As HR professionals, we’re experts at hiring positions in all different departments of our company, be it sales, engineering, marketing or even design. While we can write postings and interview like it’s nobody’s business to hire the perfect candidate, sometimes we forget that we can learn a lot of valuable things from these often disparate divisions. One of the greatest benefits of a role in HR is our constant exposure to talent and ability to learn and make the workplace better.
Sure, we spend our time thinking about open reqs and interviews, rather than ad copy and social media campaigns but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a thing or two we can’t learn from the Marketing Department and its methods.
So, in an effort to “explore” the everyday workplace, here at Recruiting.com, we’ve put together a compilation of marketing concepts that you can incorporate into your recruiting and employment branding efforts for the better.
In the marketing world: Personas are used to group and target different audiences who are potential customers. For example, for my sports car campaign, I am targeting men who I call “Tony.” “Tonys” are men aged 35-45, who love fast luxury vehicles and are single with no kids. “Tonys” represent just one segment of my audience. This is important because it helps me to create targeted messages that will be placed in marketing materials. This also helps me decide where those messages will “live,” whether it be via email, social posts, videos or otherwise. Creating personas that align with each target audience tells me how to craft my messages and which channels I should use to reach them effectively.
In HR: While we aren’t trying to sell sports cars to “Tony” anytime soon, we can make use of personas in our hiring practices. The next time you’re hiring, try using a persona methodology to create a set of characteristics that exist in your ideal employee. Once you have your persona, you can create the targeted messaging for that candidate and advertise in the places those candidates are most likely to be.
In the marketing world: Customer Journey is used to describe the process a consumer experiences while engaging with a company in the purchasing “funnel”. The customer journey begins at the broadest point of contact with your audience, Awareness Generation, and moves forward into Familiarity, Consideration, Purchase and finally the ever-coveted Loyalty. You can think of this in terms of the last time you purchased something like a car or home appliance. You start by becoming aware of the options, familiar with different brands and their benefits, narrowing down your options (consideration) and finally purchase. If you did your homework and the brand is a good fit, you may become loyal for life!
Source: McKinsey
In HR: If you haven’t already, think of your candidates going through this same funnel. They start by becoming aware of your company or your opening and then familiarizing themselves with your offerings based on resources like your career site. They’ll then interview and consider you before making their purchase (or decision to join your team), the ideal final step is their employee loyalty and tenure. You can enhance each step of the candidate experience by ensuring that the right, useful information is provided at every touchpoint. In doing so, you’ll help them navigate through the stages of the customer journey so the candidate, ultimately, makes their employment decision.
In the marketing world: Lead Nurturing is the process of developing relationships at every stage of the sales funnel and through every step of the buyer’s journey (Marketo). Not every customer is ready to make a purchase today, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be a great fit in a month or a year. Think back to buying your last car or home, you probably researched, talked to a few sales professionals before really beginning the buying process-- it may have taken months, even years to make your purchase. Great lead nurturing is about building a relationship over time and staying top-of-mind to create a sense of urgency for buying and so that when the customer is ready, they think of you.
In HR: Recruiting is about relationships. You may not have sophisticated marketing programs that alert you when candidates have visited your site, but you are able to actively communicate with them both directly and indirectly. Tailor your employment messaging and career site so when candidates visit for more information they feel welcomed and informed. Give them ways to engage with you even if they aren’t ready to apply today. Then be there to answer questions, offer guidance and advice. For the right candidate, it’s worth investing the time, so that when you have the right opportunity or they have acquired the right skills, they apply with your company and not your competitors.
As in marketing, in HR, you won’t attract the right talent if you don’t know who, where and how to target that right talent. It helps to understand the candidate journey so you can maximize every touchpoint to make a memorable and positive recruiting experience. No company is so big or so great that it doesn’t invest in “getting the word out” about its brand and products. The same goes for your hiring and employment brand- you have to market your offering. Assume your candidates know nothing about you other than what you show them yourself and how you interact with them. Get to know them as much as you can and use that knowledge to make the right people fall in love with your company and your opportunity.
