The economy has been on the rise lately. It was only six years ago that unemployment stood at a depressing 10%. But with new hiring, joblessness stands at an encouraging 5.9%, according to Boston.com. This inches ever closer to the 5.5% mark that economists consider to be a healthy economy. The new figure comes as a whopping 248,000 positions were added in September.
With nearly half of the job gains happening in higher-paying industries, recruiting top-level talent is becoming more important. Naturally, the best talent is attracted by the big boys (see Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work for").
Established brands like Google or Salesforce have names that do the recruiting for them. The thing is, so many smaller businesses have attractive workplaces of there own, they just need a way to get the word out there. As Dharmesh Shah, Chief Technology Officer of HubSpot says, exceptional talent is "attracted by the best company culture."
Your company has a great product for high-end talent, you need to take the necessary measures to get your message out there. Take your current industry profile, and tinker/optimize it so that it drives traffic full of talented prospects.
Get yourself on Google
It's time to work overtime to make your presence known. According to HubSpot, 70% percent of job seekers start their search process of Google.
So how do you show up on the first page of search results for job seekers? Here are the most important channels for which your company needs to optimize content.
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Facebook
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LinkedIn
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Twitter
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Business blog
Showcase your unique corporate culture for the world to see. Create content that inspires people, and gets them intrigued about working in your environment.
Develop your target audience
Inbound marketing bases every campaign on a buyer persona. This helps to understand the lifestyle and motivations of unique customers, and communicate with them accordingly. As a recruiter, you need to know everything about the ideal candidate to which you are selling an open position.
Do the research to understand where your company fit into their lives. Can you make their lives better and fulfill their goals?
Educate people on how awesome you are
You should be uniquely awesome. People will only spend time reading online content that is remarkable. Avoid simply providing company overview along wiht a lost of job functions. Be dynamic. Create ebooks, blog posts, social media posts, and videos that are fun. Give specific examples on what makes your workplace so interesting.
Appeal to a higher purpose
Millennials in particular are attracted by companies that pursue a relevant cause. If your business does things to make the world a better place, communicate that. Corporate climbing is no longer a primary motivation for young professionals. They want to make a difference.
Nurture your prospects
With inbound marketing, companies integrate call-to-actions (CTA's) throughout their content to keep users engaged with their website. CTA's trigger potential candidates to seek out more information about your company and job openings. Clear, yet non-committal language such as "learn more" directs users to more educational content, building familiarity and trust with your business.
Here's an overview of the inbound essentials for acquiring top talent, according to HubSpot.
1) Search Engine Optimization
Embed your educational content with keywords and phrases that job-seekers would use on Google. Keep in mind the search motivations of your ideal candidates.
2) Blogging
Be a thought leader in your industry, and gain the respect of talented individuals.
3) Social Media
When you post entertaining and inspiring content, you develop friendly relationships with candidates. The power of sharing also allows you to reach out to new candidates!
4) Email
No generalized e-blasts here. Develop highly personalized messages to the right candidates designed to provide delightful content and convert them into employees.
As you're creating content for top talent, make sure it showcases your company's unique culture. Illustrate in detail what makes your workplace different from the competition, and communicate a lofty corporate purpose that today's young professional can get behind.
You can start by rehabbing your "About Us" page. Check out our post on how explainer videos bring personality to your brand for the world to see. You can also peruse our many articles on relevant marketing topics in the blog section.
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