What do you do when your firm's product branding is so ubiquitous or recognizable that it completely overshadows your company's diversity recruitment marketing? If your company's web marketing presence is so strong that potential recruits avoid clicking on your marketing messages because they look like regular advertisements, you've hit a diversity recruiting marketing roadblock you may not have been anticipating. Don’t allow your already-successful web marketing strategy waylay your minority recruitment plans. Here are five steps to getting more mileage from your existing marketing campaign while incorporating more minority recruitment-friendly elements.
1. Stay the Course Don't let the frustrating problem of a double-edged marketing sword cause your firm to admit diversity recruitment defeat. The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) 2013 recruiting benchmarks report found that branding was the single most important factor at play in the game of recruitment. For this reason, a flimsy commitment to building a diverse workforce may really backfire. Be sure to approach your diversity program with the same focus as the rest of your marketing materials.
2. Get Creative When strong product branding is interfering with your ability to brand yourself as an organization that believes in diversity recruitment best practices, consider different marketing materials that downplay the product brand while highlighting your firm's commitment to recruiting a diverse workforce. Structure new recruitment campaigns to appeal to unique candidates with singular skills. Does your firm have a diversity recruitment mission statement or vision plan? If so, share it with your target market! If not, perhaps it's time to go back to the drawing board and strengthen your efforts by creating a unifying vision behind which your recruiting department can rally.
3. Diversify Your Approach Showing greater diversity in marketing materials may help qualified minority candidates to change their perspectives of your company.
• Show your firm's commitment to an inclusive environment by including photos, videos, and testimonials of African American, Latino, Asian, LGBT, and other minorities in your multi-channel marketing efforts.
• Include messaging about specific opportunities your firm offers that may appeal especially to minority candidates.
• Consider using focus groups to help you hone your message; you'll learn how prospective employees perceive your firm and see if you need to make adjustments in order to better present your company's reputation as an institution committed to hiring minorities.
4. Galvanize Leadership In order to successfully market to and recruit a diverse workforce, your firm needs to be committed to diversity from the top down. Is your executive suite holding back your efforts because of a lack of commitment to or understanding of diversity recruitment? To help galvanize support and show commitment from upper management, consider having a top executive speak about the firm's diversity recruitment commitment in branding materials or even in person at recruiting events.
5. Sharpen Your Blade A successful product marketing scheme is a mixed blessing for diversity recruitment. Get sharper using data and insights from social media platforms to help you be more specific when targeting minority recruitment.
- Consider specifically designed social media efforts such as a separate diversity careers Facebook page or Twitter account.
- Be sure that recruitment materials employ inclusive language and sensitive messaging.
- Reconsider your channels: niche sites and job boards may get you greater bang for your diversity recruiting bucks.
Whatever you do, don't give up on diversity recruiting. Refocus, reexamine, and redouble your efforts in order to demonstrate your commitment to an inclusive workplace. If hugely successful product branding is getting in the way, reassess your approach beginning with the five steps above to see a more successful minority recruitment campaign.
Posted By: Will Moss
Saturday, January 3rd 2015 at 2:39AM
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