We’ve been writing a lot recently about what to STOP in 2017. Recruitment Marketing is next on my agenda to “trim”.
There’s almost too much being done in recruitment marketing. Recruitment leaders are at risk of falling into the 50% wastage marketing model as described by our beloved John Wanamaker.
We recently delivered a recruitment marketing webinar and discovered lots of interesting stats from you lovely recruitment marketers:
- 75% of you say your business has lots to shout about, but you need help getting heard
- 72% of you say your job adverts don’t do your brand justice and need improving
- 46% say you simply need more time!
Wider data sets out there also tell us that 98% of marketers experience conflict every day between departments…
Marketing and sales are disconnected
I often come across Recruitment Marketing departments who are disconnected from Sales – disconnected enough to warrant a (healthy) scepticism. This is often demonstrated by graphs showing community sizes rather than fees generated from marketing activities.
Why is recruitment sales and marketing often disconnected? I find that this can be due to a complete lack of understanding (by Sales) of what Marketing is there for. Marketing are often not expected to generate leads, and if they do, Sales sometimes don’t stop cold calling long enough to convert them, or feedback to Marketing on improving the lead criteria.
Who cares about your community? I want money!
I’ve talked before about the marketing department = colouring-in department (AKA the CiD) and how marketers need to be more integrated in to sales activities – and put their crayons down:
- Tell them who your target clients are – seriously, they’ll love knowing and they’ll get super giddy when they see these clients surfing your website and engaging with their content.
- Give them a budget to generate leads. Even as an IT Director in my younger days, my Commercial Director said “I’ll give you £1 as long as you make me £2!”
- Put down the cold call and demand a list of warm calls.
- Stop jumping out of your cave with your club looking for the Woolly Mammoth and start looking to be stroked. Are you so busy chasing that you can’t see who’s looking at you?
- Get a lead from your marketing department and it’s not worth your time? Feedback and demand better (nicely).
Recruitment marketing ROI is about perception and expectation
Recruitment marketers need to “get” Sales, generate leads, demonstrate value and get into the thick of growing a business.
Recruiters need to “get” that Marketing (with a big and small m) is intrinsically part of the sales process, not simply a pretty logo, website, LinkedIn Recruiter Licence sign off, etc…
Recruitment marketers need to STOP
So, with my theme of What to Stop being key for recruitment leaders and marketers this year, here are 5 Things I think that you need to stop in 2017… oh and these will be key elements on my Recruitment Marketing Workshop with BlueSky in September in London.
Pr… Content… Job Adverts… Press Releases… Recruiters writing blogs… plus lots more!
