Recruitment marketing is an essential component and skill that today's talent acquisition teams should be aware of. It involves applying marketing principles to the hiring process to attract, engage and nurture the very best talent. As competition for skilled workers intensifies, traditional recruitment methods are no longer enough to capture the attention of high-quality candidates.
That's where recruitment marketing steps in through creating a compelling employer brand, optimising communication channels and putting the company at the forefront of a crowded job market.
Recruitment marketing leverages a number of marketing strategies. From content marketing and social media outreach to targeted advertising - it all helps to create awareness and interest in job opportunities to help attract both passive and active job seekers.
The fundamentals of recruitment marketing
To get a good grasp of how it works, let's break down its key parts. These elements work together to create a solid strategy for building a talent pipeline, engaging potential employees and making sure there's a steady stream of candidates who fit well with your values and culture.
Employer branding
What's at the heart of recruitment marketing? Employer branding of course. A strong employer brand communicates the values, culture and opportunities that make a company a desirable place to work. Just as you might market your products to attract customers, they should also promote themselves as employers of choice to attract the best candidates.
A well-crafted employer brand should be consistent across all channels, from the careers page on your company's website to social media platforms and job boards. It should reflect your organisation’s culture, employee experiences and what makes it special. As well as helping to attract talent, an employer brand also helps to keep existing employees happy by cultivating a sense of pride and belonging.
Content marketing and storytelling
Content plays a crucial role in recruitment marketing. Sharing stories, employee testimonials and insights into your company’s culture helps potential new employees envision themselves as part of the team. It can take many forms - from blog posts, videos and podcasts to social media updates.
For example, set up an interview with a current employee and let them share story. It could be about their career progression or work-life balance, anything to help resonate with potential applicants. Regularly sharing content that highlights your company's mission, values and successes will help grow interest from passive candidates - those who may not be actively looking for a job but could be persuaded by a great opportunity and brilliant content.
Candidate experience
A sometimes overlooked aspect of recruitment marketing - the candidate experience. The ease and efficiency of the application process, frequent communication and personalised engagement can play a significant role in how candidates perceive you.
Try it: When was the last time you applied for one of the jobs advertised on your website? See for yourself - how long does it take, can you apply using your mobile, is it easy to understand? A poor candidate experience can deter even the most interested applicants.
Using tools like an applicant tracking systems (ATS) helps streamline and improve the candidate experience. Set up well, they enable recruiters to automate communications, track applications and provide personalised and automated updates to candidates, creating a more transparent process.
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Job advertising and targeting
Recruitment marketing involves a more targeted approach to job advertising. Rather than simply posting a vacancy and hoping for the best (posting and praying!), marketers in recruitment actively promote the role where the right audience is likely to see it. This often includes using job boards, social media ads and even programmatic advertising to reach a highly targeted group of potential candidates.
Our own job board marketplace, for instance, is a vital tool for recruitment marketers looking to amplify their job postings. It intelligently matches our clients with a wide range of job boards, ensuring that vacancies reach the right talent pools. With over 5,000 job boards in our network, recruiters benefit from increased exposure and engagement with candidates who are most suited to their needs. It also streamlines the posting process (it's all managed from within our ATS platform), making it more efficient and cost-effective.
Nurturing talent pools
Recruitment marketing goes beyond attracting candidates for current job openings - it’s also about building and nurturing talent pools for future campaigns. Maintain engagement with interested candidates through newsletters, personalised communications and social media to keep your talent pipeline warm and ready to engage when opportunities arise.
Ultimately, taking a long-term approach will help to reduce time-to-hire and ensure you're not scrambling to fill positions at the last minute or leaving seats empty long-term.
Analytics and optimisation
Like any other form of marketing, recruitment marketing needs to rely on data. Tracking the performance of job postings, analysing engagement on social media and reviewing the effectiveness of recruitment campaigns are all critical to ensure you're making smart choices.
For example, data from our own ATS provides valuable insights into which sources are delivering the best candidates, how long it takes to fill roles and the types of job postings that receive the most attention. This allows recruiters to fine-tune strategies, improve targeting and ultimately reduce cost per hire.
How recruitment marketing works in practice
The process of recruitment marketing typically follows a funnel model, similar to sales and marketing funnels.
- Awareness - Potential candidates become aware of your company and employer brand. This can happen through job adverts, social media, company blogs or word-of-mouth referrals.
- Consideration - Candidates begin to dig deeper and research your company further. They might visit the careers page, read employee reviews or follow your company on socials to learn more about what it’s like to work there and the type of content you share.
- Interest - If candidates are intrigued by what they see, they'll engage more deeply. This might involve reading job descriptions, watching company videos or reaching out to a recruiter for more information.
- Application - When a candidate finds a suitable role, they submit an application. This is where a positive candidate experience, supported by a user-friendly ATS, can make all the difference in ensuring a positive process is delivered.
- Hire - Once the candidate has been successfully recruited, the marketing doesn’t stop. Engaging new hires and ensuring a smooth onboarding process helps to build long-term loyalty and retention. Consider what happens after the offer letter and contract is signed - read more about how to improve onboarding outcomes here.
Recruitment marketing is a dynamic and essential strategy for modern talent acquisition. By leveraging marketing techniques, recruiters can create a more engaging and personalised candidate journey, build a strong employer brand, and ensure that the company stands out in the competitive job market.
Utilising tools like our ATS and job board marketplace can further enhance recruitment efforts by providing the technology needed to attract and nurture top talent effectively. As the recruitment landscape continues to evolve, embracing a marketing-driven approach will be key to securing the best candidates and building a robust talent pipeline for future success.