Updated October, 2019
When you are creating a digital recruitment campaign for a niche audience you are already in a comfortable position. Niche audiences are so valuable because they tend to be more engaged, active and responsive users. As well, due to their specific interests it’s very easy to target right content that won’t fall on the deaf ears.
However, there are few things that you should take into consideration when creating a successful digital recruitment campaign targeting niche audiences.
Keep reading to gain insights on how to attract your specific groups of candidates effectively.
Looking for inspiration? Check out this case study on how we built a national virtual recruitment event.
1. Identify your target audience
The key to your brand’s marketing success is research. In order to capture attention of your target group you have to first establish who they are and what they care about. The only way to do it accurately is by developing audience personas. These are fictionalized profiles of your ideal candidate that specify basic information like demographics, geographic and behavioral traits. Also, it’s crucial to include specific information like what challenges they face, where they go to get information, and what they look for in ideal employer.
Follow those steps to not get lost:
- You can start by making some general assumptions based on your previous experiences with candidates.
- Perform further market research that will confirm or correct your previous assumptions.
- Interview your current candidates to find out what drive them and what they care about. You can also use insight from employer branding research like The Most Desired Employer Study to find out about the preferences of your target group.
- Now you can work on fictional profiles that will guide your strategy.
Once you know who your audience is you will be able to target them effectively with social media campaign. Not only will it determine the type of content that you use, but also your approaches to reaching and engaging with the right candidates.
2. Select the right digital channels
Now, when you get to know your target audience it’s time to figure out where you can find them online. You have a large number of digital channels to choose from but focus on the ones that are the most relevant to your niche group. Take into consideration demographic of each platform and choose the one that your target audience use most often.
To get started narrowing down your choices, ask yourself the following questions:
- Which channels are mostly used by my audience?
- Where is my audience most active?
- Which social channels does my audience use for search?
With over 2 billion monthly active users Facebook remains one of the most popular networks across the board. This platform attracts multiple and varied audiences while LinkedIn helps you reach a more professional and educated audience. Instagram on the other hand, it’s a perfect place if you have a visual story to tell. It offers variety of fun and engaging tools like Instagram Live and Instagram Stories that help brands create a behind-the-scenes, more human look at their company. Those are big channels that shouldn’t be overlooked in your digital recruitment strategy. But when it comes to niche audiences you should research all available channels, as you might find less competitive platforms ideal for your target profile. Twitter, Reddit and StackOverflow can complement your digital recruitment campaign for IT Professionals.
3. Develop specific campaign goals and objectives
In order to stay on track, define goals and objectives for the campaign. It’s important to keep an eye on the big picture on how the campaign aligns with your business strategy. As a guidance you can use SMART goal setting system which refers to: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound. All the objectives that meet those five aspects will bring you closer to defining and meeting your campaign goals.
Notice that setting up specific objectives will directly influence the ways you engage with customers and the content that you plan to use in the campaign.
4. Plan content for campaign
To create impactful and engaging content, advertising, and promotions, it is important to understand the targeted audience you’re hoping to reach. Discover what form of content they are likely to interact with based on their preferences and other brands your niche audience follows.
Blogs and social posts are the obvious ones, but webinars, videos and infographics should also be on the menu if you want to put together the complete content package. Keep in mind some niche groups use specific words, slang or expressions typical only for their group. Make a list of the popular words and use them to construct Facebook posts that reflect a particular mood and style that will appeal to the social group you’re targeting. Also, don’t forget to add them as hashtags to boost the reach of your social content and call to action you want candidates to take.
5. Create a content calendar
An editorial calendar makes it easy to see what content is coming up and keeps everyone on your team on the same page about tasks and deadlines. Also, it will help you stay on track with the subjects you cover and place them on the campaign timeline. Having a clear overview on topics and forms will help you identify areas of improvement. For example, you might notice that you post too much of the same type of content too often.
Your content calendar should include details like:
- Topic or title
- Description
- Type of content
- Author
- Due date
- Post date
- Promotion details
6. Engage with your audience
The campaign doesn’t end once you gained following of a niche audience. It’s important to keep their engagement by interacting with them. Niche audience members value the ability to have more personal connections with the brands therefore respond to their comments and initiate the social discussions. Every social platform will notify you about any message, comment, like that comes your way. Take time to go through all of them carefully and respond accordingly.
7. Monitor and analyze results
If you want to get the most out of your digital recruitment campaign, you will need to analyze the data from your social media efforts. Identify which tactics or pieces of content had the best results and which still need some work. Feel free to modify your approach during the campaign accordingly. Don’t be afraid to experiment with the type of content and boost or recreate the posts that have the best results.
By following these steps, you will gain an overall understanding of your niche audience that will help you to better connect with them. In case you need more insights and guidance in establishing an optimal social media campaign plan targeting specific groups you can always partner up with a company that has ongoing experience in that matter. Contact us and let’s have a conversation about how we can empower your employer branding.
