Seize on the Emerging Recruitment Marketing Trend 　

Rewind the clock to the time when you were still a fresh graduate. Would you be drawn to a serious recruitment ad with an overwhelming job description? Or would an ingenious recruitment campaign that reflects the company’s character win your heart?

Employees are one of a company’s greatest assets. This holds even greater truth amid the latest ‘competition for talents’ phenomenon. With a growing preference for working as slashers or digital nomads, the struggle to recruit and retain top candidates has become even more intense among corporations.

Now is the best time to rethink your recruitment approach, and recruitment marketing is something worth giving a serious thought.

What is Recruitment Marketing?

Recruitment marketing involves adopting marketing strategies to promote your company as a desirable employer. Similar to product marketing, the tactics can be as diverse as your creativity goes, from social media advertising to offline guerrilla marketing – just that the ‘product’ you are selling is your own company.

While recruitment marketing is still a new concept in Hong Kong, it has been prevalent for years around the world. OgilvyOne launched ‘The World’s Greatest Salesperson’ campaign in 2010 and invited applicants to sell them a brick. In 2007, Volkswagen hid their recruitment message physically under cars to be repaired targeting skilled mechanics.

Earlier this month, a major bank in Hong Kong initiated an online and offline 24-hour campaign to recruit frontline staff. By answering five simple questions on an Instagram story, applicants could gain a chance to get shortlisted. The unconventional recruitment approach not only appeals to potential candidates but also helps build the bank’s image as an open-minded employer.

Tips to Initiate Your Recruitment Marketing

There is no hard and fast rule to recruitment marketing but a few essential elements can get you started.

1. Think like your target candidates:

Bear in mind your recruitment is not speaking to just anyone, but your target audience, i.e. top candidates. Bright applicants would not settle for less. With more options than an average candidate, they tend to be pickier. Yet, try not to please by saying something high-flown. More often than not, telling candidates what your company truly is would be the best tactic. In fact, emphasising that your company adheres to stringent standards is a selling point, for top candidates are looking for top employers too.

2. Connect emotionally:

You are not offering a job, but a career prospect. Present the company benefits with reasons addressing candidates’ personal needs. Show them you genuinely care. Many corporations sponsor employee’s further education but your rationale behind it could be different (i.e. more meaningful). Trust us, your package will sound even more attractive.

3. Dare to be creative:

Based on the qualities of your ideal candidates, think out of the box and develop tailored approaches to reach out directly to your target candidates. Offline recruitment campaigns, for instance, may give that extra human touch to exemplify your company image. As recruitment marketing is still new in Hong Kong, you have a lot of space to be original.

Final Thought

Recruitment marketing is basically a way to show the world who and what your company is. In other words, you are consolidating your brand identity while looking for prospective colleagues. Be one of the very first companies to impress job-seekers in your industry with an outstanding recruitment campaign and talented applicants will naturally come forward.

Voltage X is keen to create bespoke recruitment marketing campaigns with you. Our integrated strategies encompass online, offline and online-merge-offline (OMO) approaches to engage with your target candidates. Let’s explore the possibilities of recruitment marketing together.