In almost every training session and leadership conversation lately, one thing keeps arising: when people hear the word ‘marketing’, they think of products - not workplaces.
And yet, that’s exactly what recruitment marketing is about.
It’s treating your workplace like a product and your potential employees like customers. It’s not waiting for someone to stumble across your job ad - it’s building awareness, sparking interest, and nurturing relationships long before a vacancy appears.
Recruitment marketing: What it is (and isn’t)
Let’s keep this simple.
- Employer branding is your reputation - the long-term perception of what it’s like to work for you.
- Recruitment marketing is the campaign - EVP activation, storytelling, and employee advocacy that bring your brand to life.
- Job ads - the shelf label - they show availability but don’t create demand.
One of the biggest myths? Believing recruitment marketing is just “posting jobs on a board.” That’s advertising, not marketing.
The consumer marketing analogy
Think about how the most recognisable consumer brands operate. They don’t wait for you to walk through the door - they win your attention ahead of time.
They raise curiosity, spark excitement, and build loyalty through campaigns that run year-round. By the time the product launches, the audience is already warmed up and eager.
It’s the same principle with recruitment marketing:
- Products = your workplace and roles
- Consumers = potential candidates
- Campaigns = EVP activation, storytelling, employee advocacy
- Job ads = the price tag on the shelf (necessary, but not the campaign)
Retailers know this well. They don’t start hunting for seasonal staff in December - they plan months in advance, lining up part-time workers ahead of the festive rush. Likewise, organisations with predictable talent needs - whether it’s graduate recruitment programmes or high-demand roles like engineers, nurses, or buyers, the principle is the same – you should be marketing to those talent pools long before the vacancy opens.
Callout: Great brands market year-round. Great employers do too.
Reactive vs proactive
Here’s where many organisations fall down.
Reactive recruitment marketing happens when someone resigns. Suddenly the HR team scrambles to push out ads, post on job boards, and hope the right candidate appears. It’s urgent, rushed and expensive.
Proactive recruitment marketing builds demand ahead of time. It nurtures passive talent pools, keeps relationships warm, and shares authentic employee stories long before a role opens.
Think about the last time it took months to fill a critical role - maybe an engineer, a nurse, or a product developer.
Imagine if, months before the vacancy opened, you had been sharing stories with that talent pool: what it feels like to work in your culture, how your values show up day-to-day, and the kind of projects they could contribute to. By the time the role became available, candidates would already feel connected and clear about the reasons to join.
Missed opportunities and blind spots
Too often, recruitment marketing is treated as an attraction-only tool. But its reach is much bigger.
- Onboarding: A structured, welcoming experience can (and should) be marketed as part of your EVP. It signals commitment and reduces early turnover.
- Internal mobility and alignment: Employees have short memories. Without visible career paths, growth stories, and cultural signals, they’re tempted by the next external offer. Marketing internal opportunities is a powerful retention lever.
- Candidate feedback loops: Few organisations act on feedback from unsuccessful applicants. This is free market intelligence on salary and competitor pull.
- Contextual blind spots: Flashy, high-bandwidth career sites don’t work everywhere. Mobile-first is essential, and cultural nuance matters. Salary will always matter, but in many markets, candidates weigh growth, training, and stability just as heavily. This isn’t just an emerging markets issue. Every market has its own realities. Effective recruitment marketing adapts to context.
Barry Jansen van Rensburg 23 Sep 2025 So, where do you start? 5 steps to smarter recruitment marketing
- Know your product. Clarify your EVP - what are you really offering talent beyond salary?
- Warm the market. Share authentic stories year-round so candidates are curious before jobs go live.
- Anticipate the tides. Plan for what you already know is coming - like the wave of year-end and new-year resignations in high-demand roles.
- Activate internally. Keep employees engaged with visible career paths and growth stories so they’re not tempted by the next external offer.
- Measure what matters. Go beyond clicks to track quality-of-hire, retention, and candidate experience ROI.
Recruitment marketing isn’t a one-off campaign. It’s the steady rhythm that keeps your workplace top of mind.
The best consumer brands don’t stop once the product launches, they keep showing up, sparking curiosity, and staying relevant. Employers should do the same.
Recruitment marketing is no different: if you wait until the vacancy opens, you’re already behind. The leaders who prepare now will win tomorrow.
Are you preparing your talent market ahead of time or waiting for candidates to walk in?
