Recruitment Marketing 101

With the advancement of the Internet and the multitude of recruitment advertising vehicles now available to businesses, smaller to mid-size companies have the same opportunities to reach top talent as larger, more established and financially secure firms. The days of calling a local newspaper and placing a Sunday Help Wanted ad are gone. Don't misinterpret this statement, however print advertising is still a valuable recruiting tool, though it plays a smaller role now and should be approached as an additional option, not a necessity.

It is important to use a recruitment strategy that incorporates a variety of approaches to reach different types of candidates. While almost every company has a career page on its website, not every company uses it to its full potential with regards to recruitment and branding. Eighty-five percent of online traffic visits a site for other reasons, but will end up on your employment page. Is your employment page ready to sell your company? Consider spending some money to update this, including benefits, local area information, testimonials from current employees, awards, diversity information, complete and updated job lists, links to social media and even pictures and videos of the workplace. And that's just the basics.

Once your site is in place and ready to recruit, focus on your specific hiring challenges and consider new approaches. Each job has its own online niche network, one where hundreds, if not thousands, of specialists in your field congregate. Using a simple three-step process you can zero in on these groups. 1. Find out who your target is; 2. Find out where they congregate and 3. Deliver the right message to them.

There are also social media groups and job boards specific to each industry and you can reach them without spending a lot. The process of choosing the right advertising options will at first be hard for you to do yourself, but in time you will grow to understand the value of each advertising vehicle. However, understand that each vehicle is different and should be approached as such. There is no order of value at this point because value is measured by what your cost per applicant is. Make ROI metrics a vital part of your recruitment. 

If you are not familiar with Search Engine Marketing Recruitment Campaigns, you should be. For $500 to $1,000, you can geo-target prospective candidates in a major search engine such as Google. Choose your words carefully to reap the benefit of being at the top of an organic search engine list. For example, let's assume you are hiring a sales representative in the medical industry. Purchase the keywords medical sales representative jobs and choose to target a 30-mile radius around your location. Any person who searches those keywords within that range will see your ad at the top of their Google search. Your candidate is now one click away from seeing the complete job listing on your new employment page, which is full of valuable information. 

Banner advertising is an option for companies with high turnover in certain positions, such as a call center. Due to the need to keep these positions filled, companies can target certain groups online and run a banner ad on these sites. Once you find out where current and past employees congregate online, target these advertising options.   

Job board postings are a common substitute for print. One challenge is the volume of job boards. According to Weddles.com, there are more than 50,000 job boards. Niche job boards exist in every field imaginable. Placing jobs on a few different websites is a good idea to start. After a three month run, you will know which sites work for which position. Furthermore if you are using a metrics tool you will know the cost per applicant per site, information that's crucial for future recruitment efforts.

Another vehicle to strongly consider is to develop a social media campaign, which has become more relevant in the recruitment process. LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook can provide your company with a new look into the candidate pool and, in turn, generate quality candidates who know something about your firm. This approach may take time and effort and it is crucial to have the correct expectations. Meaning, do not expect to create a Facebook page and get a hire the next week. Social media is a networking tool and should be used to do just that. Build a network, create relationships and in the future you will see results. In the meantime, have fun with it. Start groups, post questions, share events, and develop business connections.

Remember that it is important to mix and match your recruitment strategy with traditional as well as new approaches. Email campaigns, relationship marketing programs, attending college recruiting events and niche print publications are some forms of traditional programs that still provide results. If you need help, don't be afraid to ask. Most marketing firms in the recruitment industry work on a per project basis. Recruiting is more than filling a position; it's an opportunity to add value to your organization. Follow the above recruitment marketing techniques and incorporate ROI analysis into your strategy and you will not only get your positions noticed, but also, more importantly, you will see measurable results.

Jared Antista is director of business development for The David Group in Manchester.