The Internet is quickly transitioning from a predominately text based media to a visual media so how can you make the most of using online video in recruitment today, knowing that in just four 4 years’ time 80% of all internet traffic will be made up of video?
That’s right, according to a report from Cisco (May 2015) 80% of the world’s internet traffic will be video by 2019 which means online video is officially the fastest ever growing form on online media!
Have A Plan!
As tempting as it may be to simply “get a video out there” unless you think through why you are making a video (and just as importantly who it is aimed at) you could probably do more harm than good!
Online video is simply another channel to help you promote your jobs and your company. So just like any other advertising that you do it is important to know who your target market is, the message you want to get across and the appropriate media to use.
The choice of media usually comes last but on this occasion we have already chosen online video as we know there is massive growth in this type of media. The market is the group(s) of people you want to reach. If you are a Recruiter then you will already know the group(s) of people and the sector(s) you are recruiting for. So this leaves your message and what you want to get across in your video.
Your Message
There are lots of different uses for online video in recruitment. You may simply want to do an “about us” video so that people know who you are and what you do. However, make sure it is interesting and simply not a “me too” video. In other words what makes your business different and what will make it stand out from the crowd?
If you are recruiting for the same jobs on an ongoing basis you may want to have a specific video for those particular jobs. For example, if you know you will be working with a client to recruit IT Support staff all year round.
Alternatively you may want to release a series of educational videos to help build a following in your niche. Simply appearing in a series of online videos can help raise your profile and suggest “expert status” in your niche.
Whatever type(s) of video you have it is important to have a strong CTA (call to action) at the end. For example, this could be for the viewer to register with you online or call you. People like to follow instructions so telling people what to do next is a very important part of a video.
If you look outside of recruitment a lot of business related videos are used to raise awareness or attract the viewer to a new product or service they are promoting. Don’t forget that you are “promoting” – you are promoting your jobs and your company in order to attract candidates - so make sure your video reflects that.
Your Published Video
Once your videos have been published (whether on your own website and/or video sharing sites like YouTube and Vimeo) they can easily be shared through social media which can certainly help in terms of reach and visibility.
Another benefit is that sometimes you will see videos appearing on the first page of the Google search results and in some cases a video can appear higher in the search results than a companies’ own website!
The Future
At the moment not many companies are using online video in recruitment. This means that they are gaining an important competitive advantage. However, as the message gets out about the Internet becoming 80% video based by 2019 don’t be surprised to see more and more companies to starting to take action and having videos produced.
Images - Winnod. atibodyphoto.
