Think like a marketer to attract top talent

In an increasingly competitive employer market, it is essential for every recruiter to think like a marketer in order to generate awareness, establish trust, engage with candidates, build relationships and, basically, take ownership of their talent brand.

Your Talent Brand

Are you familiar with the concept?

Your talent brand is what your talent (past, present and potential) thinks, feels and shares about your company as a place to work. It is highly public and mainly disseminated through social media channels like Twitter or Facebook and websites like Glassdoor and Indeed.

Why is it important to shape and maintain a positive talent brand?

If you want to attract quality talent to work at your company, it is crucial to take ownership of your talent brand, to control and positively influence the conversation you are having with potential and existing candidates. According to a recent survey conducted by LinkedIn, a positive talent brand can lower your cost per hire by up to 50% and reduce your employee turnover by up to 28%.

Establishing A Positive Talent Brand

When looking to build your talent brand, your first job is to start thinking like a marketer and develop a strategy. First, identify the candidate pool you wish to target and then create a unique and distinctive message which will help you acquire and retain the desired talent pool. Your next step is to build and define your company’s culture and then get the message out through several social media channels, websites, job postings and other outlets you usually use in your recruitment strategy. To be more impactful, try articulating your strategy around the 4Ps.

The concept of the 4Ps comes from marketing but it can easily be applied to the world of recruitment.

Product – it’s what you are selling - the job opportunity but also your team, your company. It is advisable to clearly articulate your product in your job adverts, on your career pages and your website, to emphasize what differentiates you from your competitors and what makes you unique.
Price – the salaries, bonuses, perks and benefits you are offering. In the same way consumers consider the value of what they get for the price they pay, candidates consider the opportunities and offers before accepting a job offer. So make sure your compensation packages are clearly defined, competitive and creative in order to attract your target candidates.
Promotion – it’s the techniques (networking, blogging, job posts) which you choose to use in order to communicate and interact with candidates, potential and existing.
Place of distribution – where your target candidates can interact with you, the place where you are going to make your product available: job boards, social networks, career fairs etc.

Only recruiters who understand how to create a brand presence, interact with candidates through multiple social channels and then bring them through a talent acquisition funnel will successfully attract and retain the best talent.

Have you incorporated any marketing activities in your recruitment process? Let us know in the comments below.