Marketing best practices. It is a term we throw around a lot when we want to sound like an authority, expert, thought-leader, consultant or generally smart person.  

And sure, in business and in life there are a few things you should always do: be honest, decent, kind and considerate—basic golden-rule stuff—but marketing is not basic, it shouldn’t be clumsy, and it requires a practiced, delicate and informed touch. If the marketing strategy for your recruiting firm is the equivalent of a blunt instrument—doing something just because it worked for everyone else—it will lead to a gigantic waste of precious resources. 

So, how do we avoid that? How do we avoid the achievement of mediocrity that comes by doing what everyone else says is the right thing to do? We take the time to think, problem solve with our teams, bring in help if need be, and act according to the work you just put in. 

Social media is a fake reality. Everyone is an expert. Everyone is an authority. Everyone is selling something—and I guess we are too, but I like to think we are selling something that will showcase your business, the services you provide and the people in it. We’re not going to try and tell you that you should do something because we haven’t met you yet. And we believe it’s kind of predatory if others are offering results without fully understanding the obstacle. 

These are just a few common “recruitment marketing best practices” assumptions I got by Googling for five minutes.  

Job applications should be short. 

Maybe, if it’s appropriate. The job application should be dependent upon the job, the level of skill required, the specialized training, education or industry knowledge required for the position, and the general level of personal and professional knowledge you want to know about the candidate. Data is precious and can be used to create an effective database which leans towards a longer application—however, if you do want to use a longer, more extensive application, develop one that focuses on user experience (hello, mobile optimized!) because that’s where longer apps lose candidates.  

Use <Insert Social Media Platform>, it has <this many> users! 

The newest thing is not always the best thing. A business needs to look at its demographics and see which digital channels make the most sense. The cringe I see on many platforms isn’t usually effective and is plainly just embarrassing. Messaging needs to be crafted, even if it is just a 10-second video. It has to match your brand and actually offer the viewer something engaging, useful or both.  

You should spin your job postings to look more attractive. 

No. Stop that. Job postings should always be honest. When you start embellishing, bending the truth or engaging in hyperbole, you may draw in more candidates in but, eventually, the truth of a bad job will make itself known and your reputation will suffer. The accuracy of a posting and the lack of bites on that line is crucial to a client realizing they are not being competitive in one way or another and should lead to their offerings being adjusted. 

Content marketing is the most effective way to market to candidates. 

It has often been said that “content is king,” and it is a monster in the marketing world. But it takes time, demands analytical attention, has to be adjusted consistently and generally does not offer immediate results. It’s a wonderful tool, but it is by no means a universal solution. Like we stated before, every situation must be appraised, goals set and solutions designed to match. If you need solutions in the short term, a more direct approach (like paid advertising) might be necessary while a thought-out content marketing campaign begins in the background.  

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At Recruiters Websites, we are focused on creating and implementing true marketing best practices that fit our recruiting clients and their ever-evolving position within the market. Reach out and let’s get to know each other.