Marketing 101 for Recruiters, Part 3: Find and Target
Simply Hired Staff
Recruiting and marketing are two distinct parts of an organization, and rarely do workers cross from one field into another, but the departments have some key traits in common. In fact, when it comes to recruiting, there are many benefits you can reap when you put on your marketer hat. In the coming weeks, we will discuss how adopting five tried and tested marketing techniques can lead to lower cost per application, higher quality candidates, and better overall performance of your recruiting campaign.
In Rules No. 1 and 2 we covered the use of multiple channels to get your message out and the framing of your message. The next major rule is finding your audience and targeting accordingly.
Marketers hate to waste money. Well, the good ones hate to. Not knowing where your audience is located and not targeting your message strategically equates to lots of wasted money and a lower return on investment (ROI). This is because it’s easier to sell to a consumer who already wants your product. It is less costly to target those with a need than to convince the rest of the world. Research into audience location and strategic targeting is paramount for success.
For talent acquisition professionals, targeting is equally important for effectively marketing jobs. While we noted in Rule No. 1 that using multiple channels to reach an audience is fundamental, a deeper understanding of these channels is required to use them strategically. This means doing your homework and researching the data before you execute.
Marketers do their research, and comprehending data is a big part of developing a targeting strategy. For the job marketer, this means acquiring data from different suppliers to understand the audience they reach. If you have a specific role or cluster of positions that require a specific set of skills and experience, you don’t want to spend money where the audience isn’t. To mitigate this risk, ask your suppliers for data.
Look at all of your channels and strategize accordingly. If you require a candidate who traditionally uses a job search engine instead of another more costly channel, use it. Layer this with a social media campaign if applicable. If data from a supplier shows a higher concentration of the right candidates versus another, focus your investment there, not across all channels simply for the sake of greater reach. If location is a factor, check to see if your suppliers can accommodate enough quality candidates for the location you need to recruit for. Don’t just assume.
Ask for the data, determine where your quality candidates are located, evaluate the channel options and build a targeting strategy accordingly.
