Three marketing tools you need for Employer Branding – TODAY

You’re an HR recruiter. You wake up – go to work…. it’s Groundhog Day. Yep, once again you show up, with the same issues facing you, and no strategic plan to guide you to success. You’re great at your job – you can take applicants and turn them in to candidates, then great team members! But, you have to have apps to fill jobs. You’ve heard the buzz about Employer Branding and you know marketing can help (they only beat it into your head ad EVERY conference you go to). But you don’t know where to start.

So… here are three marketing tools to use for employer branding

1. Google Search (aka Adwords, PPC)
   • What it is NOT: IT is not “seo” that has to do with people finding you through search. In that world, you have to beat every one of your competitors internationally with your seo — that’s not likely. SO, pay your way to the top.
   • What it IS: Google Search is perhaps the most underutilized tool in Employer Branding and by HR teams across the country. Why? Because it isn’t easy to learn. You’ll read that it is, but trust me, you have better things to do than read 2 books on it, watch online videos, and talk to countless “google reps” trying to sell you a service (Note: most calls you get from someone representing themselves as a Google rep are a 3rd party trying to sell you something… beware). Plus, you need to put real budget behind these campaigns, and the last thing you want to do is waste 10s of thousands of your company’s dollars. Hire a pro. Yes, here at CrowdSouth we do Search Marketing. But, so do many others! You can hire a consultant, an agency, or a full-time specialist. But, bottom line – we know 100% it produces results, AND different results that you’ll get from Indeed and other job listing sites. Try it, please…
2. Social Media Ads
   • What it is NOT: It is not posting to your social media channels that you are hiring and hoping people see it. It is not “boosting” a post – that goes to an audience you don’t get to define well and you’re leaving your fate in the hands of the social platforms (and , spoiler alert, they aren’t necessarily known for having your best interests in mind)
   • What it IS: It is using the professional tools Meta and other platforms provides to mine more targeted demographics. It is using 3rd party tools to research where your targets spend their time, where they “live” online, and what’s important to them. It’s testing testing testing until you have an offer and an ad that work.
3. Youtube Ads
   1. What it is NOT: It is not shooting a video with your smart phone, and uploading it to Youtube then telling your boss you “tried Youtube.”
   2. What it IS: It is using the professional ad tools provided. It is bucking up and having a well-produced video created that speaks to your values, your culture, it speaks DIRECTLY to the type of candidate you want to show up for an interview.

Listen, it’s hard. All of these suggestions take months and years to learn and perfect. But, you can hire for this role. You can outsource this role. But what we see with our workforce clients is this: the days of relying on job listing websites, local newspaper, billboard, and other traditional media are over. They can be and ARE an ingredient in a hiring campaign. But if your team is not utilizing the marketing tools at hand, you’re not being competitive and it’s only going to compound your issue. Get out there and find someone today. Tools like Cluch.co can be a great place to start your search. OR, just ask around – asking personally or on Linkedin. Industry professionals and peers can often speak to experience and be the best resource for this.