The Recruitment Marketers I mentor are keen to demonstrate and deliver Recruitment Marketing ROI. Recruitment Leaders want them to do more than simply "colouring in". Recruitment Businesses are often known for their KPI and Scorecard cultures... but marketers are often left out of what I call "sane" KPIs, in favour of "vain" metrics. This creates even more suspicion over what marketers actually do to add value. This blog will give you some tips on what you need to measure in recruitment marketing.
The Colouring-In Department and Greg Savage
I’ve written about recruitment marketers being more than simply a colouring-in-department and the brand police.
There is often the perception that the average marketing department has lots of felt tipped pens and Canva, and is awaiting requests for another PowerPoint deck and job advert image creating. This is exacerbated by the KPIs they have (or often don’t have) and the metrics that they measure.
You will have all heard the term:
Revenue is vanity. Profit is sanity. Cash is reality
My friend Greg Savage wrote about it in the recruiting sense back in 2015.
I regularly talk to my clients about vanity vs sanity metrics in recruitment marketing. When I start working with a recruiter I see:
Sales people have KPIs / targets / goals / commission
Marketers have… well, er… communities to grow, time to tweet, lists of documents to brand…
And then the marketing function appears to offer little ROI.
Vanity Metrics for Recruitment Marketers
Here are some examples of what I call “vanity marketing metrics”:
Impressions / Likes / Followers / Engagement – none of these make money and leads
Get shortlisted for an award
Numbers of web hits / unique visits
Email open rate
Increase Glassdoor Rating from 3 to 4
Increase CEO Approval on Glassdoor from 70% to 80%
Generating advocates for your content
Google Analytics Goals
The reason that these are vanity metrics is that a sane person / sales person who is not close to hitting target is likely to say “so what” to the above. Winning an award doesn’t make you more money, it’s what you do with it that counts (I have a blog for Awards ROI!). Generating a higher ranking on Glassdoor does not generate recruiter talent all by itself. Gathering more followers… well with GDPR coming, your chance of spamming them is about to disappear (or is it?). Your web is attracting lots of people who don’t apply for jobs… read my mind!
Recruitment marketers need to be allowed to demonstrate sanity to generate ROI.
This does not mean that the “vane data” I often see measured is not needed – vanity is key, but it is just the beginning. Start with the vanity scores, but have a plan for sanity.
Have a plan for the C-word!
Sanity is a C-Word!
The 3Cs of recruitment marketing: Candidates, clients, consultants! They are the key three audiences of a recruitment marketer, so KPIs and day to day metrics need to be focussed on these. And if the leaders or the recruitment business are looking to sell / gain investment, then add an I!
Sanity Metrics for Recruitment Marketers
My clients will often hear me say:
Marketers should never be targeted with the sales generated, but they should absolutely take credit for them.
How about these as some example sanity metrics?
Convertible leads generated
LTV (life time value of leads)
Recruiters attracted (of the correct “grade”)
Candidates registered (of the correct “grade”)
Client meetings generated from events
Marketers in recruitment need more sanity measures. They need to be allowed to develop lead generating / recruiter attracting / client engaging strategies – otherwise, it’s back to making things look pretty and managing job board budgets.
Let’s also not forget that often recruitment marketers are not set SMART goals. Too often I see a lack of expectation of marketing demonstrated through the “woolly” goals which are set.
ROI is Vain and Sane
So, recruitment leaders, if you want ROI from marketing, have SMART and sane expectations of your marketers. Recruitment marketers – develop strategies and tactics to deliver goals around sanity, as well as vanity.
And don’t forget the c-words in recruitment marketing. I train and mentor recruitment marketers to deliver the 4Cs - candidates, clients, colleagues, and cash!
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Recruiter Productivity Series: Optimise Bullhorn Part 1 ~ Engage, Nurture, Place, and Re-Place
Recruiters! I know that recruitment has never been so competitive— even your own clients are competing with you to place candidates!We're launching a new series of recruiter productivity webinars focussed on optimising your use of Bullhorn and driving speedier sourcing, recruitment, leads, sales, and commission! Part 1 is focussed on managing candidates.Let's show you some tips to engage with candidates effortlessly. Let's build stronger relationships using Bullhorn’s nurturing features: communicate, optimise, protect, PLACE! (And repeat!)REGISTER NOWBullhorn MythsIn today’s fast-paced recruitment world, having a powerful ATS/CRM is essential. It saves time, improves efficiency, and drives a profitable desk. But often, we hear:I use Bullhorn when I get a minute.Bullhorn is just a database, not a business growth tool.We have Bullhorn, but we’re not seeing a return on investment.The data is a mess, so I need to advertise and use LinkedIn too.These statements couldn't be more wrong…Bullhorn:💓 Can be your recruitment Buddy if you let it!😱 Reduces admin workload.💪 Keeps you organised.🕒Helps you source, sell, and place quickly!…and so much more when used effectively!Register Now for Our "Candidate Engagement" Bullhorn WebinarRecruitment leaders! Don’t invest in Bullhorn only to underutilise it and then wonder why you’re not getting results.Recruiters! Don’t create unnecessary "busyness" with messy data, inefficient workflows, and poor adoption, leading to a lack of return on effort (RoE).What You’ll Learn in Our Upcoming Bullhorn Optimisation Webinars:📌 23 April 2025: Engage with candidates effortlessly. Build stronger relationships using Bullhorn’s nurturing features: communicate, optimise, protect, PLACE! (And re-place!) Register Now📌 Date TBC: Leverage Bullhorn to source and track qualified candidates faster with less effort.📌 Date TBC: Maximise lead generation and improve conversion rates with smart Bullhorn strategies.📌 Date TBC: Optimise recruitment workflows for maximum efficiency and profitability.Whether you're new to Bullhorn or looking to refine your ATS/CRM strategy, this webinar series will provide you with actionable tips and real-world insights to immediately benefit your recruitment team.By the end of our 4 Bullhorn Optimisation sessions, you’ll have the tools and knowledge to:⏳ Save time (and sanity) and be more productive.🤝 Engage more candidates effectively.💸 Place candidates faster and increase your sales and commission.Don’t miss out! Register now to secure your spot in this free, must-attend event.We look forward to showing you how Bullhorn ATS/CRM can elevate your recruitment ROI (return on investment) and ROE (return on effort) and drive business growth!REGISTER NOWRecruitment and Bullhorn TrainingWe deliver the best live Bullhorn ROI webinar training, and you'll find other tips and tricks in Recruitment HIIT, our online recruitment training platform.Plus, through our Bullhorn Vision service we help generate serious ROI from your Bullhorn, data, and people.TRY HIIT FREE HERECONTACT US ABOUT BULLHORN ROI
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Protect Your Pipeline with this Antidote to Backdoor Placements
Backdoor placements are often an "invisible" pipeline killer. Yet they are also a great opportunity to recover lost revenue. Silver linings! Are you missing out on smashing target by not actively managing backdoor placements? 20 Years Ago, in a Land Far Away...In Lisa and my younger days (20 years ago), we created a report to track theoretical backdoors, and had a team calling candidates at the employer they'd recently had an interview with. If they answered, they were put through to the recruiter to begin recouping the lost fee.Surely time has moved on and there are more effective and tech-driven ways of doing this? Plus, surely recruiters are better at sales admin and relationship management now, so back doors are less common? I'm not so sure... 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