What is Recruitment Marketing? The Ultimate 2024 Guide.

In today's hyper-competitive online job market, Recruitment Marketing is crucial for finding the best talent, whether an active job seeker or a passive job seeker who might just "be open to a change". 

It's all about making your company look more attractive than your competitors so they choose to work with you, not a competitor. 

In this article, we dive into how to attract the world's best talent through recruitment marketing. But first, a few key takeaways: 

• Recruitment marketing could be performed by your HR team, marketing team or a dedicated team
• The world's top companies are recruitment marketing experts
• Recruitment marketing is perfect for smaller companies too
• Tools like Vouch make recruitment marketing a lot simpler
• Recruitment marketing should include measurable goals 

Let's jump in and explain everything in more detail. 

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Defining Recruitment Marketing

Recruitment marketing uses traditional and modern marketing strategies to attract, engage, and nurture potential candidates for your open roles - beyond the job listing itself.

The goal of recruitment marketing is simple: To find the perfect people for your company's culture, mission and positions.

Recruitment marketing leverages your employer brand but goes deeper into the specific roles you have open. For example, your recruitment marketing videos should cover: 

1. The role at hand: The goal is to help candidates fall in love with your company's challenge, team and atmosphere. Show all of this off and talk about job specifics.
2. Career advancements: The potential for growth and development within your company matters. Discuss the pathways you have.
3. Compensation and benefits: You might want to avoid going into details, but mention the competitive nature of the company's pay and benefits.
4. Recruitment and onboarding processes: Walk potential candidates through the following steps so they apply without hesitation. 

For simplicity, your recruitment marketing could be an individual video for an open role or a focus on a particular team (like software engineering or accounting) that can be easily shared on social media and online networks. 

Defining Company Branding

When discussing recruitment marketing, we must talk about your company brand - as the two go hand-in-hand. A strong employer brand almost always leads to higher-quality applicants, greater employee engagement, and reduced turnover. 

Your company brand video, however, is at a higher level. Instead of focusing on a particular role or department, your company brand video is top-down and should include the following:

1. Company culture: The work environment and capturing "the feeling" of working at your organization. This should capture your mission, values, and "why" people should work at your company. 
2. Work-life balance: A lot has changed since covid. Talk about employee well-being and work-life balance.
3. Employee testimonials: Real stories and experiences shared by current or former employees, especially powerful with Video.
4. Diversity and inclusion: The company's commitment to a diverse and inclusive workplace.
5. Your leadership team: It's vital that your leaders are there to guide and support your employees. Show how you do it.

For simplicity, your company brand could be one "overarching video" used in your wider PR, marketing, social media, capital raises, etc.

Your recruitment marketing would be "several videos" to help attract the best talent, secure them over your competitors, and provide a better candidate journey for potential employees.

The Benefits of Recruitment Marketing

We know that the world's most successful companies usually have the world's best talent working for them. Anyone with Google on their resume can generally beat out all other applicants simply because we all know Google hires the best talent. 

Google are pros at recruitment marketing, and you can be too. It actually might not be as difficult as you think. Tools like Vouch have been made to help companies compete for the best talent. ‍

Here are some of the top benefits of recruitment marketing: 

1. Attracts active (and passive) candidates

Recruitment marketing helps you reach a wider audience of candidates, including those not actively job searching (a huge benefit). Using social media platforms like Twitter, Linkedin and even Facebook and Instagram, companies can attract the best talent, even candidates who may not be actively looking for a new challenge.

2. Saves time and resources

By implementing recruitment marketing into your hiring process, you can quickly streamline your recruiting marketing process and attract higher-quality candidates off the bat. This could save you hundreds of tedious hours trying to find the right person.

3. Enhances candidate experience

Recruitment marketing helps create a better candidate experience, which matters when looking for the best person for the role. Ultimately, you are giving precious and transparent insights into your company, which provides candidates with a great impression of your company.

4. Grow employer branding

The more your company is seen on social media and other channels, the more your employer brand will grow. By consistently showcasing what makes your company and roles unique, the more top talent, potential customers and even people like investors will remember you. 

By incorporating these recruitment marketing channels into your strategy for hiring managers, you can attract top talent, improve employer branding, and ultimately enhance your company's overall hiring process.

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Should you do Recruitment Marketing?

Yes, successful companies invest in recruitment marketing because it works remarkably well.

Recruitment marketing helps you attract and onboard the best talent, which could be pivotal to your company's success and growth. Remember, Recruitment Marketing isn't just about finding candidates; it's about finding the right candidates. 

Traditionally, Recruitment Marketing might have been out of reach from SMEs, having to budget a video production for every single role you have to fill. However, tools like Vouch make it remarkably easy and affordable. 

You don't need to hire an external videography team, either. Give select internal team members a few questions, and let Vouch do the work for you.

In today's competitive job market, it's no longer enough to post job openings and hope for the right candidates to apply through search engines.  

Recruitment Marketing is essential because it helps you stand out as an employer of choice and connect with top candidates in the places they are.

Recruitment Marketing isn't just for big companies either. Small and medium-sized businesses are now leveraging recruitment marketing to showcase their company culture, values, and opportunities through engaging video content. 

The key steps for implementing recruitment marketing:

Engaging talent through your recruitment marketing plan will be easier if your "Employer Brand" is on point. Here are the core steps to follow to implement recruitment marketing into your recruiting process:

1. Review your employer brand 
‍Do you have an employer brand video already? If not, we suggest you create one first. Here's how: https://vouchfor.com/employer-brand-videos. If your Video needs to be updated, we'd suggest creating a new one, and it's easy with modern tools. 

2. Check you can post on social media 
‍Social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter are essential for recruitment marketing. This is how you reach a wider audience of candidates and share your company's job opportunities. The first step is getting the go-ahead to post videos on your social channels.

3. Optimize job descriptions 
‍Before creating a video for an open position, ensure your job descriptions are remarkable. If in doubt, do some research - this matters as your recruitment videos will lead to a job description, so you don't want to lose them there. 

4. Create engaging video content 
‍Once you have clear and engaging job descriptions, it's time to make a video about the role that showcases your team's culture, projects, and talent. To fast-track this, we suggest booking a free demo of Vouch, and we can show you how to produce the right videos for your company.

5. Utilize targeted advertising 
‍Posting organically on social is a significant first step. However, you may also want to put some budget behind this to raise more awareness - such as a boosted post. Targeted advertising allows you to reach the people who best fit your company, skillsets and the role you need to fulfil.

6. Engage with candidates 
‍Recruitment marketing is about attracting and engaging with candidates. Quickly respond to comments and messages on social media and always provide personalized communication. This is not a job for a bot! You need to leave a lasting impression on all candidates.

7. Measure your results 
‍Like any marketing strategy, measuring the success of your recruitment marketing efforts is essential. Use analytics tools to track website traffic, social media engagement, and job application rates. This will allow you to adjust and continue improving your recruitment marketing strategy.

Understanding the "finer details" of recruitment marketing

An effective recruitment marketing strategy is a multifaceted, often omnichannel strategy that needs your company to work together to get in front of prospective candidates, build relationships, and generate candidate engagement and applications. 

Let's look at some finer recruitment marketing details, where your marketing team may be able to help if they aren't already, that is:

1. Employer Reviews: One thing you need to consider is your reviews. Glassdoor changed the game. Seek, Indeed and more all followed suit - with employer reviews. If you have any negative reviews, you need to address them openly. At this stage, it might be worth redoing your employer brand video. Just contact us if you need help figuring out where to start. 
2. Candidate Personas: Identifying target candidate personas is essential for effective recruitment marketing. By understanding your desired candidates' characteristics, preferences, and behaviours, you can tailor your marketing efforts to attract the right people.
3. Employer Value Proposition (EVP): This may or may not be covered in your employer brand video, but your EVP outlines what your company offers to its employees regarding culture, benefits, and career opportunities. You want to show candidates they have a place to learn, grow and flourish.

The Best Recruitment Marketing Examples

Recruitment marketing is increasingly important in today's competitive job market - with location often not a barrier to finding the right talent.

Companies (like those below) constantly seek new and innovative ways to attract top talent and stand out. Below are examples of recruitment marketing and different recruitment strategies from some of the world's most famous companies: 

Google

Google is known for its unique company culture and career growth opportunities, and they do an excellent job of showcasing this through their various recruitment channels and marketing efforts. Their "Life at Google" YouTube series gives potential candidates an inside look into the company's culture, perks, and projects. They also use targeted advertising on social media to reach individuals with specific skills or experience.

HubSpot

HubSpot uses a combination of creative content and strong employer branding to attract top talent. Their careers page is filled with engaging employee testimonials, videos showcasing their culture and values, and a clear EVP highlighting what they offer to employees. They also have an active presence on social media, like their YouTube HubSpot life, and use targeted advertising to reach potential candidates.

Salesforce

Salesforce has a strong focus on diversity and inclusion in their recruitment marketing efforts. Their "Trailblazing Together Groups" highlights their employees' diverse backgrounds and experiences, showcasing their commitment to creating an open and inclusive workplace. They also use targeted advertising on their social media channels to reach various candidates.

Accenture

Accenture's recruitment marketing strategy is centred around building a personalized candidate experience. They have a strong social media presence and regularly engage with potential candidates through events, webinars, and personalized communication. They also utilize targeted advertising to reach candidates with specific skills or experience.

Netflix

Netflix is known for its unique and creative content, which it incorporates into its recruitment marketing strategy. Their "We Are Netflix" blog features stories from employees across different departments and locations, giving potential candidates a glimpse into the company's culture and values. They also use targeted advertising to complement recruiters and reach individuals with specific skills or experience.

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These are just some examples of how top companies have effectively utilized recruitment marketing activities to attract and engage top talent from the candidate pool - now and for future employees who may be in the market later. It also shows how well these companies understand their target audience, whether potential employees on a job search or their customers. 

By understanding the components of recruitment marketing and learning from these successful examples (true recruitment marketing specialist), your company can use recruitment marketing to enhance its hiring process and attract the best potential job candidates.

The Role Social Media Plays in Recruitment Marketing

In 2024, social media is a part of our daily lives. It has also significantly impacted how companies approach their recruitment and hiring processes, along with inbound marketing through smart content marketing.

Social media recruiting works perfectly on platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter, which offer a unique opportunity to reach a broad audience. You can also get shared by your current employees and those who love your culture and job opportunities. Social media is vital for the top of your recruitment funnel. 

Let's look at social media's role in recruitment and talent marketing.

Social media help you reach a wider audience.

With billions of active users on platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram, companies can expand their reach beyond traditional job websites - the caveat is that the content needs to be amazing to work on social media. That's where recruitment marketing techniques such as Vouch video help.

Showcase your company culture every time you have an open position. 

Your open positions are social media gold when it comes to your candidate funnel and brand! Through recruitment marketing videos, you can give potential candidates an inside look into your company and workplace, and so can potential customers. It's like having your cake and eating it, too - you can exceed candidate expectations before they even apply for the role while building your brand and reputation. 

Seamless, real-time engagement with candidates

The problem with email is that a candidate fires off a resume and then sits and waits for a reply while other companies (all your competitors when it comes to recruitment) are engaging with your applicant pool. Real-time chat makes applicants feel comfortable as they know "who" they're talking to - and it's not disconnected. Social media lets you connect instantly with potential applicants and follow up with non-invasive check-ins. Experienced employees will love this as they are likely in high demand and need more time with the traditional candidate funnel, especially if they have their own network.

Amazingly focused targeting 

Social media platforms also offer advanced targeted options to reach specific demographics or individuals with particular skills or experience. Using targeted social media advertising, you can ensure that your recruitment efforts focus on reaching the right audience and returning the best ROI from your marketing budget. 

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Some further FAQs and reading

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Q. What is a recruitment marketing "funnel"?

The recruitment marketing funnel is a framework that outlines the stages job applicants and candidates go through when being attracted to, engaged with, and ultimately hired by your company - your conversion rate. Recruitment marketing includes four main stages: awareness, interest, consideration, and application. Understanding this funnel allows you to tailor your recruitment marketing efforts to attract and engage the best candidates, including testing employee referral programs. A recruitment funnel is much like a digital marketing funnel.

Q. What are the differences between recruitment and recruitment marketing?

Recruitment refers to identifying and hiring qualified candidates for open positions within an organization. It involves activities such as job posting, candidate sourcing, and conducting interviews. On the other hand, recruitment marketing is a strategic approach to attracting and engaging potential candidates by showcasing the company's employer brand, culture, and opportunities through Video and various channels like social media marketing. 

Recruitment marketing aims to build a strong enough talent pool and pipeline and ultimately support the company's recruitment marketing goals. Recruitment marketing is an essential part of the overall recruitment process in today's market. 

Q. What are the goals of recruitment marketing?

The main goal of recruitment marketing is to attract and engage top talent for your company. This leading talent network includes active job seekers actively looking for new opportunities and passive candidates who may not be actively seeking a job but could be interested in working at your company. 

Other specific recruitment marketing goals include increasing brand awareness and employer branding, building a strong talent pipeline for future hiring needs, the employee value proposition and reducing the time-to-hire and cost-per-hire for open positions. Ultimately, recruitment marketing aims to support the overall recruitment efforts by attracting and engaging the best candidates. 

Recruitment marketing, in conclusion

The potential of recruitment marketing is enormous and is already being harnessed by some of the world's best companies like Google, HubSpot and millions more - who you're competing against for top talent. 

Recruitment marketing has become a vital tool for any recruiter looking to make an organization stand out, and by implementing a proven recruitment marketing strategy (such as Video), your organization can secure the highest quality candidates anywhere in the world.

One of the most straightforward and powerful recruitment marketing tools is Vouch. We make it easy to attract and onboard the best talent through Video with users like Canva, Shopify, Amazon, Dropbox, Atlassian, HubSpot and many more incredible companies!
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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.