Why Recruiters Need to Embrace Content Marketing

With the right pieces of content, you can attract dream employees the same way you attract dream customers.

This article was first published Sept. 14, 2021, by HR Daily Advisor, a sibling publication to HealthLeaders.

You may not think recruitment and marketing go hand in hand. But a huge piece of making sure your talent pool is stocked with the best and brightest is making sure your company is an attractive place to work. Therefore, recruitment and marketing need to play off one another. The job of a recruiter isn’t just to find great potential hires—it’s to get those hires to apply and commit. Marketing is an essential mindset to have during that process and when it comes to successful marketing strategies in 2021, content reigns king.

Inbound marketing, or marketing that focuses on attracting people with valuable content, isn’t just for making sales. It’s for recruiting top talent to work for your company. Instead of focusing on outbound marketing—or going out and asking people to apply for your company—consider switching your focus to inbound marketing, so that people are knocking on your door. With the right pieces of content, you can attract dream employees the same way you attract dream customers.

Think of the types of applications you’d like to see rolling in. Where did those people go to school? What does their past work experience like? What are they passionate about? What do they write about in their cover letters? Then, once you have a “persona” in your head, think about where that person hangs out online. Are they more frequently surfing Twitter or Instagram? Do they spend a lot of time on YouTube? Would Facebook be the best place to reach them? Could they be more of a blog or email newsletter reader? By understanding where your dream job applicant spends their time, you can start crafting a marketing strategy for recruitment that will help you get new talent into your recruitment pipeline.

But once they’re in the pipeline, how do you nurture those leads? That’s where top-notch content marketing can play a role. By trying to serve your audience, demonstrate your company culture, and start important industry conversations, you’ll set your business apart as a terrific place to work.

Here are a few ideas to get the ball rolling in terms of content marketing pieces you and your team could create.

Industry-Specific Topics

When it comes to your industry, what are people frequently discussing? This is the easiest place to start when it comes to brainstorming recruitment content marketing. In your specific niche, there are probably topics that employees love to discuss the nitty-gritty details of. Find out what those topics are and start crafting pieces of content about them.

For instance, if you’re in the wellness industry, you may feel really passionate about which certifications it’s important for personal trainers to have. Whip up a YouTube video breaking down what those certifications are and why they’re important. Or maybe you’re in personal finance.

Topics about how people handle their money are endless—you could do blogposts on recent finance trends, new apps dealing with personal finance, or tips for people to save more money. If you’re having a hard time coming up with ideas for topics, ask yourself what trends are in your industry that drive you bananas. Sometimes feelings of aggravation are great places to start from!

Curated Pieces of Content

Some companies focus more on creating when it comes to content marketing. Those tend to be companies with deep pockets, who can outsource their social media and blogs in order to constantly have world class material. But photographers, videographers, and content strategists can be expensive. Instead, consider curating the content. This doesn’t have to be from big-time influencers in your industry, either! Your own employees are probably creating great content that would inspire a potential job applicant to reach out.

If you go to an employee outing, make sure to snag a few of the photos off social media (with permission, of course!) to share on the company account. Follow popular hashtags within your industry as well, and make sure you’re consistently checking which photos or tweets your business is being tagged in. That way, you aren’t always having to hustle and create new content, but can instead bring together existing pieces to support your overall strategy and show the people you’re trying to recruit that your business is one to talk about.

In-Office Experiences

Potential employees are going to look up your business on social media. They’re going to want to figure out the vibe of your company, understand what being in your business is like, and whether or not they’re a good fit. Something like highlighting a day in the life of one of your employees can give great insight.

Anytime your company has a major gathering or event, posting about it on social media is going to be key as well. You could do YouTube videos featuring different departments, or giving a tour of your office. If your company does fun themes like casual Fridays, that can be nice to share, too. Anything that highlights your company culture and what it’s like to be in your office will be helpful for prospective recruits.

Career Advancement Tips

If you’re hoping to attract talent that’s looking for a job, think about what they’re interested in reading about. Job seekers probably want to learn about how to advance their careers in your industry. So sharing tips about how people can get ahead and move up the ladder will always be appreciated.

Consider interviewing some of your higher-up employees and asking them to share how they got to where they are today, or featuring some of your human resources representatives to discuss some do’s and don’ts they’ve encountered on job applications. The key to career-advancement content is to approach it with a mind towards service.

Could people use these tips and go join your competitors? Absolutely. But if you put out content aimed towards helping people, it will help people remember that your business is one that truly cares about people. That’s worth a lot when it comes to talent making choices about their employment.