“Branded VS Unbranded, the great debate of Advertising” – someone, somewhere, maybe said once (probably not).  Whether that very profound quote has flooded your brain or not, we have compiled a handy little guide to whether your advert should be Branded or Unbranded to make your life that little bit easier.

What is Job Board Advertising?

To put it simply, Job Board Advertising is just posting your vacancy onto Job Boards such as Reed, Monster or Totaljobs for candidates to search for and apply.  Certain Job Boards will also email out your vacancy to a certain amount of suitable candidates in the hope that they will apply.

Job board advertising can be Branded or Unbranded, which leads me into my next section…

What is the difference between BRANDED and UNBRANDED?

This is not rocket science, Branded Advertising makes it clear that the position is with your company, so that any potential candidate will know exactly who they will be working for should they apply for the position.  It will be stamped with your logo, and perhaps contain a section about your company should you choose to include this.

On the other hand, Unbranded Advertising will not inform the candidate of whose vacancy it is; your company will not be exposed.

What are the PROS of Branded Advertising?

There are several pros to Branded Advertising, and for the most part Job Boards will encourage a decision to post a branded advert over an unbranded one.

The main advantages are your advert providing better brand exposure, as well as attracting a higher number and a better quality of candidates.  If candidates know who they will be working for, they can form a better opinion of if the job would be suitable for them, meaning that you won’t risk having as high of a dropout rate of applications when it comes to the interview stage. 

From the perspective of our business, Monster provided us with the statistic that “across all categories and locations – on average CrunchPoster’s branded adverts received 43% greater applies than unbranded recruitment agency adverts,” showing that branded tends to trump unbranded.

What are the CONS of Branded Advertising?

There are also some drawbacks to Branded Advertising, especially if you are in close competition with your competitors for the best candidates.

These can include the fact that Branded Advertising is more expensive than unbranded advertising, and the flood of calls you may receive from various Recruitment Agencies who would love to work with you in order to fill your role. 

Perhaps the biggest risk when using Branded Adverts is the fact that a branded advert will show your competitors exactly what you’re hiring for, and how much you are willing to pay for that position, allowing them to compete with you in order to gain your perfect candidates. 

So, is it WORTH Paying Extra for Branded Advertising?

We’ve told you the pros and cons, you have the information you need in order to make a decision, but in case you care about our (experienced) opinion, we believe that Branded Advertising IS worth paying that little bit extra.  Totaljobs claim that “Premium Jobs ads deliver 59% more applications per view vs. Standard Job Ads,” and Jobsite called it “a no-brainer!”

I hope that this blog has helped you to decide whether to post your advert branded or unbranded!

For lots of helpful tips and tricks to aid your recruitment process you can check out my blog: http://blog.crunchposter.co.uk/