How Digital Marketing Is Changing Recruitment Funnels

When you think about hiring, you picture an HR manager looking through a bunch of resumes.

But that's the old way of recruiting. It's not that you can't see it at all today, but now we have far better ways of recruiting new hires.

Think about how you shop for something important. It's not like you see an item and immediately click add to cart, right? You dig around a little; you read reviews, compare options, you visit one website, then another, see a post on social media, and then come back, etc. Basically, it takes a while until you make a decision and actually do something.

Well, that's the same thing that job seekers do.

Modern candidates will research the company before they apply, stalk the official Instagram account, go on Glassdoor to read reviews from employees, and ask around to check if this is truly a good place to work.

So how do you attract top talent in a world where candidates have that kind of power?

Hiring Isn't a Straight Line Anymore

If you look back at how things used to work 15 or 20 years ago, it was pretty straightforward: you'd post a job opening and then wait for resumes to start coming in.

You'd pick through them, hire someone, and that was it. End of story. The whole thing was reactive, and you were limited to whoever happened to be searching for a job title on that particular day.

That world doesn't really exist anymore. So what changed?

Well, the biggest change is that the top candidates don't exactly apply for jobs.

They're already employed, and they're too busy to sit on job boards. You kind of have to convince them to make a move, and that can't happen if all you do is post a job opening.

In order to convince them to leave their current role, you need to pay attention to the marketing funnel.

• The first step is awareness; this is where a potential candidate realizes you exist and what you do. This is your first impression.
• Next is consideration, which is when a candidate starts to compare your company to others.
• In the end comes conversion, which in this case is finally the 'apply' button.

Keep in mind that the way you go through this funnel depends on who you're trying to reach because some industries need a very precise targeting strategy, especially if the role you're trying to fill is very specialized.

Healthcare is a great example of this because recruiters can't simply post a generic ad for physician jobs and hope someone will apply.

You have to find a suitable platform first and then make sure that the ad looks attractive to professionals who already know there's a staff shortage in the industry and can pretty much pick and choose where to apply.

What Each Stage of the Funnel Looks Like

So how does this play out in real life?

Let's see.

Getting Noticed

Not only do you need to get noticed, but you also have to make a good first impression.

Most of the work here is done by your employer brand; in other words, your reputation. You could maybe run a few ads on social media, but remember that organic reach is more important.

Still, it's good to post things like quick videos that show your team at work and posts about your company culture.

The point is to be visible and, more importantly, credible.

Helping Candidates Decide if You're Worth It

Once you have a potential candidate's attention, you have to realize that they're going to shop around first. They'll look at what other companies offer in terms of salaries and benefits and what their culture is like. So if you want them to pick you, you have to give them something to hold onto.

This is why you want employee stories. Let your team talk about what it's like to work at the company, share reviews, testimonials, and make sure your career page is doing its job.

That means that it needs to be clear and also optimized to use on phones.

Making It Easy to Apply

If your hard work has paid off and someone wants to apply, make that step as easy as possible.

Keep the application simple and ask for the basics. Don't bother people with filling out 30-minute applications that have them digging through their documents because you're asking for information they don't have on hand.

That's a good way to lose applicants.

Conclusion

Recruitment today has very little in common with what it looked like 10 years ago. So much has changed. The core idea might be the same, but the overall thing is completely different.

Instead of job seekers fighting to get a placement in your company, it's the company now that's trying to convince people that your company is a great place to work.

But even though the script is completely flipped, it IS kind of exciting! New chapter, new challenges, and definitely a new (but improved) way of getting high-quality employees.