It can be difficult for employers to find qualified applicants and talent for certain positions. One of the ways businesses can attract qualified applicants is through a process known as recruitment marketing.

**Recruitment marketing is the process of attracting, engaging, and nurturing individuals before they actually send in an application for a position.** In order to execute an effective advertising strategy, it is important to promote the value that comes with working with an employer or business.

In many ways, this is similar to employer branding and corporate marketing. In order for a business to execute an effective marketing strategy for recruitment, there are a handful of important parts that businesses need to remember.

###Take a Two-Pronged Approach
Businesses that are having trouble recruiting qualified individuals can often solve these talent acquisition problems with two separate changes.

####1. Generate a more modern recruitment marketing strategy.
It is no secret that technology has changed the way nearly every business operates. This includes recruitment marketing. When businesses make an effort to modernize, they will maintain an edge on the competition. Applicants are going to notice this and will want to work for this employer.

When businesses are looking to modernize the way they attract people, they need to make an effort to increase employer brand awareness, garner interest, and facilitate action on behalf of interested individuals. The top businesses in the area create strong partnerships with human resources, marketing, and c-suite executives to attract the best and brightest in the industry.

####2. The other part of improving talent acquisition is to increase the pace with which the employer evaluates candidates.
Nobody likes to be kept waiting. Often, people will wait to see if they advance further down the application pipeline before they start looking for other jobs.

If the business takes too long to evaluate applicants, people are going to move on to "greener pastures." Therefore, it is important to evaluate candidates quickly during recruitment marketing.

With this in mind, there are a few changes employers can make to improve recruitment marketing. Then, businesses will be able to hire stronger candidates.

###Think About the Branding of the Employer
This is one of the foundations of any effective recruitment marketing strategy. Before anyone thinks about anything else, they need to think about the brand of the business.

Make sure this employer brand is clearly established and accurately reflects what the business stands for. The brand is going to be the first impression people have of the employer. Therefore, it is important to make sure this is positive during the hiring process.

Consider the purpose, value, mission, and culture of the business. The brand and identity of the employer needs to reflect this. They might not jive with everyone who works for the employer and that is fine. It simply needs to be reflective of what it might be like to work in that environment. This identity should be injected into everything the business does. This is how to optimize a brand and increase awareness. This is going to grab the attention of potential applicants.

###Determine a Target Audience
This is where the advertising piece comes in. Similar to how a business targets potential customers, it is a good idea to create profiles or personas of ideal candidates for each of these positions.

Think about what these various positions entail. Then, think about what candidates for these jobs are looking for. Finally, build a profile for the ideal candidate for each position. This is going to go a long way in the application process.

###Build a Content Marketing Strategy
With the ideal candidate for each position in mind, it is time to build on this foundation. Take this knowledge and infuse it into the various pieces of content marketing.

Some of the key facets to consider include descriptions, advertisements, content on social media platforms, website pages, and other online examples, creative job ads, and even print collaterals.

It is important to create a consistent message that is going to be spread across these various platforms.

###Target Websites That Focus on Building a Career
Even though technology has changed the way people search for a job, the focus is still career websites. This is the hub of recruitment marketing and the information that goes on these websites is going to be incredibly important. People are on these websites because they are looking for career opportunities on various job boards.

Ensure that it is easy for job seekers to discover the open positions at the business through these platforms. The information should open on every device including cell phones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers.

Take a look at the website information and see what pages are getting the most traffic. Focus on these pages because this is where most people are getting their information. Remember that individuals are looking for attractive opportunities. This is an important part of marketing recruitment.

###Focus on Digital Advertisement
Technology has changed the way nearly everyone looks for anything. This includes jobs. Now, people turn to online sources, the internet, and search engines when they are looking for a job. Build a well-rounded digital marketing strategy.

####1. First, target social media.
Nearly everyone has at least one account on a social media platform. Some of the most popular platforms include Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram. Figure out how to get job ads in front of profiles that might be interested in an open position.

####2. Then, build an SEO campaign.
This will help increase traffic to targeted pages and further any talent acquisition search.

####3. Finally, make sure the information is captivating and builds the brand.
The goal is to capture the attention of people who are looking for a job. With the attention of qualified individuals, the company will see an influx of applications.

###Think about Improving Lead Capture Rates
Generating traffic is only half the battle. The next part involves getting people to actually apply for a job. This is also called a talent pipeline or community. In general, only about 10 percent of people who look at a potential job listing will actually fill out an application. Therefore, 90 percent of people simply move on to the next page. How can businesses improve the lead capture rate? There are a few ways to do this.

One method to consider is automatic alerts. This is a great way to remind people about a position in which they might be interested. This might get them to actually click the button and send in an application for a position.

It is also important to think about lead nurturing and other communication strategies. Remember that the better the experience people have talking to recruiters, the more likely they are to send in an application. Then, the business will have a larger pool of qualified individuals from which to choose to fill certain positions.

###Nurturing Potential Candidates Through Targeted Communication
If someone has joined the talent community but hasn’t actually applied, the next step is to engage them. Talk with them. Ask recruiters to try and learn more about the candidate and see if they might be a good fit. This is an often overlooked part of recruitment marketing.

There are some new tools out there that can help a company complete these steps in an efficient manner; however, there are plenty of ways to do this on a tight budget as well.

Take a look at the people who are most engaged in the community with the recruiters. Focus the resources on these individuals and try to convince them to send in an application. Convince them they are a good fit for the company. Get them excited about potentially working for the business. Then, they will be more likely to talk to recruiters and send in an application.

###Collect More Data on Website Traffic and Activity
In order to determine where and how to use their resources when it comes to marketing and recruiting, companies need to collect data. For example, they may want to track which jobs are generating the most interest or how often people view ads or click on links. The goal behind this data is to look for trends.

In order to collect this data in an efficient manner, there are advanced technological tools that can help with this; however, they might be expensive. Therefore, see which tools work best with the strategy of the company and not the other way around. This will help businesses get the most bang for their buck.

###These Are Essential Parts of Attracting Qualified Individuals
Technology has changed the way every business operates. This includes the process of recruiting talented individuals. By applying these critical points in the job search, companies will notice an uptick in the rate of qualified applicants who apply for open positions.