As an employer, conveying the unique value of joining your company is essential. What’s in it for the candidate besides a paycheck? As millennials and Gen Z take up a larger share of the workforce, transactional recruitment no longer cuts it. Recruitment marketing helps candidates picture themselves within the company ecosystem. With the rising emphasis on work-life balance, employers must be strategic about their employer brand. Companies can attract top talent by cultivating a solid company culture and authentically showcasing the benefits of joining their team.
What Is Recruitment Marketing?
Recruitment marketing mirrors the traditional marketing funnel — moving from awareness and engagement to expressed interest and application. However, instead of driving consumers to make a purchase, this approach aims to convert a candidate into an applicant. This proactive approach to attracting talent begins long before a job opening is posted and targets not only external candidates but current employees and their networks as well. For external recruitment, companies attract fresh talent, while recruitment marketing for current employees emphasizes growth and internal advancement, such as building new skills or exploring entirely different career paths within the company.
For both external and internal recruitment, recruitment marketing helps create a foundation, so that when new opportunities arise, employers are ready to move forward without starting from scratch. Here’s a look at how recruitment marketing helps turn job seekers into applicants:
Awareness
A candidate must know about a company before they can apply. Since first impressions are hard to change, it’s important to make that initial touchpoint memorable. A job posting or a booth at a career fair is a classic approach, but modern recruitment marketing strategies are taking it up a notch.
Engagement
Once the employer has the candidate’s attention, the value of working at the company must be clearly communicated. At this stage, candidates need to understand what’s in it for them beyond just a paycheck. They should get a feel for the company’s ethos and work environment.
Consideration
Here, a candidate is focused on a specific role and spends more time exploring job details and benefits to assess alignment with their needs.
Application
Once a candidate applies, the work isn’t over. Clear and timely communication is essential to maintain a positive reputation. The impression made during this stage heavily influences the candidate’s overall perception of the company.
How To Build a Strong Recruitment Marketing Strategy
Recruitment Marketing Channels
Modern recruitment marketing uses multiple channels, including owned media, social platforms, paid ads, and email, to communicate the company’s ethos. These tools help companies target and engage potential candidates proactively, even when no role is immediately available. They also keep companies connected with top candidates from previous hiring rounds, ensuring they stay top of mind for future roles. Here are some key channels that make up an effective recruitment marketing strategy:
Owned Channels
Start with a robust company careers site where candidates can find primary information about the company, including culture, benefits, team structure, and office policies. Use the site to track visitor interests and build content addressing their common questions. A careers blog can also establish the company as an industry authority, keeping your brand top-of-mind for candidates in the job market.
Social Media
Social media is an effective way to reach talented candidates who may not visit the company website. While LinkedIn is often the go-to for recruitment marketing, employers are also creating content for platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and X. Each platform has unique strengths, so tailoring content accordingly is essential.
Optimize social media as a product company would — ensure links are accessible and information is complete. Designate a community manager to respond to comments and questions. Consistency is key, as algorithms favor regularly active accounts. Though finding the right rhythm may take time, social media is a valuable and often free resource for recruitment marketing.
Paid Ads
While organic posts are useful, they may not reach the desired candidates. Like consumer brands, companies can use targeted ads to expand their reach. Allocate a budget to serve ads directly to a curated audience. Be data-driven in refining the ads, testing variations in creative, copy, or format to find what resonates best with the target audience.
Targeted Emails
Email marketing is highly effective due to its potential for personalization. With a strong email service provider, companies can send tailored newsletters and alerts to segmented audiences. This channel can communicate more about the company’s culture and industry insights, engaging recipients with content that adds value to their day.
Consistent email engagement builds a positive sending reputation, increasing inbox placement over time. A/B testing can improve engagement by revealing what subscribers respond to most. Use links within emails to drive traffic to other company platforms, creating more touchpoints with potential candidates.
Attract Top Talent with Talent Infusion
With a well-crafted recruitment marketing strategy, companies can help candidates envision themselves as part of the team. Today’s top talent is more selective, carefully choosing where they’ll spend their workweek. To stand out, craft a strong employer brand and creatively spread the message. Engage potential talent before they’re actively job-hunting, meeting them where they are.
Invest in building owned channels and consistently leverage external platforms to keep potential candidates engaged. With persistence, recruitment marketing can transform job listings from “saved” to “applied.” Start building a talent pool that’s aligned with your vision—connect with Talent Infusion to bring this strategy to life and position your company to attract top candidates.
