How To Create A Successful Recruitment Marketing Campaign
Companies are often on the cusp of achieving something great — just waiting for the right hire to help them get to the next level.
The problem is that traditional methods of finding that awesome candidate are failing. Growing skills gaps make it hard to find and recruit the right people using ‘traditional’ methods.
Luckily, there’s an alternative:
Well thought out recruitment marketing campaigns can provide an effective framework for attracting top talent.
When you go about setting up your first recruitment marketing campaign, there are three main things you need to consider.
1. Who are you targeting?
When your marketing department embarks on a new campaign, they likely sit down together and talk through their target audience.
It’s important to start here for recruiting campaigns too. Are you looking for someone who is passionate and knowledgeable about a certain industry? Are you recruiting for a specific skill? Your message, and channels used, will vary depending on the answer.
Connecting with your target candidates is no different from connecting with target customers. It’s all about working out what kind of content works best to engage your specific audience, and working out what appeals to them the most.
Clever recruiters have found lots of creative ways to get in front of top talent using this principle.
Case Study: Atlassian Stealing Geeks
Take software company Atlassian as an example. When they were struggling to deal with a shortage of Australian developers, the company launched a campaign to hire 15 European developers and relocate them to Sydney.
Atlassian branded the campaign “We’re coming to steal your geeks,” and drove a branded bus around Europe, hosting meetups and interviews. Potential candidates could track the bus on its journey and apply for a chance to move to Australia’s “Silicon Beach.”
This is a particularly inventive example (and it’s definitely not something that you need to copy — don’t worry).
What you should be doing is working out where your target candidates spend their time on the internet — what websites do they visit and which blogs do they read? Go one step further and find out which social networks they prefer to use.
This research should help you tap into online talent communities and build relationships with awesome people who might make great hires.
2. What are you trying to say?
Once you know what type of content your target audience is looking for, it’s much easier for you to develop your messaging. This doesn’t mean you have to have a campaign slogan, but you should have a few key recruiting messages crafted for your target audience.
How do you want candidates to see your brand? What is it that differentiates you from competitors? Ask yourself these questions when you’re thinking about showing off your employer brand.
If you’re a company that gives new hires a lot of responsibility for example, make sure you make that clear from the outset — this should help you attract the right kind of people who are up for the challenge.
One company that has really nailed its career site messaging is Onefinestay.
Case Study: Onefinestay’s Excitement
Compare these two sentences and think about where you would rather work:
Onefinestay
“Onefinestay is the world’s first “unhotel.” And we need the freshest, the finest, the flyest talents out there, to help us make it, evangelize about it, and get guests through our doors. If you’re ready to ride a rocket, we’re looking for astronauts.”
Corporate Company X (A major hotel chain)
“By joining Company x you will gain unparalleled access to an array of rich experiences, knowledge, and opportunities that will prove invaluable to your personal and professional growth.”
Both descriptions discuss personal growth and opportunities, but Onefinestay’s copy is far more engaging and makes the role sound far more exciting. Where would you apply?
If you want to encourage more applications, try and mirror this approach. Even if you are a large corporation, you should still be able to find a way to get candidates excited.
3. How effectively are you spreading your message?
The next step is spreading the word and connecting with your target audience.
Just like any great marketing campaign, the key here is a varied approach. If your company has been focused on job boards or social media updates until now, branch out.
Spread your message and opportunities across an array of platforms — this should help you understand which outlets work best for your roles, as well where your target candidates tend to hang out online.
Once you hit go on your campaign, you can’t just sit back and watch the applications roll in — know which channels are bearing the most fruit.
Analytics are at the heart of every great marketing campaign, and it’s no different with recruitment marketing. Pay attention to the numbers. Constantly measuring your process helps you dramatically increase the ROI of your campaign. For example, if you find that your best candidates are coming in through LinkedIn, focusing your resources and doubling down on that channel will give you better returns.
Analytics can even help you fix sub-performing parts of your hiring funnel: You may discover that you’re getting a lot of drop-off from your application process. This could mean that it’s too long or too difficult.
Improving the candidate experience might greatly reduce your bounce rate and help you turn more people from interested visitors to enthusiastic applicants.
Taking tips from the marketing toolbox can help you run an awesome recruitment marketing campaign that will bring in a range of high quality candidates.
If you’re struggling to find the perfect hire that will take your company to the next level, it’s definitely something you should try.
We have an entire section of our website dedicated to recruitment marketing and employer branding. Check it out to start your next recruitment campaign off on the right foot.