It’s no secret: The recession has hit the recruiting industry especially hard. With fewer job listings and far more competition, recruiting firms need to employ better marketing strategies. How will your firm rise above the noise? How can you promote your brand and value proposition with little or no marketing budget? The answer could be a growing new media tool: podcasts.

According to a recent article on SmartBriefs.com, Though it only requires a computer and microphone, podcasting remains an underdog in new media strategies. “It lets you tell your whole story as opposed to just what the news chooses to display," says Christopher S. Penn of the Student Loan Network. Your podcast should be helpful, he advises, and you'll have to do some promotion to stand out. "If you have a product or service that's actually worth anything, you want to provide help to the people who are good candidates for that." In other words, a perfect opportunity for recruiters to share some insights and advice.

Imagine having your own “recruiting show” where you discuss career trends or help sell your services to employers. Its your chance to connect with both candidates and clients, and showcase your firm in a personable setting. Podcasting is a great medium for recruiters to promote their expertise, qualifications, specialties -- their knowledge.

Peter Clayton, Senior Jobcaster for RecruitingPods.com agrees. He says there are several free and paid tools to help you accomplish this exciting marketing. Sites like Blogtalkradio.com let you host your own live call in show. Yodio.com allows you to record messages with a built in picture slideshow. “There are numerous free or low cost software applications to help you create a professional podcast, according to Clayton." A new service, RecruitingPods.com does the work for you by professionally recording, editing, producing and publishing the podcast: at a fraction of the cost of traditional media.

“Podcasts have a threefold ad effectiveness increase over traditional online video and a sevenfold effectiveness increase over television,” according to a survey conducted by Podtrac in 2008," Clayton said. "When I started podcasting in 2005, no one knew what I was talking about." This year, eMarketer estimates there are 22 million internet users who download at least one podcast per month. An April 2009 survey by the Pew Research shows 63% of adult Americans now have broadband internet connections at home, a 15% increases from a year earlier. The numbers tell the story. “Podcasting is radio TiVo."

Peter Clayton is a veteran new media broadcaster and can be reached by phone at 203-454-5733 or by emailing sales@recruitingpods.com.