Recruitment Digital Marketing: 5 Strategies That Work
Gary Zurnamer
December 5, 2023
In 2015, Pew Research reported that 90% of Americans did job research online. It's not unreasonable to think that in 2024, this is now 99% of job seekers who use the internet to find positions of all kinds.
Expanding your talent pool is also the best way to find qualified candidates for your company's open positions is what will enviably help your company grow now - and well into the future.
That's where recruitment digital marketing tactics come in. Today, digital marketing and leveraging content marketing tools like Video can help you attract top talent locally, and potential employees anywhere in the world to your career opportunities.
Let's explore five proven strategies for recruitment digital marketing that can take your company to another level.
The Benefits of Recruitment Digital Marketing:
- Increased Company Branding and reputation
- Access to a wider pool of job candidates, active and passive
- Ability to target specific demographics and keywords
- Improved engagement with potential candidates
- Enhanced credibility and industry authority
What is Recruitment Digital Marketing exactly?
o quickly define any recruitment digital marketing campaigns, we need to look at traditional digital marketing for products or services. After all, you are selling a product of your company (a job) to your ideal customers (your ideal candidates).
An effective recruitment digital marketing strategy leverages content like Video, blogging and infographics and uses proven internet marketing strategies like search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, and social media marketing to reach potential candidates that are ideal for your company's role, and culture.
Furthermore, recruitment digital marketing is one part of your Employer Brand. Here's a quick guide to Employer Branding.
A solid digital recruitment strategy is a game-changer for recruiters and hiring managers. By utilizing proven strategies, you can elevate your company's online presence and connect the right candidates with your job listings, no matter where they are.
Let's jump in with our no#1 strategy for recruitment digital marketing:
Strategy 1. Social Media Marketing for Recruitment
Due to the real-time nature of recruitment and talent acquisition, social media marketing has become essential for recruiters of all kinds, HR, Hiring Managers and Talent Acquisition specialists who look at optimizing the entire candidate journey.
With established social media sites and social platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, recruiters and digital marketers have a wide range of channels to reach and engage with their target audience.
LinkedIn, in particular, offers a professional network where you can showcase your company's expertise, connect with industry professionals, and establish valuable relationships. And like other platforms, you can also send direct messages to top candidates in real-time.
Like other social channels, LinkedIn also allows you to create and share content highlighting your company's unique Employee Value Proposition (EVPs), which is critical to attracting and retaining top talent.
However, where LinkedIn shines is its advanced targeting options, which enable you to reach specific industries, job titles, and geographic locations, ensuring your open roles reach the right people.
When it comes to social media marketing, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram also offer great opportunities to reach highly talented people, and which channel is right for your company usually depends on what industry you work in.
What social media platforms should your company use?
1. LinkedIn: Great for all kinds of industries and helps you reach both active and passive job seekers. Your current employees can also share your open roles and help attract top-quality candidates.
2. Twitter: In tech, finance and professional circles, especially in the US, Twitter is huge. The time investment in Twitter is quite significant, as you can't simply send one Tweet unless you're a household name brand.
3. Facebook: Like LinkedIn, the beauty of Facebook is that you can geo-target really quickly and have current staff share roles quite easily with friends and ex-colleagues. The costs per click (CPCs) can be much lower than LinkedIn. Note: Gen Z will be harder to reach here.
4. Instagram: Tied to Facebook, Instagram is an excellent channel for companies in visual spaces, such as retail, sports, or any FMCG. Having a following is key, and so is boosting any posts to ensure visibility.
There are, of course, other platforms like TokTok, Pinterest and more. Again, it depends on the audience you are trying to reach.
Tip: We would suggest booking a meeting with your internal marketing or product marketing teams to get their insights - and, of course, get real data, as this is something you will need to track, too.
Using visual content on social media
Visual content, such as videos and images, is also a must for any recruitment social media marketing.
Every social media platform heavily emphasizes visual content, as it widely increases engagement and click-through rates. The beauty of Video is that it helps you build your Employer Brand, where you can showcase open roles and, importantly, your company's culture, team, and employee success stories.
By sharing engaging visuals and videos, you can capture the attention of potential candidates and inspire them to learn more about your company and job opportunities.
In conclusion, social media marketing is our #1 pick for recruitment digital marketing. It is a powerful strategy for recruitment agencies to establish their brand, connect with potential clients and candidates, and promote job openings. Leveraging the reach and targeting capabilities of platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can help you effectively reach and engage with your target audience. Creating compelling content and utilizing visual elements allows you to differentiate your agency and attract top talent in a competitive market.
Have a budget for social media recruitment advertising
One factor to consider on social media is that paid advertising is usually a must for most companies. Reaching new audiences is what paid advertising is all about, and also consider remarketing, too, as the best person for your open position may be a passive candidate. They may need to see the role a few times before applying.
We have a complete guide on recruitment marketing here you'll love.
Better experiences for better candidates
- Elevate candidate experience with videos
- Boost application rates
- Empower recruiters with impactful videos
- Screen candidates through video responses
Strategy 2. SEO for Recruitment Digital Marketing
With an estimated 93% of internet sessions beginning with search engines like Google (people searching a keyword, not going directly to a website), SEO is in inbound marketing strategies are crucial for attracting potential candidates to your website and online job boards.
The art of SEO for recruitment digital marketing, especially in your recruiting strategy, is understanding and targeting specific keywords relevant to your target audience. Conducting thorough keyword research and analysis is everything.
To identify the keywords that potential clients and candidates are using to search for recruitment companies, you can use tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and even more simple SEO keyword research tools like Keywords Everywhere, which plugs into your browser.
If you are looking for a Free SEO keyword research tool, try Google's Keyword Planner, which lives within Google Ads, and Google Trends for higher volume keyword traffic.
From this keyword research, you can the focus on content creation that helps potential applicants better understand the role, and your company. Effective recruitment marketing strategies are basically match making at its finest, with your content strategy at the heart.
You inbound content marketing could be video marketing, organic posts which could be landing pages or company blog articles, and even infographics that Google can read too. We'd suggest a holistic approach to your SEO and even if you mainly focus on blogs, for example, post links to your blog articles on social media, create infographics and even record explainer videos that you put in your blog post, Google loves that!
Following this SEO strategies, and you will be doing what digital marketing professionals do everyday, and help become an employer of choice by providing value.
Tip: We would suggest another meeting with your internal marketing team to get their insights and access to the SEO tools they use. Usually, you can get set up with "a seat" and start using the same SEO tools, which will also come in handy with reporting to your wider team and upper management.
Local SEO techniques
In addition to finding and targeting general keywords, implementing local search engine optimisation (SEO) techniques can be highly effective. Focus on location-specific keywords, such as "Employer Branding Jobs in [City Name]", to increase your chances of appearing in search results when users are looking for local positions and finding your company careers page.
Optimizing and posting your open positions on your Google My Business (GMB) profile can also enhance your local SEO efforts. This will help your company's open positions appear in Google's local search results and Google Maps, and you can link people to your careers blog or listings.
SEO is a crucial part of a well-rounded recruitment digital marketing strategy, as it improves your website's online visibility and careers page. SEO might not be the easiest strategy, but those who get it right can stay ahead of the competition, even in the most competitive industries.
Strategy 3. PPC Advertising in Recruitment Digital Marketing
We touched on using paid ads (PPC) in your social media strategy. However, PPC also extends to search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing, so your open positions are shown first in a candidate's search.
Like SEO, with PPC ads, you can target specific keywords relevant to your industry and job openings. By displaying your ads when people search for those keywords, you can increase the visibility of your roles and drive qualified traffic to your website and careers page.
One of the big advantages of PPC advertising is the ability to retarget people who have shown interest in your job postings or website. By using retargeting techniques, you can stay top-of-mind with potential candidates and encourage them to take action, such as applying for a job or contacting your company.
Retargeting significantly improves your chances of turning a potential candidate into someone in your recruitment funnel.
To make the most out of your PPC campaigns, targeting the right keywords and continuously optimizing your ads is crucial. Conduct thorough keyword research to identify the terms your target audience is searching for. Create compelling ad copy that entices job seekers and clearly highlights the benefits of working with your agency. Additionally, consider talking to the person in your company who manages your PPC advertising, as it can be quite a learning curve the first time around.
Tip: If you are new to PPC ads, be careful with setting up your campaigns. In 2024, the Google Ads AI tools are not quite there, and you could waste all of your budget in the "learning process". It's best to consult with a PPC expert (in-house or external) if you are ever unsure.
PPC Remarketing on Google and Social
We've mentioned remarketing above, but this strategy deserves its own section - as you can retarget any individual who has shown interest in your job postings or website, no matter where they came from, i.e. Organic SEO or by a referral where there was no initial paid ad.
By using text based and display advertising retargeting techniques, you can stay top-of-mind with potential candidates and encourage them to take action, such as applying for a job or contacting your HR team. This can significantly improve your chances of converting leads into actual hires and streamline your hiring process, as you might even want to continue showing ads to people while they are in this funnel, so you are top of mind over any other job they are considering.
Like all PPC campaigns, it's crucial to target the right people and continuously optimize your ads. For example, you might want only to retarget people who spent more than 30 seconds reading a job description - or only retarget specific locations, ages, etc.
Retargeting can also be used not only on channels like Google but also on social media. In fact, you can even have a Google ad running for first-time traffic and retarget people afterwards on Facebook, which can be really powerful for being top of mind.
Strategy 4. Conversion rate optimization
This strategy often goes under the radar, but it is absolutely key to turning your digital recruitment marketing efforts into active candidates.
Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is the process of continually measuring and optimizing your messages, website, forms, application process and even rejection process.
A well-designed and user-friendly website is usually the first step to creating a positive first impression on potential job candidates. Your website is often the first point of contact and needs to reflect your professionalism and expertise in the industry.
As an example, this is our careers page here at Vouch. As you can see, it's super simple, just a few sections with a job search field, a little about our clients like Amazon, HubSpot, Shopify, Nike, Atlassian, Canva and more - and life at Vouch.
Simplicity is vital for CRO, and if you feel your process is too complex, then it is worth investing time to simplify it and your entire recruitment process.
Strategy 5. Your Company Brand
So far, we've been discussing all the strategies for promoting an open role or position through social media, SEO and PPC strategies.
However, to optimize the quality of candidates applying, your Employer Brand is vital - as it attracts high-level candidates and those that fit with your company culture.
If you would like to dive into Employer Branding through Video and its benefits, please feel free to click into that article.
Here are the top 3 reasons to work on your Employer Brand:
1. Your Employer Brand creates transparency
When it comes to digital marketing for recruitment, transparency is vital. The best candidates are those who have a true sense of your company, its culture, your EVPs and your team before applying for an open role.
2. Your Employer Brand builds trust
Trust goes a long way when it comes to attracting top talent who often have their pick of jobs. The best strategy for building trust is showing the real experiences of your current employees, often called "a day in the life" videos. Using testimonials and experiences from current employees is a powerful way to become a preferred employer and company people want to be proudly part of.
3. Your Employer Branding attracts passive candidates too
Attracting passive candidates who may not actively be searching for job opportunities is an extremely powerful strategy for short and long-term recruitment funnel. Your Employer Brand is all about creating a desirable place to work with leading EVPs, that are so good people would be willing to leave their current positions.
Recruitment Digital Marketing in Conclusion
Recruitment digital marketing is a vital aspect of growing a successful recruitment funnel. By implementing proven digital strategies such as SEO, social media marketing, PPC advertising and CRO, you can create a consistent and easy-to-manage funnel.
Content marketing is at the core of any digital marketing. You can now use tools like Vouch to create videos around your open positions or company to attract and retain top talent.
By leveraging the power of recruitment digital marketing, you can get ahead of the competition, connect with top talent, and build a strong brand presence to help your recruitment team thrive.
FAQs
What is recruitment digital marketing?
Recruitment digital marketing involves using internet-based channels to promote your company's brand and open job positions.
Why is SEO important for recruitment digital marketing?
SEO is critical for recruiters to optimize their websites and content to improve visibility. By targeting specific keywords and implementing effective SEO strategies, recruiters can increase their chances of being discovered by potential clients and job candidates.
How can social media marketing benefit recruitment agencies?
Social media marketing is a valuable tool for recruitment people to build brand awareness and promote job openings. Platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can be utilized to reach a broader audience and connect with potential candidates.
What is PPC advertising, and how can it help recruitment agencies?
PPC advertising allows recruiters to target specific keywords and demographic characteristics to reach their desired audience. It can help find job candidates quickly and reach potential clients in the recruitment industry. Retargeting also allows recruiters to reach individuals who recently visited their job postings or website.
How important is web design for recruitment agencies?
A well-designed and user-friendly website is crucial for recruiters to create a positive first impression on potential clients and job candidates. It's essential to have a responsive design that looks great on all devices and to create professional-looking landing pages to attract and convert leads.
How does content marketing play a role in recruitment digital marketing?
Content marketing allows recruiters to attract potential clients and job candidates while establishing their brand. By creating high-quality online content such as blog posts, videos, and infographics, recruiters can provide helpful information and resources, positioning themselves as industry leaders.
How do I get started with recruitment digital marketing?
The first step and most essential element is creating engaging content that you promote. Platforms like Vouch make it remarkably easy for companies to create videos that provide the content for your recruitment marketing strategies - even if you are simply talking about the role at hand, having a face attached to a role can make all the difference.
Also, be sure to measure and improve as you go, with tools like Google Analytics or your social media analytics.
You can then promote your Vouch videos on your social media channels to build trust and help you get the right candidates into your interviewing process.
Like to try Vouch?
Loved by companies like Canva, Nike, Cisco, Stryker, HubSpot, Amazon and more, tools like Vouch make leveraging video in your business remarkably easy.
Be sure to book a Vouch demo today and chat with a video content expert.