4 Reasons Why Video is Key for Your Recruitment Marketing Strategy

For the recruitment marketers out there who have been utilising video as part of their digital strategies for a few years now, you may look back on some of your 2018 videos and cringe. We get it. 

We truly do understand the pain.

With that being said, seeing the progress your videos have made over the years can be a brilliant way to look back and see how far you have come in terms of marketing materials. As the years go by and we see our competitors and businesses in other sectors releasing such a huge variety of video content, it’s inspired us all to keep up and stay creative.

Hasn’t it?

Now, if you are a marketer within a recruitment business reading this and your company is yet to invest in video - don’t panic. We’ve all been there too. Trying to convince business owners to see the value in something isn’t a fun process, but we’ve all had to experience that at some point in our recruitment marketing careers.

(Perhaps mention to them that as of last year, 83.3% of internet users accessed digital video content. Food for thought.)

No matter if you’re trying to a) convince someone in your company to invest in video content marketing, or b) just want to refresh your list of ideas for your existing strategy, here’s 4 reasons why video is key for your recruitment marketing strategy.

1. Explainer videos do more than explain things

The truth is, the potential for explainer videos is endless. Of course, the best thing about them is that you can produce something creative, eye-catching and most importantly, useful for your audiences. 

For example, if you work at a tech recruitment company, you could produce explainer videos for:

• How to create the perfect Software Developer CV

• What tech candidates should include on their LinkedIn profiles

• How to avoid unconscious bias when hiring tech candidates 

• How to write a job ad tailored to your ideal tech candidate

• How to tailor your job application to stand out from other developers

The key here is yes, of course the content of the video will be useful for your target audiences. But explainer videos are the perfect way to build brand awareness too, so make sure you keep them on brand and consistent. That way, potential candidates and employers will recognise content online as yours, as soon as they see it.

2. Testimonial videos are more meaningful than a piece of text

Testimonials are vital for recruitment businesses to give evidence of their clients and candidates being satisfied with their services. However, long gone are the days of only using written quotes from clients and candidates on your website and social media channels.

Let’s be honest. They’ve been done to death.

We’re not saying you shouldn’t ever use written testimonials on your platforms, but be sure to mix it up. Throwing in a few testimonial videos into your video marketing strategy will not only give a more personable feel to your content, but it’s actually *proof* of someone talking about why they like working with you. Instead of, you know… a quote you could have easily written yourself.

Ask a few candidates and clients each month who you’ve had a particularly good experience with if they’d be happy to do a quick video testimonial for you. If they say no, that’s absolutely fine - ask them for a written one. But if they say yes, having a page of video testimonials that you can direct future candidates and clients to will be hugely beneficial.

Plus, the videos will be evergreen content for your social channels, too.

3. You can advertise jobs with your face

Yes, people do still browse job boards, LinkedIn and the job alerts in their inboxes to see if there’s anything they can apply for. However, if you create a quick video of yourself describing a role you’re currently recruiting for, it’s a much cheaper and easier way to grab the attention of applicants.

With that being said, be sure to build up your LinkedIn network with plenty of relevant people in the industries and sectors you recruit in. That way, the more likes, comments and shares your videos get, the more relevant people are likely to see them.

And, video job ads are multi-faceted - if an employer recognises your face from LinkedIn as the recruiter who recruits in their sector, when they next come to hire they could quite easily come to you for help. Brand awareness doesn’t just apply to businesses - it applies to personal brands, too.

4. Animated videos will support any and every form of content

Written a blog? Create an animation for it. Advertising a job? Create an animation for it. Looking for internal staff? Create an animation for it. Celebrating something? Create an animation for it.

You get the idea.

What we’re saying is, animated videos are the perfect addition to any social media post because they’re far more likely to catch the attention of your audience than a few lines of copy. Not only did overall content creation increase by 60% on LinkedIn last year, but videos in particular. The algorithm is geared up for video (and polls, you may have noticed) and gives them more exposure - which may have something to do with LinkedIn users being 20x more likely to re-share a video post than a non-video post. 

Have a scroll through LinkedIn to see for yourself. Look at your company's LinkedIn page, and a few of your competitors’ pages, too. Do you see any animated videos? If so, were they more visually appealing than the posts without an animation?

If you can’t find any within your sector, think outside the box. Have a look at any businesses on LinkedIn that you admire for their brand and their online presence. Can any of their animated videos be taken as inspiration for your recruitment business? There are countless ways that you can utilise animations to support other forms of marketing content - just have a think about how it can be used specifically for recruitment.

Marketers - pass this blog on to whoever doesn’t want to invest in video

We know that marketing can seem like a “nice-to-have” for some recruitment companies, and when it comes to video, that can definitely get thrown in there on the “not currently necessary” list. Unfortunately, if you keep this attitude for much longer, you’ll fall way behind your competition. And we mean way behind.

We aren’t just saying that because we are a recruitment marketing company. Statistically, marketers who use video as part of their digital marketing strategy grow revenue 49% faster than non-video users.

If you have any questions about how your business could potentially use video, or why you shouldn’t hold off any longer, get in touch and we’ll fill in the gaps for you.