With millions of Americans still looking to get a leg-up in the American workforce, it should not come as a surprise that many recruiters have a vested interest in filling many positions nationwide.

Part of being a good recruiter is having skills in the marketing department. Sure, your main goal is to fill jobs, that is filling jobs with qualified candidates and not a revolving door of employees.

In order to successfully fill as many jobs as possible, recruiters need to spread the word about openings. What better way to do that than with a solid marketing plan?

For many recruiters, however, marketing may not be at the top of their skill-set, therefore leaving them with more of a challenge.

Use a Variety of Marketing Channels

So that recruiters can get the most bang for their marketing dollars and efforts, they should single out several key facets of a marketing plan.

Start with the marketing plan itself. Wait, you really do not have a plan together? If that’s case; that proves to be red flag number one.

Just like your recruiting plan needs to be thought out; so does your marketing plan.

The plan itself should be meant not only for the present, but down the road too. Remember, it is okay to tweak it and even do a major overhaul if needed, but you need a plan and not just trying to operate on the fly.

So, what should your marketing plan include?

The myriad of marketing channels at your disposal as a recruiter include:

• Traditional and mobile marketing – This includes things such as flyers, email blasts, pamphlets etc. Let both employers needing recruiting assistance and job prospects know about your recruiting services. The key here (as in any form of marketing) is not to bombard their email boxes or traditional mail slots with an overabundance of what you have to offer. Also make sure that your traditional marketing materials provide your contact info (including web address and social media contacts). With mobile marketing, you have the ability to reach millions with information on your services. Keep in mind; however, you want their permission to contact them. As more and more Americans use their smartphones and other such devices, being able to contact them instantaneously is more important than ever;
• Blogging – One of the best ways to reach both employers and those looking for work is by blogging. Your company website should have an insightful blog that is regularly updated, informative, relevant, and provides a service to those in need of recruiting assistance. Not only is this important for landing new clients, but it is also key to keeping your website highly rated on Google and other such platforms;
• Social media – You might want to label social networking as the flagship of your marketing efforts. With social media, you have myriad of vehicles to promote recruiting. Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram etc. are but a few of the options available. Your social media actions must be regular and worthwhile to visitors coming to your various pages. If you’re on Facebook (and you should be), use things like fan page surveys etc. to get the pulse of your viewers. On Twitter, you should be retweeting various articles that inform employers on how to hire the best candidates, while job seekers should be getting information about how to find jobs, how to put together the perfect resume/cover letter and more. YouTube is a great resource for posting short videos about your recruiting tactics and how your services beat the competition, while podcasts also make for short and informative recruiting presentations.

As you can see, when your marketing efforts are solid and encompass a wide variety of tools, your recruiting efforts stand to benefit.

Photo credit: Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

About the Author: Miguel Salcido has been a professional search marketing consultant for over 11 years. He is the founder and CEO of Organic Media Group, a content driven SEO agency. He also likes to blog at OrganicSEOConsultant.com and share insights into advanced SEO.