Every business owner knows that in order to attract customers, you need to market in a strategic way to get your products and/or services out to the public. Just like having a marketing plan to target potential customers is crucial to your business, it is also imperative to have a marketing plan to target potential employees.

Consumers vs. Employees

If you have successfully branded your business towards your target audience, then you’re halfway there, right? If your brand successfully reflects your business’s core values, you provide excellent customer service, and your products and/or services are able to keep up with your competitors, then it’s likely that that is enough to attract applicants. Or is it?

While job seekers who may also be your consumers will definitely notice how your brand resonates with them as a customer, you still need to take that one step further and have your brand resonate with them as a potential employee.

Tip #1: Confer with Current Employees

Almost every list of job interview questions for the applicant includes: Why do you want to work for us? While that is important to know to help you sift through potential employees, it’s also a good question for the applicant to ask too. Why do I want to work for this company? Maybe they know people who already work for your company and have heard nothing but great things, thus, making them want to work for you too! And that’s always a good thing to hear.

Start with these questions: Why do your current employees work for you? What do they like about working for your company? An applicant usually has no idea what it would be like to work for a specific company. Even within national and international corporations, each physical location differs slightly when it comes to work culture. So you can understand why it’s comforting to hear what others have to say about a specific location. A recruitment marketing platform is a great tool for branding your business with current and potential new employees as well.

Tip #2: Features and Benefits

Just like when advertising the features and benefits of your product or service, be sure to promote the features and benefits of working for your company. This may seem insignificant to some, but it is definitely a huge factor in promoting your business. 

Imagine searching for a job on an employment website. It lists information about the company, the job description, and the educational requirements… but what’s missing? Compensation. 

How much is this job paying? Is it per hour, or is this a salaried position? Are there any health insurance or 401K benefits? Believe it or not, many jobs leave out this information. Yes, you want serious inquiries only, but you should showcase what you have to offer.

Tip #3: Consider Internships

Because your core values are demonstrated throughout your business, your employees are saying wonderful things about working for your company. Now future employees have a good idea of what the work culture is like. You’ve also identified what kind of pay and benefits your employees will receive. Right now, you’ve made it very convincing as to why someone should work for you.

You may still have some potentially good applicants on the fence, so consider internships if your line of work allows for it. People can hear about all of the phenomenal reasons to work for you, but nothing beats the experience of actually doing it. 

Internships in themselves are great ways to market your company to future employees. Interns can easily become full-time, paid employees, plus, they already know what to expect! A pleasant interning experience with your company can deter them from looking elsewhere once the internship is over.

It seems like everyone is starting a business these days. While you’re making sure that your company stands out among your competitors to your target audience, don’t neglect to try and stand out towards potential applicants as well.