options for increasing your talent pool, and filling some critical positions. But, what else is out there?

I recently came across an article that discussed the concept of targeting your organization’s “super-consumers,” and it really got me thinking about the impact on the talent shortage.

What are “super-consumers”? The concept of “super-consumers” has been around for the marketing world for years. It’s not new, and many organizations have successfully worked to retain these individuals as lifelong customers. Simply put, if you are an organization that sells products or services, your “super-consumers” are defined as those individuals that make up the 10 percent of consumers driving more than 50 percent of your profits.

What’s that mean? They are the most passionate and engaged consumers within your category, and they are proud of it. Your “super-consumers” are the first to purchase your latest product, and they’ll pay premium price to get it.

Why you should target them Think about it. Your “super-consumers” are already passionate about your brand, your purpose and your category. It’s a no-brainer that they will reflect those same strong qualities as an employee for your organization. In essence, your “super-consumers” could become your next “super-employees.”

Plus, with an emotional connection to your brand, they will be your best brand advocates, and will probably have a high employee referral rate at the same time.

Hesitating? That’s normal It’s scary to approach a “super-consumer” about an opportunity, because you may worry about losing them as a huge profit-increasing customer. The decision should be well-thought out, and you shouldn’t be the only one involved in developing a targeted recruiting campaign that is “super-consumer” centric in nature.

When in doubt, take the approach of asking your “super-consumers” who they may know that could be a good fit for an open position within your organization. At the very least, you may get some great referrals, and you can feel them out to gauge their own interest level in working for your organization.

“Super-consumers” may not be the ultimate answer to the talent shortage, but it’s definitely another talent source to strongly consider for your vacant positions.