What is it? Why do you need it? And how can you start?
A few years ago, you may have been able to argue that recruitment marketing was ‘nice to have’ but that you could also fill positions by posting on the right job boards. Sadly, those days are long gone. With 93% of employers doing some degree of hiring this year (up from 83% in 2021), it’s no surprise that 9 out of 10 employers struggle to fill job openings.
In this climate of fierce competition, you must have a strategy to stand out from the crowd — and that’s precisely what recruitment marketing provides.
What is Recruitment Marketing?
Recruitment marketing is just what it sounds like — using marketing strategies to attract, engage, and retain qualified candidates. It’s a more proactive approach to recruiting that builds interest and consideration before candidates ever submit a job application (sometimes before they even think about applying!)
It’s how you activate your brand values throughout the candidate journey to build awareness, interest, and consideration. In other words, recruitment marketing takes candidates from “I’ve never heard of that company” to “Wow, they seem like a company I’d love to work for!”
Job Boards Aren’t Enough
Job boards have their place within a larger recruitment marketing strategy but have serious limitations in today’s market.
That’s because…
- Job boards focus on selling the JOB — the job alone isn’t compelling enough for most candidates these days. They want to know how your values translate into your workplace culture and how that’ll impact their day-to-day experience as your employee.
- Job boards are reactive — the right talent for your company may be passive (or not actively searching for a new position). Job boards can’t reach passive candidates. Recruitment marketing, on the other hand, builds awareness and interest in your organization among passive and active candidates alike.
- Job boards rely on persuasion — they attempt to persuade readers to submit their applications. But the top talent in today’s workforce is used to being engaged and nurtured — which is the function of recruitment marketing.
This doesn’t mean job boards are totally dead! Only that you must expand your recruitment efforts beyond job boards so that you don’t get lost in the crowd.
Recruitment Marketing Strategies
The first step when implementing recruitment marketing is to determine your brand message and build your employer brand.
Once you have that element in place, you can start creating content that will draw in qualified candidates and showcase your brand in a positive light. This could include blogs, videos, podcasts, or social media posts highlighting what it’s like to work at your company.
Of these, social media may be the most impactful.
86% of candidates use social media when searching for a new job, and when developed through social media, leads are seven times more likely to convert!
When you remember that candidates are looking for more than just a job, these numbers make sense. Social media allows your followers to feel like they’re pulling back the curtain to peek at employees’ day-to-day experience — so give the people what they want and use social media to showcase your culture!
What Should You Post on Social Media?
Your social media rotation should include a few types of posts:
#1: Happy employees.
Here’s an example of an Instagram post showcasing WSI employees on Halloween:
Or this Instagram reel made to celebrate the “morning people” of the office:
#2: Communicate your values.
You should also use your social media to communicate your values. A powerful way to do this is with posts that show your values in action — like this post about our blood drive:
And this one that asks our community to join our YWCA donation drive:
#3: Employment opportunities.
Of course, no recruitment marketing strategy would be complete without thoughtfully highlighting job openings.
Other social media categories include posting “interviews” with employees, day-in-the-life videos, and relevant content around holidays and current events. Remember, recruitment marking isn’t about “selling” a job — it’s about promoting your brand and building connections with the workforce.
The Importance of Using Video in Recruitment Marketing
No article about recruitment marking would be complete without a discussion of video marketing. Video marketing can should (!) be integrated into all aspects of your recruitment strategy.
Not convinced? Take a look at the stats:
- More than 80% of people say they want to see more video content from companies.
- 90% of recruitment marketers say that video marketing increases leads.
- The number of hours that the average person spends watching videos each week has almost doubled since 2018!
Not to mention the fact that people retain up to 95% of the message in a video compared to the 10% retention from reading a text.
We think it’s safe to say that video isn’t going anywhere.
Experience Recruitment Marketing In Action
WSI has a full in-house marketing team complete with video-production experts. We use video in our recruitment marketing strategies, and we also use it to strengthen our employer brand with things like video job descriptions, video onboarding, and video orientation. We not only do this for ourselves, but we help our clients do this too!
To experience recruitment marketing in action, follow us on your favorite social media channel:
