Recruitment Marketing That Works
In recruitment, you can’t rely on luck. Heartbreaking, we know. You always need a plan. Whether you’re on your first attempt at recruitment marketing or refining what you already do, the key is strategy.
The agencies that grow fastest are the ones that treat recruitment like marketing, this helps them win candidates, win clients, and strengthen their reputations in a way cold calls alone never could.
So, what actually works? Here are 10 proven strategies recruiters use to attract, engage, and retain top talent.
1. Agency Branding
Consistency across touch points shows candidates and clients they can trust you
Your brand isn’t just a logo. It’s how candidates and clients describe you when you’re not in the room. A clear brand story includes your values, culture, and process which makes your agency memorable.
In the UK, 60% of job seekers are more likely to apply to an employer/agency with a strong brand which cuts cost-per-hire by up to 50%. Agencies with a positive reputation receive 2x more applicants. (Source: 50+ Recruitment Statistics Every HR Should Know in 2025)
Consistency across your website, job ads, emails, and even the way hiring consultants speak to candidates makes all the difference when you want to attract the right talent.
2. Social Media Marketing
Platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram aren’t just channels, they’re megaphones.
Share more than vacancies. Post industry insights, recruiter wins, client partnerships, and candidate success stories. Agencies that do this consistently build trust and get inbound candidates (and clients) instead of chasing them.
You can also be intentional with your content. Blogs, case studies, guides show your agency knows its stuff and positions you as a market leader. When you share career tips or market insights, you become a resource candidates return to and clients respect.
It also gives your consultants a reason to keep showing up online. Employees who share content can boost trust in your brand by 30% without just pushing jobs.
3. Video Marketing
Recruitment is personal and video makes it human.
But more importantly, it works! Recruiters report a 34% increase in applications when a role features candidate or team video testimonials.
A short clip of a consultant giving tips like this one from us, a candidate sharing their placement journey, or a behind-the-scenes look at your office culture makes your agency feel approachable and real. That’s harder to fake, and harder to forget.
4. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
If candidates can’t find you and your jobs, they’ll find someone else’s.
Optimising your website and job postings with the right keywords ensures your roles appear where candidates are searching. For niche recruiters, SEO is often the fastest way to beat larger generalist competitors.
Enterprise data shows 92% of job seekers research employers online before applying.
5. Digital Ads
Organic reach is great but it has its limits. Ads, however, get you in front of people you’d never reach otherwise. Platforms like Google, LinkedIn, and Facebook let you target by location, sector, or even job title. That precision can be gold dust for hard-to-fill roles or when breaking into a new market.
In a soft UK job market, ads are the difference between being seen and being forgotten.
6. Job Boards
Still relevant. Still effective.
Yes, candidates might complain about “applying into a black hole,” but job boards remain one of the UK’s biggest sources of applicants. 43% of job seekers found their last role through them.
But niche boards often deliver higher-quality candidates faster.
The trick is being smart: post on mainstream boards, but also explore niche sites where your ideal candidates hang out.
7. Candidate Experience
Your recruitment process is your marketing.
Fast feedback, clear communication, and smooth applications say more about your agency than any campaign.
A candidate who feels respected will often refer others - making experience one of the most cost-effective marketing levers you have.
How you treat candidates reflects on your brand. In fact, 66% of candidates accepted offers because of a positive experience. Another 26% rejected offers after poor communication.
Candidate experience has real business impact.
8. Review Sites
Think of Glassdoor, Google Reviews, or even Trustpilot.
When candidates or clients leave positive reviews, it builds social proof you can’t buy. Make it part of your process to ask placed candidates for a review — and respond to the less-than-glowing ones. Transparency builds credibility.
A single 5-star review can drive 30% more applications, and 78% of candidates who had good experiences tell others.
9. Events & In-Person Participation
Job fairs, networking evenings, industry panels - showing up matters.
Events let candidates put a face to your name and give clients a chance to see you as part of their industry, not just a supplier. For agencies in competitive sectors, this can be the difference between being a vendor and being a partner.
Nothing replaces face-to-face connection.
10. Referral Programmes
Recruitment is a people business. So let your people bring you more people.
Offer incentives for candidates who refer their peers, and make it simple for consultants to ask for referrals. A good referral programme turns satisfied candidates into your best marketers.
Creating a Strategy That Works for You
Not every tactic will suit every agency and that’s fine.
The key is to test, measure, and double down on the strategies that align with your strengths. For some, branding and social media will be the anchor. For others, events and referrals will move the needle fastest.
Use data to test what works:
Run small pilots
Track costs vs. results
Scale what delivers the best return
A recruitment marketing strategy shouldn’t change who you are as an agency, it should amplify your best parts.
That’s how you attract better candidates, win better clients, and build a brand that lasts.