Harvard Business Review recently blogged that email marketing offers the best return on marketing dollars “Why Email Marketing is King”. Is the same true of a company’s return on their recruitment marketing dollar? Are emails more cost effective then posting jobs, hiring headhunters or searching on Linkedin? Yes! Nothing beats the cost of using email marketing to recruit. The key is effective management of past applicant’s contact information. Don’t just email your outlook contacts or your organization’s clients, instead consider the following:
#1. Email is an accepted method, often the preferred method of correspondence. If an applicant is required to submit and resume via email they will not be shocked if they receive future responses. It may even be considered a bonus if that response includes an opportunity. Keep in mind that you will need to include an unsubscribe feature to allow individuals to opt out.
#2. Email allows your target audience to forward the recruiting message to colleges, school alumni and family quickly through their address list in their inbox. Including an email management tool allows them to immediately forward it to their Facebook or Linkedin contacts.
#3. Email costs pennies to send. An organized Applicant Tracking System or outlook folders allow you to leverage your past marketing investments to connect with your target audience. Avoid spamming your entire candidate data base by directing the email to those whose scope of practice fits the position. For example don’t include postings for nurses in a mail out directed at physicians. Candidates who feel like they are being spammed are more likely to unsubscribe.
#4. Be creative, make the emails or job posting interesting. Entice your ideal candidate by including cool information about your company, community. Consider your audience, make it short and to the point, capture their attention, encourage them to forward it on to a friend or colleague. Think about including a picture; make sure it is low resolution for those checking emails on mobile devices.
#5. Thank them for taking the time to read the email and thank you for taking the time to read this.