Recruiting plumbers and electricians for O’Brien on the East Coast of Australia.

Members told us they had trouble recruiting at every level, and it was worse in inland towns, where tradespeople are reluctant to move away from the cities and the coast. A member advertising on its own pays for reach it can’t use.

The ads lead with what a move offers: better weather, a better pay-to-lifestyle ratio and more time for what matters, with lines like ‘Trade the city grind for the coast’. They run on Facebook, Instagram and Google Display, two weeks on and two weeks off, to a landing page where candidates pick their top three locations.

Area managers hold the shared candidate list, and each candidate is emailed every three months. Alongside it we ran member ads in Coffs Harbour, Lismore, Bendigo and Mount Gambier.