5-Cs-of-Modern-MarketingA business doesn’t grow by accident.

Long-term success is planned, and a big part of that plan is knowing what data affects your company, and how you can use it. An aspect of strategic planning that is still new to many organizations however is assessing what data best applies to effectively hiring high-quality candidates in pace with your business needs.

Every company needs quality talent, but without quality data, it can be hard to know what approaches are or aren’t working.

The best applicant tracking systems (ATSs) function as a full suite of talent acquisition solutions, providing recruitment tools, engagement opportunities, communication channels, and, above all, data analytics.

By today’s demands and standards, this also includes candidate relationship management (CRM) tools to boost connectivity and applicant attraction.

In fact, according to a recent recruitment marketing survey, 86 percent of HR professionals agree that recruitment is becoming more like marketing and 72 percent agree that CRM tools should live within a talent acquisition system.

Be To See: Why You Should Care About Consumer Marketing for Recruiting.

salesSavvy businesses use metrics to fuel development. Recruitment metrics can track everything from how many people a job opening tweet reaches to the number of open positions in each industry over a variety of geographical regions. However, many companies don’t have an easy way to access all that information, let alone analyze and apply it.

Clear information is key to implementing good hiring practices. Employers need real-time metrics on who’s applying, how far along they are in the process, and how the company brand is performing at attracting candidates who end up applying for open positions.

This information allows recruiters to optimize the process and bring in more applicants, especially when considering those who prefer applying online via mobile devices or investigating a company and position through social media.

Glassdoor reports that 79 percent of job seekers used social media to find a new job—and that’s across every age group. Furthermore, the majority of candidates surveyed are now spending one to four hours researching a company before applying and nearly a quarter are spending five or more, illustrating this group’s extremely well-informed “consumer shopping” behavior.

Utilizing recruitment marketing tools properly can build and nurture diverse talent pools, allowing companies to stay in contact with quality candidates and reach out when positions open up, cutting time to fill and ensuring those jobs don’t stay vacant for more than the current reported average range of 15 to 60 days.

Job seekers see the benefit of talent pools too, with 75 percent agreeing that companies should develop them to ensure candidates stay informed of job openings and company news, while 71 percent contending that it’s an effective way to identify, attract, and engage top talent, according to survey results.

In addition to developing talent pools, brand management is also one of the most crucial elements of any growing business — and it’s often the core of job seeker interest. An incredible 94 percent of job seekers are likely to apply to a job if the employer actively manages the company’s employment brand online. Brand management not only helps promote job openings for greater reach, but it also demonstrates that the business has a unique, company culture and is serious about finding the right-fit hires.

This is clear from the findings that 90 percent of HR professionals feel a strong employment brand is more important now than it was five years ago, and 77 percent of job seekers agree that a strong reputation gives a company an edge over the competition.

Consumer Marketing for Recruiting: Steps for Success.

image1At the end of the day, understanding how and why candidates are looking for jobs is the key to developing effective recruitment marketing materials. This is why hiring data from every step of the process is integral to creating an efficient system. Eighty-four percent of HR professionals agree that recruitment marketing is a worthwhile investment with 76 percent saying that their company has received a strong ROI from using a recruitment marketing automation or CRM tool.

However, only 27 percent create reports to track pipeline trends or segment leads based on specific departments’ needs, and just 37 percent remain connected to passive candidates through marketing tactics.

This points to a disconnect between the value placed on recruitment marketing, and the strategies that organizations are actually implementing to support it.

Recruitment marketing is a multi-faceted process, and that means businesses looking to bring in high-quality hires need recruitment teams and tools that can perform many different functions.

The HR department controls recruitment marketing investments at 61 percent of companies, yet only 44 percent actually feel equipped to own it. It’s no question that knowledge of modern recruitment marketing practices is key in attracting and hiring today’s consumer-minded candidates.

Though half of HR professionals surveyed point to lack of budget as their biggest challenge faced, 79 percent agree that receiving support from their company’s marketing department would help make their recruitment marketing initiatives more successful. Organizations have to take a close look at their existing resources and practices and decide which resources are best equipped with the right tools to get optimal results.

As social media, search engines, and mobile devices continue to shape the job advertising and application processes, it’s becoming increasingly clear that strong recruitment is about adapting to the evolving consumer technology landscape.

When turning to new technology investments, businesses shouldn’t have to manage several different CRM and candidate tracking tools to get the full picture of their strategic hiring program. They should instead be able to have a graceful, integrated approach to best match their needs. A marriage between applicant tracking and recruitment marketing data is the most dynamic and effective way to reach the broadest scope of top talent in today’s consumer-focused job market.

Editor’s Note: iCIMS is a Recruiting Daily client, however, Recruiting Daily was not compensated for this post. The opinions expressed in this guest post do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher, nor do they constitute an endorsement for ICIMS’ products or services.

*Unless otherwise stated, all data is sourced from iCIMS Hire Expectations Institute™.

susan_vitaleAbout the Author: Susan Vitale joined iCIMS in 2005 and serves as the company’s Chief Marketing Officer.

As CMO, Susan oversees direct marketing efforts as well as business development across a network of strategic alliances around the globe. Susan also plays an active role in portfolio strategy, helping to ensure iCIMS’ products, power-ups and services remain on the pulse of the ever-changing HR technology landscape.

Follow Susan on Twitter @Susan_Vitale or connect with her on LinkedIn.

 

 

 



By Susan Vitale

Susan Vitale joined iCIMS in 2005 and serves as the company's Chief Marketing Officer. As CMO, Susan oversees direct marketing efforts as well as business development across a network of strategic alliances around the globe. Susan also plays an active role in portfolio strategy, helping to ensure iCIMS’ products, power-ups and services remain on the pulse of the ever-changing HR technology landscape.