Marketing Tactics for Talent Teams to Steal

Modern marketers have perfected techniques for attracting and converting customers. Here's how to apply those same tactics to talent acquisition.

Content Marketing Tactics

Create a Content Calendar

Plan topics around candidate interests
Align with hiring cycles
Mix content types and formats
Maintain consistent publishing

Develop Pillar Content

Create comprehensive resources:

Industry guides and reports
Career development content
Company culture deep dives
Role-specific insights

Repurpose Content

Maximize every piece:

Blog to social snippets
Video to podcast
Long-form to infographics
Internal to external content

SEO and Search Tactics

Optimize for Candidate Search

Research keywords candidates use
Optimize job titles and descriptions
Create content for career queries
Build authority in your space

Local SEO

For location-based hiring:

Google Business profiles
Local content and keywords
Community involvement
Location-specific pages

Social Media Tactics

Platform-Specific Strategy

Each platform serves different purposes:

LinkedIn for professional content
Instagram for culture visuals
TikTok for authentic moments
Twitter for industry conversations

User-Generated Content

Leverage employee contributions:

Employee takeovers
Day-in-the-life features
Team event coverage
Behind-the-scenes access

Hashtag Strategy

Increase discoverability:

Industry hashtags
Company hashtags
Role-specific tags
Campaign-specific tags

Email Marketing Tactics

Build Talent Newsletters

Keep candidates engaged:

Company updates
Open positions
Industry insights
Career tips

Segmentation

Target messages by:

Role interest
Experience level
Engagement history
Location preferences

Automation

Trigger campaigns based on:

Application status
Career site visits
Content engagement
Event attendance

Paid Advertising Tactics

Retargeting

Re-engage interested candidates:

Career site visitors
Job post viewers
Application abandoners
Past applicants

Lookalike Audiences

Find similar candidates:

Based on current employees
From successful hires
Among newsletter subscribers
Through CRM data

A/B Testing

Continuously optimize:

Ad creative
Headlines and copy
Call-to-actions
Landing pages

Conversion Optimization Tactics

Simplify Applications

Remove friction:

Mobile-friendly forms
LinkedIn apply options
Save and resume features
Progress indicators

Clear Calls-to-Action

Guide candidates through:

Apply buttons
Sign up for alerts
Follow on social
Download resources

Landing Pages

Create focused experiences:

Role-specific pages
Team pages
Event registration
Content downloads

Analytics Tactics

Track the Full Funnel

Measure at each stage:

Awareness metrics
Engagement rates
Application conversions
Hire attribution

Attribution Modeling

Understand what works:

First-touch attribution
Multi-touch models
Source comparison
Campaign performance

Community Building Tactics

Create Community Spaces

Build ongoing relationships:

Talent communities
Alumni networks
Industry groups
Event attendee lists

Nurture Relationships

Maintain engagement over time:

Regular touchpoints
Valuable content
Event invitations
Personalized outreach

Personalization Tactics

Dynamic Content

Customize experiences:

Role-based messaging
Location-specific content
Experience-level targeting
Behavior-based recommendations

Personal Touch

Make candidates feel valued:

Personalized emails
Custom outreach
Individual attention
Follow-up messages

Implementation Tips

Start small - Pick one or two tactics to implement first
Measure everything - Track what works and what doesn't
Iterate quickly - Test, learn, and improve
Borrow shamelessly - Learn from what marketers do well
Stay authentic - Adapt tactics to your culture

The best talent teams think like marketers—focusing on the candidate experience and using data to optimize results.