HN Explorer

Ask HN: How to compete with a local giant...on a budget.

4 points by 404error ↗ HN
Hello everyone,

I am thinking about starting an online job board for my city. ( <100,000 Primarily Agricultural )

There's already an online job board for my area in place, but I think I can execute better.

They advertise everyday on local television which for me at this point is impossible to do.

They service surrounding areas which I am planning to do as well.

Taking into consideration the size of my town and how long my biggest competition has been around (about 4 years)... should I bail on this idea and move on to the next one?

People in small towns don't like change too much.

I'm planning on running commercials that people will remember as opposed to running the same boring commercials everyday, and planning on charging less than my competitor.

Anyone else running a job board that can offer some advice?

Thanks in advance.

6 comments

[ 2.4 ms ] story [ 25.9 ms ] thread
ryduh
You might want to consider partnering with cable or radio stations in your area. Give them a cut of the profit for constant advertising. I'm pretty sure that is what one of the local job boards does near me.
404error
I think this is what my local job board is doing as well.

I know someone who tried to compete with them and offered a weekly print product along with the website, but they didn't last too long.

ryduh
Ok. How are you going to execute better? Have you talked to any of your competitor's customers? Do they have any gripes about the website/pricing?
404error
Yes, I have talked to their customers and the one thing that keeps coming up a lot is price.

I'm planning on organizing job fairs to help both job seekers and employers. I would also like to offer job seekers a way to build good resumes. As far as presentation, I believe my solution is a lot cleaner and easier to use. I want to help people find careers not jobs.

My competitors website has become a cesspool for advertising. (Non-employment related) I don't have a problem with advertising I know its another source of income for websites, but when I'm looking for a job the last thing I want to see is an ad for an overpriced car I cannot afford, that's why I'm looking for a job. :-)

Thank you for your reply.

WillyF
I'm not running a job board, but I run a jobs website.

That's a pretty small market for a job board. Companies that operate in markets that size usually have dozens/hundreds/thousands of properties.

SEO is often huge for job boards. If you can out-SEO your competition (which could be very hard or very easy), then you'll have a huge advantage in gaining traction.

The really tough part is selling job postings before you have an audience. You should use SimplyHired or Indeed to backfill with local results until you can get companies to post on your site.

Competing on price isn't going to make you stand out much. HR offices are very risk-averse, so they'd rather spend what they've always spent than try something new.

I'm not saying you should scrap, but you need to be fully aware of the challenges you will face. I'm happy to share more if you're interested - willy@onedayonejob.com.

404error
Thank you for your response Willy.

I will definitely take you up on your offer as I work on a plan of attack. I like the idea of competing against someone, it's a challenge I do not face in my current day job. So, if anything it will be fun if I can make my competition sweat at least a little.