How you convey yourself in your digital content helps your target audience better identify who you are as a brand. Your brand in the digital age is how you are seen online in Google searches, social media, and other digital media publications. More than just your reputation, your branding is also how you are recognized by others and what differentiates you in the marketplace.
While your brand may be predominantly used for sales and networking, it is also a strong component in your recruitment marketing plan. For recruitment marketing, your brand needs to be authentic, credible, and sustainable to job applicants. As a matter of fact, you need to be able to share a story that communicates your value or potential to prospective applicants/job prospects in about ten seconds. This brand story also needs to be told in a way that shows that you are solving the challenges that people might have in the job market so that they see you as the most favorable employer to apply to.
THE 3 C's OF DIGITAL RECRUITMENT BRANDING
We can’t say this enough, but if you want to build a following or audience in the marketplace, then you need to offer the following across your digital platforms.
1. CLEAR MESSAGING
Clear messaging is critical because it can differentiate you from the competition. In the simplest way, you want your brand to be widely known for what you do. For example, many people associate Nike’s branding with recreation and sports apparel. When you see their logo, you create an immediate brand association. You want to be clear with applicants and ensure they remember who you are and what you do in the same way.
Remember, applicants are looking to solve a challenge they are having in the marketplace; this might be the reason they are unhappy in their current role. Or maybe they are new to the job market and they have acquired specific skills where they want to add value to the company and their mission. When recruitment marketing, you need to make clear how you will help candidates solve these challenges.
2. CONTENT THAT ALIGNS WITH YOUR MESSAGING
This brings us to the next C in our recruitment marketing: content creation. This isn’t just about what we are hiring for; you’re instead trying to grab the attention of people whom you know can be successful at your company. Curating content that drives home why you are a great place to work and emphasizes how you’ve resolved others’ challenges in the job market is also important. You want people to feel and see a personal connection with you.
Your content should vary from testimonials, social posts, short videos, stories, etc., but they should all have a clear message for your target audience. The more people see these messages—even when you’re not hiring—the more likely they are to see you as the next opportunity for them when a job becomes available. One of the biggest mistakes many employers make is being reactive in their hiring—that is, only advertising when jobs are available at the company. What you need to do is create a consistent effort to continuously promote your content and messaging.
3. CONSISTENCY OF YOUR MARKETING MESSAGE IS KEY
Building an audience takes time. It’s the consistent effort that is key to building your brand. As long as you’re consistently offering clear messaging in the content you create, eventually your brand will become more recognizable in the eyes of applicants who are looking for jobs. This is a tedious but vitally important part of building your brand. The more your messaging is consistently put in front of your various audiences, the more frequently they will recall your brand when the time is right.
Not sure of how to start creating content on places where your potential audience/applications hang out? Learn about what kind of content your audiences would be interested in and craft your messaging around that. What challenges are applicants currently facing and how can you help solve them? Your consistent messaging in this case will show your audiences how you can resolve their challenges by working with you.
PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE IN BUILDING A RECRUITMENT BRAND
Rome wasn’t built in a day and your brand is no different. Your brand is your powerhouse in marketing your careers to others. It doesn’t matter if you’re a large enterprise company or a small-medium sized business—the company who is best able to convey their brand will attract more applicants every time .
All too often, recruiters dabble in marketing, but don’t necessarily put in the consistent effort. Unfortunately, many then begin to feel like their efforts are not working and stop marketing their company, roles, value proposition, and messaging. There are very few brands that get lucky marketing their brand on the first try. In actuality, many have to work through trial and error to see what will resonate with their audience. Keep playing around with your messaging, curate all kinds of different content in various forms, and be consistent in putting that message out there.
If you want to learn more about tactics in social media or recruitment marketing to help boost your applicant flow, please visit our website.
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