When it comes to recruiting, more and more companies are using online video as a key part of their employment marketing strategy. In turn, they’re seeing some significant candidate results. If you haven’t yet considered the video route for your recruiting, it may be time to give it some serious consideration.
By leveraging online video, you can strategically target the right candidates, strengthen your employment brand and increase search engine visibility. All of which are key factors to becoming an employer who attracts the quality talent necessary to help your business grow.
After producing thousands of videos for employers just like you, we’ve concluded that there are three critical components that go into creating a successful employment video. Reference the elements below and you too can craft a compelling video that gets your ideal candidates excited about working for your organization.
First and foremost, it’s important to clarify who you are trying communicate to. Single out your candidate audience, from developers and designers to caregivers and nurses, and identify what style of video will speak best to them. Then, think about your best employees (either current or past) and try to identify their story.
Understanding the qualities that make up an ideal candidate will help you better understand how to effectively communicate to your target audience.
What distinguishes your organization from the rest? Maybe you provide unique services; give employees dynamic challenges or make an impact in your clients' lives. Whatever it is, make sure you weave those identifying factors into your message, so job seekers will tie those attributes to your brand.
To keep viewers engaged, build a story that works with your video’s message. Whether you showcase one employee’s narrative or describe your company’s greater good, use a compelling story to keep potential candidates captivated and interested to learn more.
Also, make sure your message is as succinct as possible. Video analytics show that viewers start abandoning videos early on and continue to do so at a fairly steady rate as the video continues -- compounding the loss of viewership. Essentially, the longer your video, the fewer viewers you will have by the end. So, to get your full message across to the most people, keep it short. Your goal is to inspire job seekers to learn more, not provide every detail of your organization.
Be true to who you are and aim for transparency. Otherwise, you'll either attract the wrong candidates for your organization or have difficulty with retention because of a disconnect of expectations.
To connect with applicants on an emotional level, take advantage of your real employees as the “characters” of your film. Not only will this save you some money (no need to hire actors), you’ll also provide job seekers with a true representation of your workforce and characters they can genuinely relate to.
When you’re ready to start brainstorming, use this list as a reference to make sure your ideas align with what it takes to build an effective video. Then, check out our 8 Steps to Producing a Great Employment Video to ensure you don’t miss a thing. Start taking advantage of video today to attract better talent and build your employment brand.
