Inbound marketing remains a key digital marketing strategy for many recruitment agencies, helping them to attract top-quality candidates and new business to their websites. But what exactly is inbound marketing, and how does it compare to outbound marketing in today’s digital landscape?
What Is Outbound Marketing For Recruiters?
For recruiters, outbound marketing efforts typically rely on traditional marketing and sales tactics to actively search for and engage candidates and clients. This approach typically involves reaching out with a service offering, whether that’s an open job vacancy or a qualified candidate. Most recruitment agencies are well-versed in outbound marketing strategies, which include cold calling, paid advertising, billboards, video ads, direct mail, e-shots and unsolicited emails.
While outbound marketing is sometimes perceived as disruptive or intrusive, there’s no denying its effectiveness when executed at scale. The principle is straightforward: the more exposure you generate, the higher the chances of securing new business.
However, in today’s digital landscape, traditional outbound methods are proving to be less effective throughout the recruitment industry. Recruitment companies are seeing diminishing returns on their efforts, as both clients and candidates become more selective and resistant to cold outreach. This, coupled with a more competitive and candidate-driven market, has led recruiters and marketers to explore alternative strategies tp reach relevant audiences, most notably, inbound marketing.
What Is Inbound Marketing for Recruiters?
In contrast to outbound marketing, inbound marketing focuses on attracting potential clients and candidates through online strategies such as content marketing, social media platforms and search engine optimisation (SEO). Instead of reaching out directly, an inbound marketing strategy focusses on drawing in website visitors by providing valuable, relevant content at different stages of the sales funnel. The goal is to engage strangers, convert them into leads and nurture those leads into loyal, satisfied clients or successful candidate placements.
The Theory of Inbound Marketing
Inbound marketing tactics operate on the principle that both candidates and clients begin their journey long before submitting a job application or reaching out to a recruitment agency. During this early phase, they conduct extensive research, exploring options and gathering information before making a decision. This leads up to the critical Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT), the point at which a candidate applies for a job, or a prospective client contacts an agency. Recent industry trends indicate that “70% of job seekers begin their job search through Google”, so it is essential that when considering a recruitment marketing strategy that recruitment firms don’t neglect the value of inbound tactics.
In the majority of cases, this research journey happens online via search engines, blogs, influencer marketing, social media posts and websites and this process can take days, months or even years depending on the urgency of the candidate or client. Digital marketers and marketing professionals alike typically consider the funnel across three stages:
1. The Awareness Stage – This is the initial stage of the journey where, for example, a candidate becomes aware of a challenge or need but has little to no understanding of the possible solutions.
“I wish I had more responsibility at work.”
2. The Consideration Stage – At this stage, the candidate acknowledges the problem and starts exploring potential solutions to address it.
“I can either ask for a promotion with more responsibility or begin a new job search.”
3. The Decision Stage – The candidate understands that partnering with a recruitment agency could be beneficial, but with so many options available, they must determine which agency is the best fit for their needs.
“I would like to apply for new jobs but I don’t have the time. A recruitment agency can do some of the hard work for me to find suitable vacancies and prepare me for an interview.”
Inbound marketing involves a deep understanding a target audience’s specific challenges and goals at each stage of their journey and creating valuable content that addresses those needs. By doing so, recruitment agencies can attract candidates and clients who are actively seeking solutions, getting in front of them organically, without interrupting their day and at a time that suits them.
The idea is that by analysing a visitor’s online behaviour, you can identify job seekers0 who are ready to apply and those who are not. When a recruitment agency reaches out to candidates who are “ready to apply,” they are more likely to trust the service offered and be open to registering as candidates.
So, in this case, an awareness stage piece of content might be a blog post entitled: 11 Simple Ways to Get More Responsibility At Work or 7 Steps To Getting A Promotion At Work
A consideration stage piece of content might be an infographic entitled: 4 Signs Your Boss Won’t Promote You
A decision stage piece of content might be and an eBook entitled: The Essential Guide To Getting The Most Out Of Recruitment Agencies
It’s not a case of inbound vs outbound marketing, inbound and outbound marketing can, and should, work together. By attracting visitors at various stages of the buyer’s journey, you can nurture them into top candidates or future clients, all without reaching out unexpectedly. This approach not only enhances the effectiveness of your lead generation but also improves the overall online experience for both candidates and clients.
