The Situation

Ron Hill Automatics needed to hire an experienced transmission mechanic on the Sunshine Coast. It's a niche role, and the usual approach of posting a text ad on a job board and waiting wasn't going to cut it.

The right people for this kind of work are almost always already employed. They're not scrolling Seek at night looking for their next gig. So if you want to reach them, you have to go where they actually spend their time, and give them a reason to pay attention.

Tim, who owns and runs the business, had already tried the traditional route. He'd spent good money on platforms like Seek and Indeed, including their premium options. But time after time, he was left with very few applicants who actually met the standard he was looking for.

Sound familiar? It's one of the most common frustrations we hear from trade business owners across the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane. The applicants either aren't qualified, aren't local, or aren't serious.

The Goal

We set out to build a recruitment marketing campaign that could:

• Reach the right locals, including passive candidates who weren't actively job hunting

• Show what the workshop is actually like (not just describe it in a text ad)

• Make it easy to apply on mobile

• Bring in better-fit applicants, not just more applicants

What We Built

Recruitment Videos (The Proof)

We captured real footage that answers the questions good technicians actually care about: Who will I be working with? What are the workshop standards like? What does a typical day look like? What kind of work will I be doing?

These aren't scripted corporate videos. They're authentic, straight-to-the-point clips that let the workshop speak for itself. That's what makes them work. Candidates can tell the difference between a polished recruitment ad and a genuine look inside the business.

Deliverables:

• A main "what it's like to work here" video

• Supporting clips from the team

• Cut-downs specifically formatted for paid social media ads

A Dedicated Landing Page That Converts

Instead of sending people to a generic job post on Seek or Indeed, we created a dedicated careers landing page focused on turning interest into applications.

The page included a clear role overview with no fluff, a "who we're looking for" section with role responsibilities, application requirements so people could self-select before applying, embedded video sections showing what it's like to work at Ron Hill and hear directly from the team, and a clear Apply Now call-to-action repeated throughout.

And that's a big part of what separates recruitment marketing from traditional job ads. You control the experience from the first click to the final application.

Targeted Paid Ad Campaign

We set up paid social media ads to put the recruitment videos in front of skilled tradespeople across the Sunshine Coast, even the ones who weren't looking for a new job. The targeting was built to reach qualified locals and give them a genuine look at the opportunity.

That's how you reach passive candidates. The ones who are happy enough in their current role but would move for the right opportunity. They're never going to find you on a job board, but they will stop scrolling when they see a video of a clean, well-run workshop looking for someone with their exact skill set.

Why Recruitment Marketing Works Better Than Job Boards for Trades

Text-only job ads make you sound the same as everyone else. Video lets candidates quickly see the vibe, the standards, the people, and the opportunity. It cuts through the noise in a way a written job listing never will.

And when you pair that video content with a targeted ad campaign, you're not just waiting for someone to stumble across your listing. You're putting the opportunity directly in front of the people who'd actually be a great fit, whether they're job hunting or not.

For trade businesses especially, this matters. The talent pool is small, the competition for good people is fierce, and the best technicians rarely need to go looking for work. You have to go to them.

The Results

Here's where it gets good. Tim was originally hiring for one skilled technician. He ended up hiring three from this single campaign.

Not three out of hundreds of junk applications, either. Every application that came through was high quality and genuinely worth considering. There was no flood of unsuitable candidates to wade through.

On top of the hires, the campaign also delivered a branding boost for the business. The social media content generated a heap of positive feedback from people in the community, and even brought in new clients. Recruitment marketing has a way of doing that. It doesn't just fill roles. It builds your reputation at the same time.

What Tim Had to Say

"I have always found recruiting skilled technicians to be one of the hardest parts of growing my business. Spent good money on platforms like Seek and Indeed, using their premium options, but time after time being left with very few applicants who'd met the standard we were looking for.

Working with Hayden at Good Crew Media has changed this.

Instead of chasing volume, he helped us attract the right people. The recruitment videos and targeted social media campaigns are professional and with purpose. I wasn't flooded with unsuitable applicants, every application I had received was of a high quality and genuinely worth considering. I was hiring for 1 skilled technician, we ended up hiring 3 skilled technicians from the one recruitment campaign.

Another benefit too is the branding to the business with the online social media presence. We received a heap of great feedback from those who seen the content and even new clients too.

For the first time, recruiting does not feel frustrating or out of our control. It feels like something we can approach with confidence."

Want Something Similar for Your Business?

If you're hiring skilled workers on the Sunshine Coast or Brisbane and job boards aren't cutting it, we'll tell you straight what to do next.

We build recruitment marketing campaigns (video, landing pages, and targeted social media ads) that bring in people actually worth hiring.

Book a 15-minute discovery call and let's talk about your next hire.