The Recruitment Marketers I mentor are keen to demonstrate and deliver Recruitment Marketing ROI. Recruitment Leaders want them to do more than simply "colouring in". Recruitment Businesses are often known for their KPI and Scorecard cultures... but marketers are often left out of what I call "sane" KPIs, in favour of "vain" metrics. This creates even more suspicion over what marketers actually do to add value. This blog will give you some tips on what you need to measure in recruitment marketing.
The Colouring-In Department and Greg Savage
I’ve written about recruitment marketers being more than simply a colouring-in-department and the brand police.
There is often the perception that the average marketing department has lots of felt tipped pens and Canva, and is awaiting requests for another PowerPoint deck and job advert image creating. This is exacerbated by the KPIs they have (or often don’t have) and the metrics that they measure.
You will have all heard the term:
Revenue is vanity. Profit is sanity. Cash is reality
My friend Greg Savage wrote about it in the recruiting sense back in 2015.
I regularly talk to my clients about vanity vs sanity metrics in recruitment marketing. When I start working with a recruiter I see:
Sales people have KPIs / targets / goals / commission
Marketers have… well, er… communities to grow, time to tweet, lists of documents to brand…
And then the marketing function appears to offer little ROI.
Vanity Metrics for Recruitment Marketers
Here are some examples of what I call “vanity marketing metrics”:
Impressions / Likes / Followers / Engagement – none of these make money and leads
Get shortlisted for an award
Numbers of web hits / unique visits
Email open rate
Increase Glassdoor Rating from 3 to 4
Increase CEO Approval on Glassdoor from 70% to 80%
Generating advocates for your content
Google Analytics Goals
The reason that these are vanity metrics is that a sane person / sales person who is not close to hitting target is likely to say “so what” to the above. Winning an award doesn’t make you more money, it’s what you do with it that counts (I have a blog for Awards ROI!). Generating a higher ranking on Glassdoor does not generate recruiter talent all by itself. Gathering more followers… well with GDPR coming, your chance of spamming them is about to disappear (or is it?). Your web is attracting lots of people who don’t apply for jobs… read my mind!
Recruitment marketers need to be allowed to demonstrate sanity to generate ROI.
This does not mean that the “vane data” I often see measured is not needed – vanity is key, but it is just the beginning. Start with the vanity scores, but have a plan for sanity.
Have a plan for the C-word!
Sanity is a C-Word!
The 3Cs of recruitment marketing: Candidates, clients, consultants! They are the key three audiences of a recruitment marketer, so KPIs and day to day metrics need to be focussed on these. And if the leaders or the recruitment business are looking to sell / gain investment, then add an I!
Sanity Metrics for Recruitment Marketers
My clients will often hear me say:
Marketers should never be targeted with the sales generated, but they should absolutely take credit for them.
How about these as some example sanity metrics?
Convertible leads generated
LTV (life time value of leads)
Recruiters attracted (of the correct “grade”)
Candidates registered (of the correct “grade”)
Client meetings generated from events
Marketers in recruitment need more sanity measures. They need to be allowed to develop lead generating / recruiter attracting / client engaging strategies – otherwise, it’s back to making things look pretty and managing job board budgets.
Let’s also not forget that often recruitment marketers are not set SMART goals. Too often I see a lack of expectation of marketing demonstrated through the “woolly” goals which are set.
ROI is Vain and Sane
So, recruitment leaders, if you want ROI from marketing, have SMART and sane expectations of your marketers. Recruitment marketers – develop strategies and tactics to deliver goals around sanity, as well as vanity.
And don’t forget the c-words in recruitment marketing. I train and mentor recruitment marketers to deliver the 4Cs - candidates, clients, colleagues, and cash!
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Stop Losing Placements: Your 3-Step Plan to Pre-empt the Counter Offer or Drop Out
Every recruitment consultant knows the feeling. You’ve invested weeks building a relationship, found the perfect role, secured the offer, and then... heartbreak! The candidate accepts a counter offer and / or drops out.It’s an emotional and costly recruitment defeat.It seems that the candidates that you spend the most time on, are the ones that are more likely to break your heart.But these dropouts aren't random acts of betrayal; they are the often result of candidates not being educated about the harsh realities of a counter offer.We, as the recruitment industry, have a critical role to play in managing the candidate lifecycle and preventing this pain. We must stop hoping a candidate won't be counter-offered and start actively managing the process.Here is your straightforward guide to preventing counter offers, armed with the data you need to make the case.❓And whilst you read this ask yourself "how can I use Bullhorn to help me prevent counter offers and protect my pipeline?"❓How can you use note templates, emails, messages, tasks to make light work of the process? (Watch our Optimise Bullhorn Part 6 ~ Easy Candidate Management Webinar for tips)💥The Stark Reality: A Counter Offer is a Short-Term FixBefore you can coach a candidate, you need to understand the data. Counter offers and drop outs don't just "suck" for the client and the recruitment consultant, they are detrimental for the candidate as well in the long term.Here are the compelling stats you need to share with your candidate from screening through to offer and start date!Inevitable! 80% of candidates who accept a counter offer leave their current employer within six months.Pointless! 9 out of 10 candidates who accept a counter offer leave within twelve months.Regret! 50% of candidates who accept a counter offer are actively looking for a new job again within 60 days, indicating immediate regret.The primary reason a counter offer is made is financial for the employer, as it can cost up to 213% of an annual salary to replace your candidate.The lesson is clear: A counter offer is almost always a panicked, short-term measure by an employer to avoid the high cost and hassle of an immediate replacement, not a genuine, long-term commitment to the employee’s happiness or career progression. ... And the reasons your candidate wanted to leave in the first place are still there.1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣ Your 3-Step Counter Offer Prevention PlanThe key to preventing dropouts is to pre-empt the counter offer during the initial screening process. You must be proactive and get the candidate to process the scenario before they resign.🙈Step 1: Gather Intel on Company CultureMake it standard practice to gather intelligence on the candidate’s current company during the screening call. This isn't just about their skill set; it's about their employer's retention strategy.Key Questions to Ask:"Is there a known counter offer culture within your business?""What is the typical reaction when people resign from your organisation?""Are you aware of the firm's reputation for dealing with departing employees?"This research not only gives you crucial intelligence but also starts the candidate thinking critically about their current employer’s motivations.🙊Step 2: Get Them to Acknowledge the LikelihoodThe next step is to get the candidate to acknowledge and vocalise the likely sequence of events."Let’s be realistic: based on what you’ve told me, you will probably be counter-offered when you hand in your notice.""I need you to tell me now, what is likely to happen when you resign? What will your manager say to try and keep you?"By making the candidate admit what’s likely to happen, you remove the element of shock and flattering surprise when the counter offer is actually made. You own the narrative!🙉Step 3: Arm Them with the Facts (The Regret Factor)Now, you connect your intelligence gathering with the hard data. This is the final, crucial step: educate the candidate so they can manage the emotional moment of resignation.Tell them:It’s Not About Them: Their employer is only offering them more money because it’s easier and cheaper than replacing them right now. The trust is likely broken, and they are now a known flight risk who will probably be overlooked for future opportunities.The Core Problems Remain: The original reasons for their resignation—lack of progression, management issues, or company culture—are still there. A simple pay rise won’t fix the broken relationship or the fundamental job dissatisfaction.They Will Regret It: Remind them of the statistics: 9 out of 10 people who accept a counter offer are gone within a year. They’ll be looking for a new role again within six months, only this time, they’ve burnt a bridge with your client.💡By using data to manage the candidate experience and ensuring you have an open, honest discussion about the realities of a counter offer, you can manage this part of the candidate lifecycle and prevent the heartache and protect your pipeline. 👀Keep your eyes peeled! We'll be following this blog with ideas on how automation can help you make light work of preventing and managing drops outs and counter offers.Automation Buddy / Bullhorn RoIWe are Automation Buddies set on helping ambitious recruitment businesses who want to increase speed and sales.We coach to inspire, and build your automations so you can recruit and sell!Plus, through our Bullhorn Vision service we help generate serious ROI from your Bullhorn, data, and people.READ MORE ABOUT OUR BULLHORN VISION SERVICEREAD ABOUT OUR AUTOMATION BUDDY SERVICEBOOK YOUR FREE CONSULTATION
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Bullhorn Tip - Place More Jobs
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