You never forget the person who helped you get your first job

In the grocery business, brand loyalty is incredibly valuable but becoming harder and harder to capture. Prices, quality, and service are all important factors in creating loyalty but another often-overlooked way of generating loyalty is through human resources. Grocery stores should be using the recruitment of new hourly employees as a way to reach out to the local community and generate good will among local families. It is harder than ever for teens to find jobs, but they provide the affordable and enthusiastic help that grocery stores require. By making the effort to put teens to work, grocery stores can take advantage of local schools and teen centers that are eager to promote employers that hire teenagers, creating a powerful network of brand ambassadors. Hiring teenagers is an easy way of building brand loyalty for years to come. Everybody remembers their first job, and many remember their original employers fondly for years afterwards. A few years ago McDonald’s capitalized on this good will through an advertising campaign called “My First,” that included television ads featuring people from around the world who started their careers at McDonald’s. While they spent millions of dollars and were able to use past employees like Carl Lewis and Macy Gray to find new employees and promote McDonald’s – you can do the same for less.

In the grocery business, brand loyalty is incredibly valuable but becoming harder and harder to capture. Prices, quality, and service are all important factors in creating loyalty but another often-overlooked way of generating loyalty is through human resources.

Grocery stores should be using the recruitment of new hourly employees as a way to reach out to the local community and generate good will among local families. It is harder than ever for teens to find jobs, but they provide the affordable and enthusiastic help that grocery stores require. By making the effort to put teens to work, grocery stores can take advantage of local schools and teen centers that are eager to promote employers that hire teenagers, creating a powerful network of brand ambassadors.

Hiring teenagers is an easy way of building brand loyalty for years to come. Everybody remembers their first job, and many remember their original employers fondly for years afterwards. A few years ago McDonald’s capitalized on this good will through an advertising campaign called “My First,” that included television ads featuring people from around the world who started their careers at McDonald’s. While they spent millions of dollars and were able to use past employees like Carl Lewis and Macy Gray to find new employees and promote McDonald’s – you can do the same for less.

The trick is figuring out the best way to promote your company as a great employer to teens and parents. Simply calling guidance counselors, librarians, and PTA Presidents and asking for their help spreading the word about your job openings is a good start. Advertising in high school newspapers, sports and arts programs, and youth targeted websites like myfirstpaycheck.com and facebook.com are also easy and affordable ways of promoting yourself in the community. Advertising in these venues are probably things you do now to reach their parents, but advertising yourself as a first employer makes you stand out.

There are few opportunities for businesses to make a smart financial decision and a charitable impact at the same time, but recruiting and hiring teenagers provides one of those chances. Recruit and hire teenagers and fill job openings, create good will in the community, and provide teenagers with an opportunity to gain valuable workplace skills, at the same time.

Austin Lavin is CEO and CO-Founder of Myfirstpaycheck.com