Employer Branding and Recruitment Advertising on a Small Budget

Attracting and retaining top talent is more challenging than ever; the big, well-known companies get the lion’s share of applicants on general job sites like LinkedIn or Indeed purely because they can afford to offer desirable employment perks, golden handshakes, etc. This makes finding suitable, talented candidates difficult for small to mid-sized companies. Short-listed candidates are usually lost to bigger competitors.

Below, we look at how small to mid-sized companies can set themselves apart from the bigger competition by using employer branding as they do. We consider how an organization presents itself as an employer of choice while paying less.

A key component of employer branding is recruitment advertising, a strategic tool that helps companies stand out and attract suitable candidates. In this article, we’ll explore the significance of employer branding, delve into the nuances of recruitment advertising, and provide valuable resources to help organizations optimize their efforts.

The Importance of Employer Branding:

1. Attracting Top Talent: A strong employer brand can differentiate your organization, making it more appealing to top-tier candidates. This, in turn, enhances your ability to attract and hire the best talent in the industry.
2. Employee Retention: A positive employer brand not only attracts new talent but also fosters a sense of loyalty among existing employees. Employees who are proud of their workplace are more likely to stay with the company.
3. Boosting Company Reputation: Employer branding is closely tied to a company’s overall reputation. A positive employer brand attracts potential employees and improves the company’s image in the eyes of customers, partners, and investors.
4. Small can be beautiful and more family-friendly, while large can be seen as impersonal. Small-mid-sized companies must highlight their strengths, be more flexible in how employees work and use all the tools and channels to position and communicate their offerings. Highlight specializations, promoting the value of your niche area of work to provide a match for candidates with similar interests/knowledge/skills.

Recruitment Advertising Strategies:

1. Leverage Social Media Platforms:
   • Use LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to showcase your company culture for free.
   • Share employee testimonials, success stories, and behind-the-scenes content to humanize your brand.
2. Optimize Job Descriptions:
   • Craft compelling and accurate job descriptions highlighting the company’s values, mission, and unique selling points.
   • Use language that resonates with your target audience and communicates the opportunities for growth within your organization.
3. Create Engaging Visual Content:
   • Incorporate visually appealing content such as videos, infographics, and images in your recruitment advertising campaigns.
   • Visuals can provide a glimpse into your workplace culture and make your job postings more shareable.
4. Implement Employee Advocacy Programs:
   • Encourage employees to share their positive experiences on social media and professional networks.
   • Employee advocacy programs can significantly amplify your employer brand and reach a wider audience.
5. Opt for Targeted Advertising:
   • Utilize targeted advertising on platforms like Google Ads and social media to reach specific demographics and individuals with relevant skill sets.
   • Leverage industry-specific job boards that are highly visible in niche areas rather than general job sites. They usually pay for Google advertising in their area of focus, so they know it well, and consequently, – you don’t have to do it yourself.
   • Tailor your messaging to address the unique needs and interests of your target audience.

Resources for Effective Recruitment Advertising:

While all of the below guides are useful, the contents should be considered in the context of what the provider is selling. While the contents are valuable, niche alternatives can provide better options for companies with under 1000 employees.

1. Glassdoor Employer Branding Guide: A comprehensive guide that covers various aspects of employer branding, including recruitment advertising strategies.
2. LinkedIn Solutions: LinkedIn offers a range of tools and resources to help organizations build and showcase their employer brand. While a presence on platforms like LinkedIn is essential (great for researching and brand recognition), save your advertising budget for less competitive places, especially when recruiting for highly skilled positions. For highly skilled positions, select niche, industry-specific and location-specific job sites.
3. Indeed Hiring Lab: Indeed’s Hiring Lab provides valuable insights and research on labour market trends, helping organizations tailor their recruitment strategies. Again, consider using it for jobs with abundant applicants – typically for unskilled positions and for general brand recognition only.
4. HubSpot’s Guide to Employer Branding: HubSpot’s guide offers practical tips on building a strong employer brand, including insights into effective recruitment advertising. Here, you have one of the few guides without a vested interest in getting them to advertise with them.

The problem with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)

There are more than 150 widely used applicant tracking systems available (I am currently putting a list together and will link to it here once complete). Each has its own methods of operating. They vary in terms of the integrations with other systems, including enabling posting to a wide variety of job boards. Unfortunately, these tend to be the big general job boards and leading country job boards.

Here’s the problem

The general job boards tend to only be suitable for getting applicants for low-skilled jobs. Job boards that typically have/accept such integrations only receive a tiny commission on a per-click/applicant basis, below what specialist job boards are willing to accept. You’re likely to get better results elsewhere, often where there are no integrations, and so yes, a little extra work is needed to find sources and negotiate with them.

When selecting a recruitment/applicant tracking tool, be sure to choose one that is easy to use and can track applicants inbound from 3rd party job boards and other sources, locations where they receive no commission for referral.

Why?

The owners of niche job sites/associations/communities where highly skilled experts (potential high-quality applicants) visit usually know the value of their audience and would never accept a meagre few euros for advertising.

Focus on the audience, get to be as niche as possible, if your company is hiring in Europe, choose a European Job board.

If your position is highly skilled, say a scientist, select a job board focused on building an audience of scientists to advertise. Select one that appears at the top of Google search for the job title.

It’s not rocket science!

Wrapping up.

Effective employer branding and strategic recruitment advertising can significantly impact an organization’s ability to attract, engage, and retain top talent. By showcasing a compelling narrative and leveraging various channels; companies can create a positive employer brand that resonates with current and future employees. The provided resources above offer valuable insights and tools to help organizations navigate the dynamic landscape of employer branding and recruitment advertising.