Social Recruiting Days 2018: #email_is_not_dead — How to convince & convert candidates in your Talentpool
Krzysztof Szymanski is a Senior Marketing Manager with an extensive knowledge of Customer Relationship Marketing and Social Marketing. The Number 1 go-to person when it comes to engaging your Talentpool. Why? Well, read on!
Is E-Mail Marketing still a good engagement tool to use today?
Despite what you may have heard, E-Mail is still a super strong marketing channel (#email_is_not_dead). People continuously read and engage with emails on a daily basis and keeping in mind the extremely low cost of reaching people, companies should definitely use it in their favor.
Would you say there is a difference in engaging customers vs. candidates?
In the end, we should always keep in mind that we want to create a “People to People” communication feeling (instead of “Company to customers/candidates”). If we look at it from this perspective I would say it’s quite similar. However, for every message you send, there has to be a goal — “Why am I sending this? What do I want to achieve?”. Quite often the goal of reaching the customer is triggering the next order, increasing CLV etc.. It will be different for the Talent Acquisition Manager.
“Best is to focus on building a relationship with potential candidates, creating a positive image of the brand, and in consequence generate leads willing to apply for certain positions.”
What tools would you advise them to use?
Currently, CRM becomes more technical and there is significantly more data involved, which E-Mail Marketing Manager needs to process, analyze and act upon. I believe for Talent Acquisition purposes it’s still possible to use a relatively simpler tool (like MailChimp) which allows you to do all you need (segmentation, automation, personalized messages) and doesn’t require a technical or analytical background. However, it’s not the tool which is the most important component but rather how you plan and execute the communication. I would like to emphasize this.
What are the latest trends in E-Mail Marketing?
I would say the current trend in E-Mail is to go beyond email. Our Inboxes are super crowded. It’s more and more difficult to stand out and be noticed in a flood of emails we receive every day. Average Open rates for B2C companies vary between 20–30%. That means there is a huge group of people which doesn’t even see your messages. Messenger, Whatsapp, Offline Mails, Push Notifications, SMS — these are some other channels, where companies could and should communicate with the candidates/customers to as we say “reach their eyeballs”.
Do you think E-Mail Marketing with candidates is only lead generation or also employer branding?
I’m pretty sure both. Every external communication contributes to the employer branding. I see the goal of Talent Acquisition Communication as building a positive brand image in the eyes of potential future employees. It’s generally super difficult to predict the right moment when our leads are ready to take a next career step.
“Insightful, regular communication should lead to prospects considering your company once they are open to new opportunities.”
Is it easier to engage with the consumer via E-Mail who purchased a product or are recurring customers? Do you think this can be adapted to Talent Acquisition?
Of course, the more meaningful touchpoints you have with subscribers the stronger the relationship between two sides. The big buzz-word in the CRM word is “personalization”.
“It is important to think of personalization as a way to create these meaningful moments and slowly build up loyalty.”
For example, when we have a list of marketing leads (potential marketing candidates) we could send them our marketing related podcasts, blog posts, we could invite them to our meet-ups. Don’t act only when you need something from them but proactively offer value. It’s like good karma — most probably something will come back.
Why is it good to segmentize different audiences in E-Mail Marketing and not sending them all the same content?
Imagine the average person gets let’s say 50 emails per day. Which ones is he going to open and spend some time on? Most likely the ones which bring value, information, or even smile on the face. Think Talent Acquisition — there is a different type of content Marketing people would engage with comparing to IT or Data people. They need to be treated separately in order to increase the likelihood of building a longlasting relationship.
What are three steps people should have in mind when jumpstarting E-Mail Marketing Campaigns?
- Think about P2P (People to People) Communication
- Segment your subscribers based on relevant criteria — demographic, geographic, interests etc.
- Automate simple processes, send follow-ups and reminders when needed
And last but not least don’t be afraid of experimenting. Try many things, go beyond what others are doing, prioritize users’ engagement and have fun with it! These are the components of a successful campaign.
Did you like this article? Then go on and read my interview with Social Recruiting Days keynote speaker Joanne Lockwood.
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