Key takeaways:
- Analyze your metrics before moving forward: Evaluate your talent marketing metrics like social engagement, site analytics, and applicant tracking system KPIs to decide which initiatives to prioritize moving forward.
- Leverage predictive analytics and authentic content: Employ methods such as employee ambassadors, contests, and authentic storytelling to drive engagement, complemented by predictive analytics for smarter investment allocation.
- Balance increased AI use with human touches: Integrate AI responsibly, emphasizing the human touch for empathetic engagement, as authenticity and candidate experiences remain focal points amidst technological advancements.
Evaluating and investing in the right talent marketing initiatives can make or break your recruitment marketing team’s ability to attract and retain top-tier candidates.
In a recent Talent Marketing Board panel discussion on planning for 2024, our members shed light on the talent marketing strategies and metrics to prioritize and which efforts will be a focus in the next year.
We’ll explore the insights from senior leaders at Target, Assurant, and Navy Federal Credit Union and dig into the best practices for elevating your talent marketing efforts in 2024.
Before Deciding Which Initiatives to Invest In, Assess Your Campaign Metrics and KPIs
Niki Ferrans, Director of Employer Marketing at Assurant, emphasized the importance of first analyzing your talent marketing metrics and campaigns before deciding which initiatives to invest into moving forward.
She explained that specific metrics and KPIs can be the key to understanding where the opportunities to elevate your efforts are.
Niki explained how it helps to analyze multiple touchpoints in your campaigns, including career site analytics, examining visitor behavior, time spent on pages, and identifying high-traffic areas.
Social media engagement and talent community sign-ups are also key indicators for Niki and her team, and she highlighted the crucial link between these metrics and their final goal: hiring quality talent.
“We’re really drilling into that at the moment because we want to make sure we’re not just getting numbers, but we’re getting good quality candidates,” Niki said.
She added that tracking source codes through your applicant tracking system allows for a better understanding of which campaigns are most effective and provides insights into critical data like candidate demographics and conversions.
We want to make sure we’re not just getting numbers, but we’re getting good quality candidates.
Niki Ferrans, Director of Employer Marketing at Assurant
Get Creative with Talent Marketing Using Predictive Analytics and Unique Strategies
Britt Bloch, Vice President of Talent Acquisition Strategy and Head of Recruiting at Navy Federal Credit Union, discussed leveraging predictive market analytics to gauge market conditions, which helps proactively reallocate your budget where needed.
She explained that her team prioritizes data-driven decisions and closely monitors programmatic campaigns to predict where their campaigns will be most effective and how to optimize their investments.
Britt also touched on some of their unconventional tactics, like contests and EVP celebrations on their social media platforms, which have proved efficient in their process.
“If you think about it, some of the most effective employer brand strategies don’t really require a budget,” Britt said. “What it requires is a passion for our mission.”
Embed More Authenticity and Employee Advocacy in Your Talent Marketing Efforts
Mollie Bush, Lead Employer Brand Consultant at Target, discussed the challenge of measuring authenticity in campaigns and content creation.
She noted that the evolving talent marketing landscape demands a better understanding of what resonates externally and within your existing employee base.
“We’re still exploring that and trying to understand not only what types of content they’re engaging with, and at what rate and frequency, but what types of messages are hitting home so that we can understand where to lean in to create relevance for our internal team,” Mollie said.
She stressed the importance of crafting content that resonates with employees internally. This naturally cultivates more brand ambassadors who willingly share their experiences, boosting your employer branding efforts.
Mollie also emphasized that effective employee advocacy involves authentic, unscripted stories from employees that deeply connect with audiences.
Be Responsible With AI Use and Prioritize a Human Touch
Our members also shed light on the rapidly advancing AI technologies and the use of these tools in talent acquisition strategies.
Niki at Assurant added that there will be an increase of artificial intelligence (AI) in talent marketing, and that her team is using a holistic approach for evaluating these investments, particularly focusing on enhancing the candidate experience using generative AI.
Some of the most effective employer brand strategies don’t really require a budget. What it requires is a passion for our mission.
Britt Bloch, Vice President of Talent Acquisition Strategy and Head of Recruiting at Navy Federal Credit Union
Britt noted that the strategic AI roadmap at Navy Federal Credit Union aims to complement their larger enterprise strategies. But she emphasized how talent leaders and executives need to prioritize responsible and ethical use of AI, and how a human touch is still critical for success.
She explained that there’s excitement with AI technologies like talent mapping chatbots, predictive analytics, bias detection, and personalization, but highlighted that being responsible and ethical is critical for success.
“It complements the human touch,” Britt said. “The human touch is still needed for empathy, discretion, nuance, judgment, and unstructured problem-solving intuition. So we still need humans.”
Get Ahead of 2024 by Benchmarking with Your Peers
Talent Marketing Board members shared how they’re focusing on leveraging technological advancements, especially AI, to revolutionize talent acquisition and marketing initiatives in 2024.
However, these initiatives are coupled with a strong focus on maintaining authenticity in storytelling, nurturing employee satisfaction, and prioritizing the candidate experience.
If you’re leading employer branding and recruitment marketing at a billion-dollar brand, you can ensure your company has insights from leading talent marketing teams in the pursuit of success in the next year.
Our members meet weekly to benchmark their strategies and provide each other with actionable insights without any vendors influencing their agendas. Apply today and get ahead with your peers.
