Marketing: It’s Not Just for Clients Anymore…

How Do Candidates View Your Firm in the Employment Marketplace?

In the war for key talent, employers must develop a comprehensive marketing strategy to target and attract top performers. You will be easily matched by your competition if you simply utilize strong compensation and benefits plans to entice stellar candidates. You must do much more to win the recruitment game. Your firm must focus on selling the intangible reasons why candidates would want to work for your firm and, consequently, stick with you for the long haul. You must endeavor to create a reputation as a progressive employer who is not only able to recruit top talent but retain gifted employees through challenging and rewarding opportunities. This is not an easy task.

Your “talent” marketing initiative must first be embraced by top management and then be followed through down the organizational ladder. The commitment from executive management, human resources and marketing professionals to work together as a team to create an employer “brand” is imperative. These professionals will be tasked with attracting critical talent in the marketplace through implementing a multi-dimensional program. The goal is to create a reputation for your firm as an exceptional employer.

The framework for your marketing plan should include communications in all forms — brochures, press releases, media coverage, recruitment and other print and internet advertisements, comprehensive recruitment pages on your website and blogs on your site as well.

Top Management

From a recruitment standpoint, being able to describe what it is like to work in your organization is much more powerful than describing the type of work to be performed. Keep in mind that key professionals want to work for a great employer. Company culture and the overall employment experience are essential components to an “A” performer’s decision to join a new firm. Therefore, in all facets of your marketing program, management must answer a critical question: “What makes your firm great?” Top management should begin by developing an outline of recruitment “selling points.” Creating a mission statement of sorts for hiring and retaining staff is a good idea. Your mission statement should strive to ensure that your employees are challenged, promoted and rewarded before others recruit them. The next obvious step is to follow through with your recruitment and retention mission statement. The objective is to send the right message to both your current employees and the employment marketplace.

Focus Groups

Simply asking your firm’s top executives why your organization is great is not enough. Create focus groups among your employees. Interview them as to what they feel are the strongest attributes of working for your firm. Employee testimonials are powerful tools that help to shape your reputation in the marketplace. Use a diversity of experience level, talent and specialty testimonials in all of your print and electronic marketing materials.

Blogs

Within your focus groups, identify several significant performers to participate in a company blog on your website. A blog is short for weblog, or journal (or newsletter) that is frequently updated and intended for general public consumption. A suggested blog would be “A Day in the Life” series written by some of your employees outlining their personal experiences in working for your firm. The purpose of the blog is to demonstrate the “positive intangibles” of working for your organization. Through personal anecdotes, your employees themselves can discuss the opportunities, challenges and unique qualities of their employment. Honest accounts shared by your staff will serve as great sales pitches for your firm.

Recruitment Professionals and Career Placement Counselors

Implement your marketing strategy by communicating your new “brand” through recruitment materials, website and other communication vehicles. However, do not forget to maintain strong ties with local schools and trusted recruitment professionals. These folks can be great ambassadors for your firm. Keep them apprised of new program and employee initiatives so that they can share this information with prospective candidates. Recruitment professionals are also great sources of information. They work “in the trenches” on a daily basis and listen to the opinions and assessments that candidates offer when discussing your organization. If you are open to honest feedback, the recruitment professionals can provide you with information on the perception of your firm in the marketplace. It is also with the recruitment and placement professionals that you can first evaluate how your marketing plan is working.

Overall, company culture, growth opportunities, rewards, and challenges will be critical components in your marketing strategy to attract the most talented professionals in the industry. Therefore, your approach to winning the talent game should be simple: make it irresistible to work for your firm and make sure that everyone in your market knows it!