One of the biggest budgeting concerns for companies is deciding whether or not to hire professional advertising agencies specifically for recruitment branding and promotion. We understand that sometimes this sort of advertising can seem unnecessary, especially when you have an incredible internal marketing team, but here are some things that we think will change your mind.
1. Time
A major reason we get new clients is due to a lack of time. We spend countless hours researching trends, beta testing imagery and titles. The typical recruiter is lucky to have ten minutes to themselves to eat lunch, so the idea of them devoting hours to strategy is quite frankly, unfathomable. In between campaign management and production we do industry-specific research and attend conferences to hone our skills. We are always able to adapt and change trajectories if the ads are missing the mark.
For instance, we recently built a website targeted to the nursing community. The site looked great and we were hitting the target market with social media posts. It just wasn’t clear what wasn’t working until we realized…the site looked “too great.”
After several rounds of beta testing, we learned that:
A: The pictures weren’t providing a full story about their staffing needs (in this case they wanted to add more male imagery and more “real” looking people).
B: The incentives for the program needed more details to entice applicants to apply.
C: The site needed a more defined sense of legitimacy since the company was considered “new.”
Since isolating and remedying those issues, we have increased their application rate significantly and shifted their budgets around so that they can get the most return for their investment.
Why do I mention this? It’s about strategy. Inbound strategy and paid advertising need to be executed correctly and adjusted regularly. You cannot just push one type of ad out there and hope that it sticks. Yes, you may strike gold occasionally, but the goal of a successful company and their agency is to isolate what worked and repeat that process. Advertising professionals are trained to work toward this sort of identification and will ultimately focus in on the things you don’t have time to do.
2. Quality
“Quality not quantity” is probably the most utilized quote ever, so why do so few people listen to it? Quality content aimed at a targeted audience is the best way to run any advertising campaign. Adverting agency professionals have access to teams of web designers, copywriters, great imagery, and media strategists. You might be the best recruiter in the whole world, but it is impossible to be three people and that’s what you might need to turn a recruitment campaign around in a few days. Recruitment advertising agencies will bend over backwards to create your campaign quickly and ensure that it's successful.
3. Experience
As the old saying goes, “there is no substitute for experience.” We are experienced recruitment advertising professionals and when we receive a request for a campaign element that goes beyond our expertise (which is rare), we collaborate with other professionals to bring you a high quality product every time. We’ve beta tested our processes and vetted the vendors in our industry, so we know the best way to execute a recruitment initiative. And, if it is new territory then we know to constantly monitor your campaigns for optimal results.
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We realize that not everyone will hire a recruitment advertising agency, and obviously we have a bit of a bias, but we hope you will consider the points outlined above. We believe recruiters are busy enough and we’re here to help make their lives easier. Put your trust in advertising agency recruitment professionals; you’ll be glad you did.
