Are you ready for 2020? – The Importance of Recruitment Marketing

January 17, 2020

Written by: Shane Cotner

Meeting all of your recruitment goals in 2020 will not happen by accident. To find and acquire the top talent that will take your business to the next level, you will need a recruitment marketing strategy tailor-made for your needs.

In general terms, recruitment marketing is your plan for recruiting top talent moving forward. However, there is much more to it than that. Your strategy should have the following three-pronged approach: 

Your Brand

If you aren’t already doing so, make sure that you are in charge of how your company’s brand is perceived by top talent and the industry in general. This can mean anything from giving your logo and website a complete overhaul to increasing the aesthetic appeal of your products or services, to promoting your work environment and culture. Overall, make sure that your company’s reputation is positive and take whatever steps necessary to shine a light on its positive aspects.

Marketing strategies

Marketing strategies are your first steps in talent acquisition. Regardless of what mixture of strategy you employ, they should all be done with the fact in mind that unemployment is still at a low rate. Candidate-driven markets like the one we are currently in mean that you must be proactive. Consider some of the following proven strategies:

• Inbound recruiting – it is not enough anymore to post an open position on a job board and expect top talent to find you. Invest the time to source, convert, engage, and track qualified candidates with high-quality inbound marketing. This could include team blogs, developing a talent pipeline, etc.
• Employee referrals – your current talent pool is an excellent resource for high-quality talent. Initiate a rewards program to incentivize employees to put their networks to work for you.
• Social Media Recruiting – talented candidates are online in record numbers. They are on all major social media sites, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, as well as countless blogs. Use these sites and blogs to connect with top talent and encourage them to apply.
• 3^rdparty Recruiters – Avoid hiring multiple firms. Having two or more recruiting firms reaching out to the same small talent pool negatively affects your brand, because it makes the company seem desperate. Even worse, it sends a message that other candidates have rejected your company. Do your research to find one firm that best fits you and your team.

Interviewing & candidate experience

Your plan for interviewing and for the candidate experience will make or break your overall recruitment strategy. In many ways, once you get to the interviewing stage, your marketing work has only begun.  Information on negative candidate experiences gets around to the talent pool and damages your brand immeasurably. To ensure that reports of your candidate experience are positive, make your interviews quick, but personal and friendly – avoid interrogation-like interviewing practices, and get back to candidates right away. Don’t leave great candidates hanging for weeks or months on end; chances are, they are fielding multiple offers, and waiting too long will send them to your competitors.

Recruitment Marketing will help you showcase and increase awareness of your company’s brand. As the war for talent becomes more intense in 2020, you cannot afford to ignore the importance of smart recruitment marketing. Contact BRIX Recruiting today to see how we can help you develop a recruitment marketing strategy that works for your business.