How to Leverage Your Employer Brand to Recruit Marketing Directors
While the economic balance has shifted, all employers will recognise that it is still highly challenging to source the best marcomms leaders. These individuals can shape strategies that resonate with target audiences and help to drive sales; however, they are in short supply, and almost all businesses are competing for the same expertise. In this crowded environment, we’ve provided some tips on how to leverage your employer brand to recruit marketing directors.
Standing out from the crowd
When seeking to target the top 10% of marketing leaders, employers need to stand out. That doesn’t necessarily mean shouting from the rooftops or having a ‘wacky’ online presence, in reality it involves having an engaging offer to candidates that will enable them to develop both personally and professionally, and that’s mirrored in reality. This concept forms part of the employer value proposition (EVP) and must align with the company’s mission and values, whilst also resonating with the candidates being targeted.
This can only be built accurately by understanding what truly makes the organisation tick, and how existing employees perceive the business. It also incorporates culture and the broader experience of working for the company, what makes it unique and why someone would want to work there. By developing this in conjunction with people from different parts of the business it is more likely to be grounded in reality and therefore more impactful and effective at attracting senior candidates.
How to leverage your employer brand to recruit marketing directors
Once in place, relevant, tailored information promoting the organisation as a good employer should be disseminated through the appropriate channels. In practice this means utilising websites, social media channels, events and recruitment materials to promote working cultures, team dynamics and provide an insight into life at the company. Video content can be effective, but ultimately this should be adapted to fit with the specific profiles being targeted. Again, being authentic is critical. Not doing so will only impact retention and will have a knock-on effect on the organisational culture.
More than just pay
From the marketing leaders’ perspective, professionals at this level seek more than just an attractive salary and benefits package. They want a supportive environment, with clear sight of budgets, a versatile and adaptable team, an engaging brand to work with, and more. Remember that existing employees can be the best brand ambassadors and most aspiring or existing directors will utilise their networks to gauge more about a prospective company. Therefore, encouraging them to share good experiences on social media and beyond – and rewarding them for doing so - can have a positive effect on the overall strength of employer brands.
Word of mouth also goes a long way, so hiring teams must also aim to optimise all candidate touchpoints, including interviews and follow-up communication with to ensure they provide the best possible experience. Keep in mind that applicants who have enjoyed a positive process are likely to share this with their network, and those who have had a negative experience are even more likely to do so.
Promote development
Development is likely to be a core area of focus for any marketing directors that are being targeted and promoting how the organisation can offer a platform for progression will likely set it ahead from many other competitors. Equally, most professionals at this level will seek a degree of influence and will want to understand how their actions feed into the wider organisation, as well as gauging how pivotal their position will be. This is why employer brands will need to be tailored and adapted to meet the expectations of a more senior audience, compared to when recruiting less experienced staff. For senior directors specifically, it’s important to highlight mentorship opportunities or continuous learning initiatives on offer which can demonstrate a commitment to employee growth.
Finally, it’s also important to keep in mind that an employer brand is a fluid concept, and is not static or immune to external forces. One bad candidate experience or rumour can derail even the strongest brands. Monitoring external reputations and keeping an eye on social media and other online platforms can mitigate much of this risk. Negative feedback should be addressed quickly and directly before it has a more lasting impact and causes further damage.
Leveraging the full power of an employer brand can have a major impact on hiring success. Doing so effectively can enable organisations to reach a far larger pool of candidates than those that don’t make the effort to differentiate themselves, and can subsequently make or break whether it is able to recruit the best and brightest leaders or not.
An additional and highly effective way of engaging with more of these individuals is to partner with a specialist agency that can advocate on your behalf, and promote opportunities to its specialist networks. If you’re looking to speak to our expert team about finding your next marketing leader, get in contact today.
