Successful recruitment marketing encompasses all the strategies and tactics you use to find, attract, engage, nurture and retain top talent. Traditionally, it has included posting your open positions, screening applicants, and selecting the candidates who best suit a job and its requirements.
Of course, this is and always will be part of it. But for the best long-term results, your recruitment marketing efforts should center on selling your employer brand, not just on promoting one specific job after another.
How to Make Your Brand Work for You
Your employer brand describes the perceptions of current and potential candidates as they cherry pick which companies they would consider working for. It’s basically your reputation – the image your target audience forms about your organization. As noted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), “A positive employer brand communicates that the organization is a good employer and a great place to work.”
As you turn your marketing focus toward your brand, you will naturally realize a better ROI on your job ads and your overall recruitment spend. Here are some steps in the right direction:
- Start by defining and understanding your brand. Before you can use it to influence candidates, you need to know exactly what your brand is. You can use formal and/or informal processes, such as surveys and checks of employee review websites. These insights will provide valuable ammunition for improvements ahead.
- Build your messaging strategy. Once you’ve nailed down your brand, it’s time to clearly articulate it. Build a comprehensive messaging strategy designed to speak to your audience’s questions and any potential misconceptions around company culture, perks, and other key points.
- Develop a team of brand ambassadors. Find your most satisfied, high-performing employees and make them your brand spokespeople. Encourage them to use their own in-person and social networks to spread the word, and include their testimonials in your marketing. Provide content and ongoing support as they do so, and also as they help address questions and concerns. Set up a referral program with rewards for successful placements.
- Choose the right advertising channels. It’s not enough to post a job on your career site and hope for the best. Diversity by spreading your message across a variety of strategically-chosen channels that maximize your chances of getting awareness, engagement and applications. Consider programmatic advertising, a growing technique that’s gaining traction based on the right use of the latest recruitment technology.
For more insight on how to build your employer brand and the marketing efforts around it, as well as all the aspects of your successful recruitment planning, contact Haley Marketing today. Speak to one of our team members and we’ll set up a free, 30-minute focus call.