{"id":134997,"date":"2019-03-20T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-20T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smartinsights.com\/?p=134997"},"modified":"2019-03-19T13:40:18","modified_gmt":"2019-03-19T13:40:18","slug":"how-brand-marketing-can-increase-your-candidate-attraction-efforts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smartinsights.com\/online-brand-strategy\/brand-positioning\/how-brand-marketing-can-increase-your-candidate-attraction-efforts\/","title":{"rendered":"How brand marketing can increase your candidate attraction efforts"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you want to secure the top talent in 2019, you need to position your company as an employer of choice<\/h2>\n

As a marketing professional, you\u2019ll be well adept at maximizing your brand in order to attract new customers. But have you considered how brand marketing can increase your candidate attraction efforts too?<\/p>\n

After all, it\u2019s becoming increasingly difficult for organizations to entice candidates out of their current roles, with the ONS reporting that UK employment hit another record high<\/a> at the end of last year.<\/p>\n

As such, if you want to secure the top talent in 2019, you need to position your company as an employer of choice. With this in mind, below we explain how brand marketing can increase your candidate attraction efforts and what you need to do to get in front of potential employees.<\/p>\n

What does your brand say about you?<\/h2>\n

Before you get started, ask yourself, what does your brand say about you as an employer? If you were a potential candidate, what would you think about the organization if you were to visit your website?<\/p>\n

Your brand isn\u2019t just your company logo and website. It\u2019s how you interact with customers and candidates, and the type of information you put out into the public domain.<\/p>\n

With this in mind, think about how you want to position your brand and how you want candidates to view you as a potential employer. For example, while you might adopt a formal tone with potential customers, you may choose to speak to candidates in a more \u2018human\u2019 manner.<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve figured out how you want to get your brand across, you can start to explore different ways of using your brand to increase your candidate attraction efforts.<\/p>\n

\"Importance<\/p>\n

Maximizing social media<\/h2>\n

When it comes to marketing your brand, having a social media strategy<\/a> is vital. With the potential to reach thousands of users, it\u2019s important that you\u2019re not only pushing your products in front of prospects, but also using these platforms to boost your candidate attraction efforts.<\/p>\n

So, consider the messaging you want to put out there. A mix of different content is the best approach. You might want to promote specific vacancies in your company, pulling out the key perks of each specific role. For example, you may include the names or details of exciting clients or projects they could be working on, the software they\u2019ll use and any bonus schemes they may benefit from.<\/p>\n

You may also want to push positive images around internal events, employee promotions, or successful campaigns that individuals have worked on.<\/p>\n

Alongside this, another way to showcase your brand is to publish employee testimonials. Ask your employees why they wanted to join the company and what they enjoy most about their job and working for you. Then, write these up into short, snappy posts and use images to help bring them to life.<\/p>\n

This is something that we do at CV-Library<\/a> and it gives a nice snapshot into what it\u2019s like working in certain departments. We\u2019ll then link these posts to the relevant section within our careers page.<\/p>\n

Responding on employee review sites<\/h2>\n

One thing to be aware of with social media platforms and employee review sites is that while they\u2019re great for employees to promote your company in a positive light, they also open up the potential to be targeted by disgruntled employees, past or present.<\/p>\n

So what should you do if you get a negative employee review online<\/a>? It might be tempting to shy away in the hope that no one will see it. But, it\u2019s likely that with a quick search on Google, candidates will find it some way or another.<\/p>\n

As such, use these platforms to take control of your brand marketing. Address any concerns that are raised and show that you\u2019re taking a proactive approach to bettering your workplace. In doing so, potential candidates will see that you\u2019re committed to keeping your staff happy, only helping to improve your candidate attraction efforts.<\/p>\n

Considering your careers page<\/h2>\n

Whether it\u2019s called \u2018Work for us\u2019 or \u2018Careers\u2019, having a dedicated area on your website that explains the benefits of working for you is crucial. As mentioned above the vast majority of potential recruits will research your company online, so make sure you\u2019re giving them the insights they need.<\/p>\n

Your careers site should be the hub of all of your recruitment marketing efforts. Especially as candidates will go to your company website first. So, be sure to include relevant images, employee testimonials, details of your vacancies, interesting stats and information on the key perks you offer.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, you could also include information on any awards you\u2019ve won. Essentially, it needs to give the \u2018wow\u2019 factor, making candidates want to join your company, immediately.<\/p>\n

\"Where<\/p>\n

Understanding SEO<\/h2>\n

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is now a huge part of recruitment and the good news is, you\u2019re likely to be one step ahead in this area if you work in marketing. With this in mind, consider how you can utilize SEO in your brand marketing efforts, particularly when it comes to your careers site.<\/p>\n

For example, if you have a company blog, make sure you\u2019re using it to publish insightful content that people within the industry are going to want to read. That might include posts such as \u2018A day in the life of a content marketer\u2019, or \u2018What\u2019s it like to work in content marketing\u2019.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s extremely important to be competitive and if you\u2019re seen to be a marketing thought leader, potential candidates will be more familiar and engaged with your brand.<\/p>\n

Again, SEO is important nowadays as most candidates start their job search on Google, so think about what you can do to make to work for you. That includes optimizing your job posts by using the correct keywords and including important details such as salary and location.<\/p>\n

Interacting with candidates<\/h2>\n

A huge part of brand marketing comes into play when you\u2019re speaking with potential recruits. Nowadays, candidates are king and you need to ensure they have a positive experience of dealing with your company. With this in mind, ask yourself the following:<\/p>\n