Recruitment firms can benefit from white hot copywriting to capture leads and generate interest in their business. From writing adverts to content, copywriting is the art of selling through words. With ‘approximately 7300 agencies in Australia‘, there has never been a better time to stand out amongst your competitors.
Recruitment agencies can sometimes struggle to produce truly world-class recruitment marketing copy. They need to approach the task with a professional, dedicated and somewhat unique mindset.
For those involved within the recruitment agency business, you’ll know it’s crucial for to understand your client’s businesses and marketplaces really well. Recruitment is such a delicate animal that you must always ensure you’re fully aware of your client’s company ethos and target audience before you start crafting any campaign or campaign piece. Otherwise you risk alienating them and becoming an automatic PR disaster. All too often agencies enter into their marketing campaigns without taking these details into account and as a result they face negative media attention, poor reputation management results and reduced profits as a result of this lack of professionalism.
So, what are the specific challenges faced when writing recruitment marketing copy?
1. Recruitment agencies need detailed client information in order to write content that engages effectively with their audience (which is extremely difficult without any client access).
2. Content must be written in language suitable for potential applications (and not necessarily agency employees or clients themselves).
3. Client brands need protecting; it’s vital that all recruitment marketing copy avoids sounding like an advertorial for the company who has hired the agency but still educates and informs candidates of key benefits available to them.
4. An inherent problem is that by being so close to your own business you can sometimes struggle creating content which focuses on the needs of a third party. Recruitment marketing is all about making the client look great and encouraging their target market to engage with them.
5. Recruitment marketing content must be easily digestible, well written and engaging, all whilst writing for two different audiences.
Recruitment consultants should follow the following copywriting tips when making any content for their marketing activities.
- Ensure you start off right by understanding your client and their business first, don’t go straight into writing copy without first exploring how they work and what makes them unique as an organisation or brand.
- Keep sentences short, clear and exciting. Sentences with an average of about 20 words are best suited for job seekers and clients alike.
- Use language that people use every day, not jargon or specialist terminology that only you understand, even if you are recruiting for a particular industry.
- Make your copy positive. Reflect a buoyant job market and use language the inspires hope and motivation.
- Avoid clichés and overused expressions such as ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ as they turn into noise for the average website scanner. Why not try writing more specifically. Why is the opportunity of a lifetime? Is it because the job is 100 per cent remote based with an exceptional salary? Point it out.
- If the copy is for an ad, focus on the advantages for the candidate and how they will benefit from working for your client.
- Keep content interesting and relevant; it’s OK to be enthusiastic about what you offer but avoid overplaying certain aspects. Be realistic but optimistic.
- Keep copy consistent with other copy on your website and social media sites.
- Show that you know about that industry you are recruiting for. Use the correct terminology and phrases and stay up to date with trends and demonstrate that through your digital marketing copy.
- Demonstrate your warmth through your writing. Job searching depression is a recognised thing, and the kinder you are to candidates, the more they will work with you to find the right job. They will likely remember your service and recommend it to others too.
- Have a solid tone of voice plan to ensure you constantly communicate the way you need to foster client relationships and find suitable candidates.
Have a go at writing your own copy but don’t forget that help is just an arm’s length away with my professional copywriting services. I love working with recruitment firms!