What is Recruitment Marketing?

In this article, we demystify commonly mixed-up recruitment marketing terms and we answer 3 of the most asked questions in the industry:

• What’s the difference between marketing & recruitment marketing?
• What’s the difference between employer brand & EVP?
• What’s the difference between recruiting & recruitment marketing?

What’s the difference between marketing & recruitment marketing?

Essentially, recruitment marketing differentiates itself from regular marketing by its objective.

The end goal of regular marketing is to get consumers to purchase goods or services. The end goal of recruitment marketing is to get job seekers to apply for jobs.

In both cases, an array of content can be marketed via several channels, not only online (corporate websites, career pages, job boards, social media, emails, podcasts, etc.) but also offline (TV, radio, billboards, press, word of mouth, etc.).

These channels can be used to turn people into customers (marketing) or into employees (recruitment marketing).

While it is a priority for marketers to strengthen their brand’s reputation as a provider of products, recruitment marketers focus on their brand’s reputation as an employer. This is called employer branding.

What’s the difference between employer brand & EVP?

Your employer brand is the image you project as a place to work. It’s your reputation as an employer.

Your EVP (Employee Value Proposition) refers to the value you bring to your current and future employees. This can include work environment, company culture, opportunities for growth, recognition, etc.

Employer branding specialists determine which aspects of their organization’s EVP they want to put forth and they build a marketing plan accordingly.

A great employer brand has the power to not only attract new candidates but also unite your current workforce around shared experiences & values.

What’s the difference between recruiting & recruitment marketing?

Recruitment marketing refers to efforts deployed to get job seekers to apply for jobs. Recruiting refers to efforts deployed to get applicants to accept job offers.

Chronologically, recruitment marketing experts come first. They use various techniques to target and reach all potential candidates to look at a job posting and apply for the job.

Among all the applications received through recruitment marketing techniques, recruiting specialists select and message the most qualified and relevant candidates for the open position.

Recruitment marketing and recruiting pertain to different stages of the talent acquisition funnel.

The talent acquisition funnel represents the stages leading to a job offer acceptance. It is based on the marketing funnel, which describes the stages leading to a purchase.

Learn how to utilize the talent acquisition funnel at full capacity by creating a customized candidate journey map in our free ebook.

Conclusion

As the job of a recruiter evolves, it becomes more diversified. Today’s recruiter is also a marketer. This trend is reflected in the emergence of several new players who seek to meet recruiters’ growing need for visibility: marketing agencies, job boards, applicant tracking systems and other online platforms. If you want to better navigate this environment and discover the world of marketing techniques applied to recruitment, check out our article on how to rank higher in job search results.