By Lauren Norris, LEVY I have attended events in the past few months that have circled around the topic of recruitment. Topics have spanned: recruitment of millennials and the challenges hiring managers face; recruitment strategies for different industries and how they are using social media to post job listings; companies that are struggling to attract and hire anyone and have no idea what they’re doing wrong; and the list goes on. There was such a common thread going on across multiple verticals and industries that it was too big not to pay attention to, and I began to realize the lack of education around recruitment marketing and effective strategy. I use the word “effective” because not all strategies are created equal, and there are definite best practices to pay attention to. Any personnel that has any influence or position that relates to hiring new talent will benefit from the content below. In this article, we’ll define recruitment marketing and provide best practices for getting started with a solid strategy in your company. What is Recruitment Marketing? Recruitment marketing is the process of attracting and nurturing talented individuals to your organization by marketing to them. The main goal of recruitment marketing is to drive individuals to apply to the open positions your company has available. Recruitment marketing is the earliest stage of talent acquisition. Why is Recruitment Marketing Important? The impact of hiring the wrong person for the job has financial implications, including onboarding/training costs, high turn-over, and lack of production or contribution. Also, customer satisfaction/communication can suffer if they don’t feel that they have a stable contact to communicate with. Having the most effective recruitment strategy for your business can greatly reduce these risks that are quite common across the board. So, how do we start to think differently about recruitment? Deliver Information Companies need to first market themselves as a potential match on the platforms where their top talent spend their time. It’s imperative to create compelling content that candidates will want to read, listen or watch and make you stand out as the leading option. Bring About Interest Storytelling is a crucial piece of your corporate branding campaign. Not only explaining what you do and how you do it, but WHY you do what you do helps to connect to your potential candidates. People want to work for companies with a bigger bottom line than only revenue numbers. What is the culture like? Does your leadership have an active voice across communication channels? Getting a prospective candidate’s attention is one thing, but keeping it is another. Content will always have better engagement rates than job descriptions. Creative content will hold the attention of active candidates. Strategizing through your content and setting deadlines will ensure your story is being told in a thoughtful way. Conversions Remove any obstacles that prevent someone from applying. The majority of candidates are applying for jobs through their mobile device, so think through a simpler process with an improved user experience. The days of circling job post ads in the newspaper are long gone and our outdated process should be shifting as well. Focus on your content strategies and understand the vast importance of creating a strategy for recruitment that generate the top talent that you’re looking for. For further information, you can connect with Lauren at lauren@ levyind.com.