A vacancy post gets clicks. Applications arrive. Who checks them, and what does the candidate hear next?
Start your recruitment marketing plan with that whole journey. Choose the audience, the message and the person responsible for the response. Then choose the channels.
These ten ideas are a checklist to test against your own agency. Pick the ones that fit your desks, budget and capacity. For the broader picture, read our guide to recruitment marketing.
1. Make your agency's specialism clear
Name the roles, sectors and locations you cover. Give candidates a reason to register and clients a reason to speak to your team. Use the same clear description across your website, profiles and vacancy adverts.
Read it from a client's point of view: could they tell which desk to call?
2. Give social posts a specific audience
Choose a question your consultants actually hear. A candidate may need the shift pattern explained. A hiring manager may want to understand your shortlist process. Write each post for one of those people, with a relevant next step.
Keep a record of useful replies and enquiries alongside the reach figures.
3. Use video to explain something concrete
Try a short explanation of an interview process, a role or how registration works. Give the viewer the detail they came for. Add captions and a written summary so the information is available when sound is off.
Get permission before including a candidate, client or their story.
4. Make search pages useful
Write clear page titles and headings around the role or service being described. Keep vacancy details current. Explain the location, working pattern and application process where those details are available.
Check the page on a phone. The reader should be able to understand the opportunity and find the next step easily.
5. Give paid campaigns a defined test
Set a budget, an audience and a review point before starting. Send visitors to a page that matches the advert. Decide who will respond to enquiries and how you will judge their relevance.
Compare spend with the conversations and applications the agency can actually use.
6. Review job boards by the work they bring
Look at applicant relevance for the roles you recruit. Include the time spent reviewing applications when assessing a channel. Compare like-for-like vacancies where possible, and record differences in location, pay or working pattern.
Confirm how an application reaches the responsible consultant before adding another source.
7. Connect the campaign to candidate follow-up
Map the steps after an application: registration, a conversation, availability checks and updates. Give each step an owner. Decide what happens when information is missing or a candidate's availability changes.
Use the same exercise for existing candidates who respond to a new campaign.
8. Collect feedback carefully
Ask for honest feedback after a meaningful interaction. Read criticism for specific issues the team can address. Keep personal case details private when replying publicly.
Publish testimonials and case studies only with permission and a retained source for any claimed result. Our client acquisition checklist covers how to make that evidence relevant to a prospective client.
9. Plan the conversation after an event
Choose events for the people and topics they bring together. Prepare a useful question, record any agreed follow-up and assign it to someone. Include preparation and follow-up time when reviewing the cost.
Judge the event against the purpose you set for attending.
10. Make introductions easy to handle
Explain which roles or client conversations your agency can help with. Give people a clear way to make an introduction, then agree how the contact will be followed up.
Record the source accurately so referrals can be reviewed alongside other channels.
Start with one complete journey
Pick one audience and one campaign. Write down the enquiry you want, where it will arrive and who will act on it. Review the actual responses before widening the plan.
A useful marketing plan reaches all the way to the next conversation.
Editorial review: September 2026.