Recruitment Marketing is all about making a connection. A connection with a potential great new hire. Someone who is a passive candidate. Someone who is “just browsing.” Someone who perhaps was a previous applicant to your company, but was not hired.
Steps to Create and Grow your Talent Network
The number one place to connect with past employees (potential boomerang employees), passive candidates is LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the biggest site for professionals in the world. If you do not have a LinkedIn Company page already set up, this should be number one on your to-do list. If you need help setting up a great LinkedIn page, please contact me here.
Build your connections
To build connections on LinkedIn start with current employees. Ask them to make sure they follow your company on LinkedIn, and are listed as an employee – this helps passive candidates see who they are connected with that works for you. Secondly, make sure your LinkedIn page is visible on your website, ideally on all pages. Use either a simple LinkedIn logo or icon to link to your company page, or alternatively use a LinkedIn widget to share more information. Set up an auto-responder email that goes to every single person who submits an employment application or resume to your company. This can be as simple as saying “Thank you for your interest in ABC Company. We will be in touch if your skills and experience are good fit for the position. We invite you to keep in touch, and see our other openings, by following our LinkedIn Page.”
Market Your Brand and Job Openings
This should go without saying, I will say it anyway. When you have job openings spread the word. LinkedIn, being the greatest source of connected professionals in the world is a fabulous resource. My recommendation is to regularly post your job openings. A daily post is most effective. LinkedIn has multiple channels you can use to do this: Company Pages, Groups, Connections and Sponsored Jobs. You can even ask your connections and employees to share the post with their connections.
I recently saw a post by a (former) HR Coordinator of a large non-profit post an advertisement that she wrote, describing the position as “Something I would apply for myself.” Her enthusiasm for her company really shone through in her post.
Other Channels
LinkedIn is, of course, not the only viable channel for building up a talent network. Millennials, and all age groups, each have their own preferences. You can build your contacts through other social media sites, and by using email newsletters to reach a targeted audience.
Twitter. Use Twitter to tweet your job openings regularly. Either “Visit ABC Company to see our available job openings…” or post about individual job openings as they become available. If you need help setting up a Twitter account or marketing your jobs on Twitter, please contact me here.
Facebook Facebook feels like the grandparent of social media now (with apologies to MySpace), it has been around since 2004, so it’s officially a teenager! With a reported 1.79 billion monthly active users (September 30, 2016) it’s also the largest network out there. Facebook also offers many options for marketing your jobs. Starting with your connections, your company Facebook page, and like LinkedIn, Facebook offers groups. Like any marketing channel, post regularly to receive the most exposure. The more you post, the more likely you are to get clicks. Once of Facebook’s newest options is Facebook Live, which allows its users to instantly “go live” with video from their phone camera or webcam. You can use this for company hiring events, and to share news updates and job openings. If you need help setting up a great Facebook page or Facebook marketing, please contact me here.
Instagram A visual network, share your brand images when you advertise positions. Post photos of your facilities, offices, personnel, group events, team work. Give your employees a day with the account to share “a day in the life” at your company. Don’t forget to hashtag your posts with relevant tags like #hiring #jobs #awesome #location
Snapchat Use Snapchat to connect quickly with an audience. Use it for FAQs about hiring, or “I have an immediate opening” snaps.
Pinterest A great network for organizing thoughts, ideas and things we want to buy! Yet, you can still use this for marketing your brand and job openings. Share events and “like” ideas.
Email Newsletters Boost the number of applications you receive by using targeted email newsletters. I recommend consistency when it comes to email newsletters, sending the email alert(s) at the same time, and same day weekly, and/or monthly. Increase your open rate and click through rate by using A/B testing, segmenting your lists and trying our different subject lines to see which ones get the best open rates. If you need help setting up an email newsletter, please contact me here.
Getting Started with your Talent Network
Recruitment Marketing is not a “one and done” proposition. It is an ongoing, living, breathing entity. It requires your tender loving care, and nurturing to help it grow. You create growth organically by being consistent, by maintaining your brand messaging, and by being responsive to your actual and passive candidates.
About Me
Since 2005 I have been helping small and medium sized business in all industries improve their recruitment processes, increase their candidate reach, build employment brand, and make attractive, magnetic career centers. Let me help you build your talent network, increase your reach, and find your best candidates using proven recruitment marketing techniques.
Call (860) 478-2760 or click today. Happy to chat if you have a question.