Transform job board communication with Announcement Cards
Introduction
Keeping talent engaged on your job board shouldn't require constant emails or hope that important updates don't get missed. Today's job seekers expect dynamic, relevant information delivered exactly when they need it. That's why we're excited to introduce Announcement Cards - a powerful new feature that transforms how you communicate with your talent community directly on your job board.
Announcement Cards are prominent, visually engaging cards that appear seamlessly within your job board interface, delivering targeted messages without disrupting the user experience. Whether you're highlighting new employer partnerships, promoting upcoming career events or sharing application deadlines, these cards ensure your most important communications get the attention they deserve.
The Challenge: Static Job Boards Leave Talent Disconnected
Traditional job boards face a fundamental communication problem. While they excel at displaying available positions, they struggle to deliver timely, contextual information that keeps users engaged and informed.
Consider these common scenarios: A new employer partner joins your platform with exclusive opportunities, but users won't discover them for weeks. Application deadlines approach, but candidates miss them because they're buried in email newsletters. Career development webinars that could benefit your community get low attendance because the promotion gets lost in the noise.
The result? Decreased user engagement, missed opportunities and a static experience that fails to build the ongoing relationship necessary for successful job placement. Users visit less frequently, apply to fewer positions and gradually disengage from your platform entirely.
Without dynamic communication tools, career support teams resort to email campaigns that often end up in spam folders, social media posts that reach limited audiences, or manual outreach that doesn't scale. Meanwhile, valuable opportunities and resources go under utilised because the right people simply don't know about them at the right time.
Introducing Announcement Cards: Dynamic Communication Made Simple
Announcement Cards solve this communication gap by bringing important updates directly into your job board experience, even if your job board is automated. These are customisable, visually prominent cards that appear alongside job listings, ensuring users see critical information during their most engaged moments - when they're actively browsing opportunities.
Each Announcement Card functions as a mini-communication hub with rich customisation options. You can craft compelling headlines, add detailed messaging across multiple lines, include call-to-action buttons with custom labels, and direct users to specific resources or external links. The cards support full branding control with customisable primary and secondary colours that align with your organisation's visual identity.
The scheduling functionality ensures perfect timing. Set start and end dates for time-sensitive announcements or leave them open-ended for ongoing communications. Cards can be easily enabled or disabled, reordered and updated on the fly as circumstances change.
What makes Announcement Cards particularly powerful is their contextual placement. Rather than competing for attention in crowded email inboxes, they appear naturally within the job browsing experience. Users encounter them when they're already in a career-focused mindset, making the information more relevant and actionable.
The creation process is intuitive, with a real-time preview showing exactly how your card will appear to users. This eliminates guesswork and ensures your messaging looks professional and engaging before it goes live.
Key Benefits and Practical Use Cases
Boosting User Engagement and Platform Stickiness
Announcement Cards transform passive job boards into active communication platforms. Users develop a habit of checking for updates, knowing they'll find fresh, relevant content beyond just new job postings. This increased engagement translates to more frequent visits, longer session times and higher application rates
Organisations report significant improvements in user engagement when implementing dynamic content strategies. The cards create multiple touch points with your audience, building stronger relationships that extend beyond individual job searches.
Streamlined Communication for Career Support Teams
Instead of managing multiple communication channels, career support teams can deliver targeted messages directly where their audience is most active. This reduces the administrative burden of email campaigns while ensuring higher visibility for important announcements.
The scheduling features allow teams to plan communications weeks in advance, automating the delivery of time-sensitive information without manual intervention. This is particularly valuable for organisations managing multiple cohorts or programmes with different timelines.
Here's some examples:
- Application Deadline Reminders: Time-sensitive opportunities require proactive communication. Cards can countdown to application deadlines, highlight requirements, or provide last-minute preparation resources to help candidates submit stronger applications
- Career Development Resources: Promote webinars, workshops, CV review sessions, or interview preparation support. The visual prominence ensures these valuable resources get the attention they deserve, leading to higher attendance and better career outcomes
- New Employer Partnerships: When prestigious companies join your platform, Announcement Cards ensure immediate visibility. Highlight exclusive opportunities, company culture information, or special application processes that set these employers apart
- Success Stories and Social Proof: Feature recent placement successes, employer testimonials, or career progression stories. These cards build confidence in your platform while inspiring other users to engage more actively with available opportunities
- Industry Insights and Market Updates: Share relevant industry trends, salary benchmarks, or skills in demand. This positions your platform as a valuable career resource beyond just job listings
Sponsor and Partner Promotion
For organisations working with sponsors or featured employers, Announcement Cards provide premium visibility that can be monetised or used to strengthen partnership relationships
Creating Effective Announcement Cards: Tips
Setting up impactful Announcement Cards requires strategic thinking about messaging, timing, and visual design. The most successful implementations follow proven best practices that maximise engagement while maintaining professional presentation.
Craft Compelling Headlines: Your headline is the first thing users see, so make it count. Use action-oriented language that clearly communicates value. "Struggling to secure interviews?" works better than "CV Support Available" because it addresses a specific pain point.
Structure Your Messaging: Use the two-line format strategically. Line one should expand on your headline with specific benefits, while line two provides clear next steps or additional context. Keep text concise but informative - users should understand the opportunity and required action within seconds.
Strategic Button Placement: Call-to-action buttons should use specific, action-oriented labels rather than generic terms like "Learn More." "View Roles," "Email Team," or "Book Session" tell users exactly what will happen when they click.
Colours Branding: Choose colours that align with your brand while considering psychological impact. Bright colours like green and blue tend to attract attention for positive messages, whilst maintaining sufficient contrast for accessibility.
Timing and Scheduling: Schedule cards to appear when they're most relevant. Application deadline reminders work best 1-2 weeks before deadlines, while event promotions should appear 2-4 weeks in advance to allow for planning.
Early Feedback
Early implementations of Announcement Cards show promising feedback. metrics. Organisations are finding unexpected benefits in reduced support queries, as proactive communication through cards addresses common questions before they're asked. This creates operational efficiencies whilst improving user experience.
User feedback indicates strong preference for cards that provide immediate value - whether that's curated job matches, direct access to resources, or exclusive opportunities not available elsewhere. The visual separation from regular job listings helps users quickly identify and process important updates.
The most successful cards combine specific value propositions with clear calls-to-action. Cards promoting deadlines and upcoming events receive high engagement, whilst those offering direct access to support teams (like email contacts or booking links) generate high engagement rates.
Advanced Features and Future Enhancements
Current Announcement Cards offer comprehensive customisation, but we're continuously expanding capabilities based on user feedback. The drag-and-drop reordering system allows for dynamic prioritisation as circumstances change, whilst the enable/disable toggle provides instant control over card visibility.
The preview functionality ensures cards look perfect before going live, whilst the scheduling system handles complex timing requirements automatically. These features combine to create a professional communication tool that requires minimal ongoing management whilst delivering maximum impact.
Future enhancements will include audience targeting capabilities, allowing cards to be shown to specific user segments based on skills, location or career stage.
Getting Started with Announcement Cards Today
Announcement Cards are now available to all Spacewalk users through the platform's intuitive admin interface. Access the feature through your dashboard's "Announcement cards" tab, where you can create, schedule, and manage all your communications from a single location.
The setup process is designed for immediate use - create your first card in minutes, preview the result and schedule it to go live whenever you're ready. The re-ordering and scheduling makes ongoing management simple, whilst the comprehensive customisation options ensure your cards align perfectly with your brand and messaging strategy.
For organisations looking to transform their job placement communication strategy Announcement Cards represent a significant step forward in user engagement and operational efficiency. They bridge the gap between static job boards and dynamic career support, creating stronger connections with your talent community.
Ready to see how Announcement Cards can enhance your job board communication? Contact our team for a personalised demonstration, or explore the feature directly through your existing Spacewalk dashboard. Transform how you connect with your talent community and start seeing the engagement improvements that dynamic communication delivers.
