In today’s fiercely competitive job market, a comprehensive recruitment strategy is not just a nice-to-have, it’s an absolute must! According to research by The Josh Bersin Company, a staggering 75% of companies lack an effective recruiting strategy. Relying solely on traditional methods like online job postings and interviews no longer yield the desired results.

However, some organizations are beginning to see the light and are evolving their recruitment marketing processes to include talent acquisition funnels. One key aspect of this funnel is engagement marketing.

Understanding Engagement Marketing and Why It Is Important for Recruitment Marketers

Engagement marketing is part of the consideration stage of the marketing funnel. During the consideration stage, potential employees learn more about the organization and decide whether they want to move forward in the recruitment process. They will consider questions like:

• Is there an alignment between their values and the company’s culture?
• Are the company’s products and services useful?
• How does the interview process work?
• Will the position offer better pay or benefits than they currently have?

To move the candidate through the consideration stage of the marketing funnel, recruitment marketers must address each of these questions in their marketing materials. Well-designed campaigns will provide a seamless user experience, providing candidates with the information they need to make a decision and move to the next stage.

Engagement marketing provides several key benefits, including reduced time-to-hire, increased retention, and improved conversion rates. Companies with an effective engagement marketing strategy will likely see more top-tier applicants and less friction in recruitment marketing funnels.

How to Implement Engagement Marketing into the Recruitment Process

There are several channels that organizations can use to improve engagement marketing processes. 

Both social media and email provide excellent opportunities to engage with potential candidates and display the benefits of working for a company. Recruitment marketing professionals can also use a candidate relationship management (CRM) tool to keep the company top of mind with future applicants.

6 Engagement and Candidate Nurture Strategies

To improve engagement marketing strategies, consider these six techniques.

1. Invest in a Talent Network and Email Marketing

A talent network includes people who want to receive communications about open roles or news in a company. Candidates interested in joining an organization’s talent network can sign up via the company’s website, social media accounts, or other channels. Once they consent to receive communication from the business, the recruitment marketing team can send them emails.

Email is a great way to maintain a long-term relationship with potential candidates. It is non-intrusive and provides a medium to get current business news and open roles in front of their audience. 

Ideally, organizations should have a regular email schedule, such as once or twice per week. If the company sends messages too frequently, the recipients may view them as spam. Striking the right balance of communication ensures email marketing materials guide applicants through the stages of the organization’s marketing funnel.

2. Create a Detailed Application Process

Organizations should provide a clear outline of their hiring process. That way, candidates know what to expect if they apply and there is less risk of confusion that can deter people from moving forward. 

Recruitment marketers can display the steps involved during the hiring process on the career page of the company’s website and within each posted job ad. For example, listing the number of interviews and the expected timeline between the application and the hire date is beneficial to someone considering applying for an open role.

Companies should notify candidates of their application status. Doing so will help them stand out as a proactive organization — 65% of job seekers say they never receive an update after submitting their initial application. 

Organizations can maintain communication with their applicants by sending them push notifications via email or text. Push notifications are easy to automate with the appropriate CRM and communications software.

3. Engage on Social Media

Most organizations have at least one social media account to engage with customers, employees, vendors, and potential candidates. They can use social media to provide their followers with updates on new products, open roles, and relevant company news.

Social media accounts allow recruiters to chat with applicants about their open roles and encourage them to apply. Once hiring managers receive an application, social media provides similar functions as email or text message — they can update the candidate on their status and schedule interviews or other important events. 

4. Make Communication Easy and Simple

Before accepting an offer from an employer, applicants want to know what to expect from the organization. Recruitment marketers can meet their needs by providing detailed information on the careers page of the company’s website and through their online job postings.

At a minimum, organizations should outline the company’s mission, vision statements, and workplace culture highlights. For instance, if the organization allows its employees to dress casually on specific weekdays or holds monthly employee events outside work hours, those are important elements that an applicant might consider when applying for a role.

Hiring managers can also consider creating video job descriptions for the role. A video job description highlights essential responsibilities the applicant will handle but is more personal than simple text descriptions that most organizations use in their job ads.

The more information a candidate has about a company and its open role, the less likely they will be to experience friction or frustration during the application process.

5. Examine CTA Structures

Traditional calls to action (CTAs) include a short message or link at the bottom of a webpage to encourage readers to take the next step with an organization. However, CTAs are evolving and can be much more effective when they incorporate videos, photos, virtual presentations, or other similar items.

Recruitment marketers can create stronger CTAs to generate a response from their candidate audience. They can post these CTAs on their social media accounts or share them via email. The CTA’s structure should have a clear goal; without a purpose, the company is less likely to see the results they are looking for.

6. Conduct Exit Interviews and Keep in Touch with Employees who Left Amicably

Any time an employee decides to leave an organization, it is vital to hold an exit interview. An exit interview allows the worker to express their feelings about the position and the workplace and can provide companies with valuable insights to improve the organization.

If a worker leaves their role under favorable circumstances, it is critical to maintain communication with them. They may decide to return to the organization if they do not like their new position. Contact them occasionally to see how they are doing and notify them of any open roles they may be a fit for.

Rehiring past employees is advantageous because they already understand the work culture and expectations. The onboarding process is also much more straightforward.

Engagement and Nurture Content Ideas

Once a company decides on strategies to improve engagement with potential candidates, they will need to create content that helps them meet their objectives. A few content ideas include:

• Email nurture campaigns
• Video job descriptions
• Webinars
• Infographics
• Industry reports
• Robust careers website
• FAQs
• Chatbots

The sky is truly the limit when it comes to content. 

With the Right Engagement Marketing Strategies, Hiring Becomes Much Easier

Engagement marketing is critical for attracting and converting qualified candidates. When recruitment marketers focus on building relationships and providing value, organizations will see higher levels of applications from top-tier talent. 

Effective engagement marketing can help reduce time-to-hire and enhance employee retention rates. These results make it clear that focusing on engagement marketing strategies is a worthwhile endeavor for any company.

Calli Ensor

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Calli is a seasoned professional with over a decade of experience in employer brand, digital media, and content marketing. She has built online communities for 13 Fortune 100 brands and several Discord communities, generating over one million followers for companies.  Calli’s background in anthropology provides her with a deep understanding of how communities are formed and sustained. Coupled with her passion to foster inclusivity in everything she does, she aims to improve the industry one conversation at a time.