3 CONTENT MARKETING PILLARS:

PURPOSE. TARGETING. PATIENCE.

Content marketing continues to consume a rising share of marketing budgets, with even more growth forecasted in the years to come. Yet, many organizations don’t do content marketing at all. And many that do only dabble in the space rather than fully commit to delivering a consistent flow of brand-relevant information in multiple forms of media.

Especially for many smaller operations, content marketing remains an elusive concept that’s often ignored or misunderstood.

There’s a variety of textbook definitions of content marketing, and we could use this space to dissect the nuanced differences from one definition to the next. But it’s more helpful to share examples because, as with lots of things, it’s easier to identify content marketing and to learn from it when you see it.

MASSLIVE MEDIA GROUP

BEFORE SHARING A COUPLE EXAMPLES OF CONTENT MARKETING DONE WELL, LET’S CONSIDER A FEW THINGS THAT CONTENT MARKETING IS NOT:

Content marketing is NOT creating a one-off advertorial promoting your latest sale. That’s great if customers buy your product or service after engaging a piece of content, but generating direct sales is not the primary purpose of content marketing.

Content marketing is NOT writing a blog post and hoping prospective customers find it or blasting content into cyberspace with fingers crossed that it connects with the right audience. If you’re not targeting a specific demographic, you’re not really doing content marketing. You’re just creating content.

Content marketing is NOT an instant revenue generator. If your content goes viral and generates a lot of sales overnight, fantastic. But that shouldn’t be the expectation. With content marketing, patience truly is a virtue.

NOW, FOR EXAMPLES OF HOW CONTENT MARKETING WORKS WHEN IT’S DONE WELL…

Let’s say you’re in the market for lawn care. You seek out local companies that do lawn fertilization and ask for price quotes from three vendors. At the same time, you think maybe you could handle the job on your own, so you search for “fertilizer spreader,” too.

Your search returns a selection of name-brand spreaders. Other than a photo of each spreader and a price, there’s not much to go by. But your search also turned up a blog post created by one of those brands. The post offers information on the best time to fertilize your lawn. It also links to an infographic about fertilizer ingredients and what nutrients your lawn needs at different times of the year. There’s also a video that demonstrates the best methods for actually putting the fertilizer on the lawn.

All of this content might feature the brand’s own spreader and fertilizer, of course, but the point of the content is not to make a hard sell on equipment or materials. If you end up running down to the hardware store to buy that brand’s spreader today, that’s great. But the content isn’t explicitly asking you to do that. Instead, the purpose of the content is simply to share the brand’s expertise on lawn fertilization. And, more than that, it’s targeting that expertise to a specific demographic – people like you who search for “fertilizer spreaders.” That’s content marketing.

MASSLIVE MEDIA GROUP

In addition to price, you now have something else to distinguish the lineup of spreaders that appears in your search, something deeper and more personal. You have the beginnings of a relationship with a particular brand, a brand that not only can sell you a spreader but one that already has educated you on how to make the best use of it. As a result, you have a sense of loyalty to that brand before ever even purchasing one of its products.

GOOD CONTENT MARKETING FOCUSES ON WHAT THE CUSTOMER WANTS,

NOT ON WHAT THE MARKETER WANTS TO SELL.

After learning how to fertilize your own lawn, you say “thanks, but no thanks” to the three companies that quoted a price for their services. Two of them you never hear from again, but the other one subscribes you to their newsletter. A month later, you get an email with tips on how much water your lawn needs for optimal grass health. A few weeks after that, you get another email with a podcast full of advice on how high to set the blade of your lawn mower at different times of the year.

MASSLIVE MEDIA GROUP

Now, keep in mind that the company sending these emails doesn’t even offer lawn mowing or sprinkling services. They’re not trying to sell you that. They’re just sharing their general lawn care expertise, repeatedly. Providing education on an ongoing basis. Presenting themselves as an authoritative resource again and again and again until their name is top of mind when it comes to anything having to do with your lawn.

Sometimes content marketing yields a quick conversion, like if you do go out and buy that fertilizer spreader today. But often, content marketing is a loooooonng play that requires patience and persistence. That lawn care company can’t expect an immediate ROI from its newsletter. They might not turn you into a customer this year, or next year or maybe ever. But even though the company has no financial relationship with you, they’ve already developed a kind of personal relationship with you.

Now, if you ever do decide to hire someone to fertilize your lawn, guess which company you’ll think of first? And until then, in every conversation you have with a friend or neighbor about lawn watering or grass mowing or fertilizing, guess which company’s name comes up? That’s content marketing.

Looking for help with your digital marketing? Reach out, and one of our digital experts will get back to you shortly. 

  • * indicates a required field
  • Hidden
  • Hidden

Manufacturing Recruitment Strategy

Worker shortages in manufacturing industry is real. Highly skilled positions remain open as a significant portion of the manufacturing workforce is nearing retirement age. For manufacturers, building and maintaining a robust and skilled talent pool is key for both short-term and long-term hiring success.

Recruitment Marketing as a Relationship Builder, Not Just Candidate Sourcing

Don’t wait to be present until a position is open – consistently position your brand in front of both passive and active job seekers. Consistent branding creates a talent pool who is familiar with your company, benefits, culture and therefore more likely to consider you when looking to make a career change. Top of the funnel marketing tactics such as video and display make your brand presence known.

Build A Connection By Understanding Your Best Potential Candidates 

Develop personas, marketing strategies and campaigns specific to your common open positions. Different positions attract different types of candidates. Understanding the nuances allows you to more directly content with job seekers, to communicate your company story and to welcome them into your culture with a personalized approach. Seek out a recruitment marketing partner with a deep data bench, capable of developing audience segments, media placements and creative to speak directly to specific candidate audiences.

Enhance Your Job Board Presence with Display & Video

Placements on job boards are effective in reaching those actively seeking a position. However, other traditional marketing methods like targeted display and video allow companies to share their full story. More visual formats let prospective candidates see your benefits and experience your culture. Both elements that can cause them to choose you as their next employer – over your competition.

SUCCESS STORIES

Healthcare Recruitment Strategy

A growing aging population, pandemic burnout and a ramp up of traveling nurse opportunities have put a strain on healthcare recruitment. Nurses are in high demand – with an abundance of employment options to choose from. How does your healthcare facility standout in this mad dash for employment?

Invest in the Community You Serve

Healthcare is essential to the community. Consider supporting the community you serve by sponsoring local events, job fairs and awards to keep your organization top-of-mind. Not only will these positive associations bring your organization front and center, it will also generate positive word of mouth among the community – reaching friends and families connected to potential candidates.

Showcase Company Culture

Give a glimpse of what its like to work at your organization on any given day. Show the people who work there, the halls to be walked and the benefits to be had. Video succinctly communicates positive culture through virtual tours, testimonials and more. Written testimonials and other content featuring current employees lend authenticity to your showcase.

Replenish Talent Pools with New Grads

New graduates are critical in helping to fill staffing gaps and to replenish talent pools. Utilize highly targeted strategies to reach new graduates, while still on campus, where they are spending their time. Hyper local mobile targeting puts your organization front and center among soon-to-be-graduating adding you to their consideration set for post-graduation employment.

SUCCESS STORIES

Education Recruitment Strategy

Like most categories of business, education providers are facing faculty and staff shortages. Finding experienced and passionate educators and faculty continues to be a challenge. Education institutions should look beyond salary and benefits to larger strategies to drive interest and applications for the upcoming school year ahead.

Build Your Talent Pool with Year-Round Strategy

Primary education recruitment season begins at the end of the previous school year, with many schools starting from scratch every year. Establishing a year-round recruitment marketing strategy, allows you
to reach faculty and staff considering a change throughout the school year, adding them to your talent pool as the year progresses. Having a year-round plan also puts your institution front and center, outside of the more cluttered traditional recruitment period.

Utilize Your Community As A Recruitment Tool

Your community has the potential to be a unique selling point for your institution. Consider highlighting the quality of life – showing prospective employees the community you serve. Community events, local activities, cost of living and more can have pull over prospective employees looking to make a move or to enjoy a way of life your community offers. Partner with local events, local organizations and even your convention and visitors bureau to generate content about your community.

Job Fairs Help Build Awareness of Your Institution

Passive and Active job seekers join job fairs to learn more about prospective districts and institutions. By merely being present, among your competition, you can ensure that your district or institution is in the consideration set for educators looking to make a career move. Both in-person and virtual career fairs provide additional visibility and awareness for your institution.

SUCCESS STORIES

Warehouse Recruitment Strategy

Warehouses are experiencing unprecedented growth thanks to a shift towards online shopping. As growth continues and timely shipping remains critical, warehouses face a continual shortage of workers.

Tout the Benefits That Make You Stand Out

Warehousing jobs are not historically known for good benefits and upward mobility. With changing demand and increased competition, more warehouse companies are adding long-term benefits and job training to their offerings. As an employer, tout benefits like 401Ks, employer matching and paid training as part of new hire packages. Talk about your openings more as long-term careers vs. short- term or holiday employment for additional appeal.

Get Connected In the Community

Grassroots community efforts and word of mouth tactics still hold strong in warehousing recruitment. Sponsoring local community events and job fairs raises brand awareness in the community, spreads positive sentiment about your organization and jump starts word of mouth. This simple activation makes your organization more likely to be noticed by potential job seekers and considered as a stable, future local employer in a future job search.

Local Jobs, Local Placements

Warehousing recruitment pulls most applicants and new hires locally. Very rarely to companies hire outside of their immediate market. Tap into the local job seeker scene through local job boards, job fairs and other local job posting opportunities. Local job seekers continually use these outlets to find new employment opportunities.

SUCCESS STORIES

Trucking Recruitment Strategy

Facing an aging workforce and increased competition for new talent, the trucking industry struggles to keep recruitment pipelines full and trucking routes staffed. Trucking industries should look to implement full-funnel marketing strategies to not only attract active job seekers but it keep talent pools fresh with new prospects.

Address Trucking Industry Myths

Increase top-of-the-funnel prospects by introducing the benefits of a trucking industry careers to passive job seekers. Address potential concerns head-on, including hours, mileage goals and living conditions while highlighting employment benefits such as 401K matching, healthcare and time off. Video and written content are both great vehicles to communicate this information.

Stay in Touch with Prospects

Deciding to change careers can be a lengthy process for passive job seekers. Keep your talent pool active with periodic communication about your business, job openings and career benefits. Set up an email calendar, reaching out to a list of emails from those who you met at job fairs, submitted an inquiry or sent a full resume. Frequently post about your culture, the trucking industry and openings to keep your followers engaged.

Job Boards Are Important

Trucking applicants remain tapped in to local and regional job boards. A presence on local job boards and job aggregator sites provide you business with bottom of the funnel presence – reaching those interested in the truck industry and actively applying now.

SUCCESS STORIES

Professional Recruitment Strategy

Finding outstanding talent that fits your culture is a concern for any business. Make the most of your time and resources by attracting qualified candidates that can hit the ground running and succeed within your organization. Identify quality talent and cultivate your talent pool with leading recruitment marketing strategies perfect for professional businesses.

Showcase Your Company Culture

Tell the story of your business, your history, your employees and more. The more a prospective employee knows about your operations and culture the more they are able to determine whether they are a match for your organization. Office tour videos, employee testimonials and other visuals can help to show daily life within your company.

Tailor Communications to Open Positions

Instead of deploying blanket recruitment ads for all positions in your company, consider developing custom creative and campaigns for each position. Messaging should focus on key benefits and operations of that role, showcase photos and videos of that segment of your business and speak directly to those candidates. Specific communication, drives more qualified applications – increasing your odds of finding a match while building up your talent pool - than general recruitment ads.

Use Job Boards to Reach Active Job Seekers

Job Fairs, local job boards and job board aggregators remain critical bottom-of-the-funnel tactics in securing applications for open positions. While other flashier tactics will fill the top of your funnel, these more nitty-gritty media elements provide a place for active job seekers to seamlessly apply for the positions they want – now.

SUCCESS STORIES