A recruitment email campaign is like meeting a partner’s parents

Recruitment.  The entire industry is predicated on an almost carnivorous sense of competition.  Almost everyone is up against someone.  Candidates against other candidates for the final role.  Recruiters against recruiters to be the one who begins, and completes, the search.  For the recruiters timing and communication are critical elements. It’s all about being perfectly poised to grab that contract and find the future candidate.  The recruitment email campaign is an integral part of this process.  But to me, it still is like meeting a partner’s parents.

The first email, well, that is your first impression.  And in a very real sense, this is your introduction to somebody you hope will like you.  Someone you hope will be impressed by you, and will entrust the future of their baby into your hands.

At least for a little while.

But the more I think about it, the more I just cannot shake the notion that recruitment email campaigns are almost identical to that moment when you first meet Mr and Mrs Love-of-your-life Senior.  They even have the very same golden rules.

Choose your words carefully

I often write about the English Language.  Ordinarily, my main argument is that you can obey every nuance of English grammar if you want.  But, that isn’t as important as getting the message across to a customer in a way that they can understand.  In most cases, as long as you are articulate enough to get your ideas across to your customer, then you have done the job.  If your content is good, the dangling participle might not have even been noticed.  Most people won’t pick up on it, and only a pedant would point it out to you.

However, in this case, you are making a first impression.  When sitting around your partner’s parents dinner table, there are some words that you should avoid using.  Similarly in your recruitment email campaign you want to attempt to impress the recipient.  You want to be memorable, professional, and at least seem like you understand their industry.

Ordinarily you would be advised not to use industry specific jargon.  In this case, as long as you are segmenting your email campaigns, a little bit of industry speech might convince the recipient that you do know what you are talking about.

Look your best, send your best

Last Sunday, I went and purchased a tattoo.  My eleventh.  Now I am not embarrassed by my tattoos, nor my piercings for that matter.  However, even though they are tasteful, inoffensive and modest, on the first meeting of a parent, I am likely to wear a long sleeved shirt.  There is every chance that these tattoos won’t offend your partner’s parents, but with so much at stake, would you take the chance?

Your email has to follow the exact same rule.

If your email doesn’t look professional and smart, you may have just wasted your time.  Make sure everything on your template is straight and relevant.  The email should represent the very best your recruitment brand can be.  If a client can’t trust you to appear your best on introduction, how can they trust you to find a future representative for their company?

A recruitment email campaign is not boring (honest)

The first thing that any recipient will see when you send your recruitment email campaign, is your subject line.  There is a small window of time for them to decide whether or not to open your email.  Is your subject line up to the task?

Does it scream “OPEN ME NOW WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?”

Or does it simper and slobber with big doughy eyes like a St. Bernard that’s just been scolded?

This moment is probably the most important.  This is the key to opening a door.  One where the prospect walks in, and an engaged subscriber comes out entirely interested in how you would be able to fulfil their recruitment needs.

Visit your partner’s parents often

So they like you.  Or they tolerate you just enough to continue letting you hang around with their baby.  Maybe they are still looking around to see if there is anyone better than you that could woo their child instead.  But, at the moment, they haven’t locked you out entirely.

That’s fine.

They don’t know you well enough yet.  So, when you partner suggests a second visit to the parent’s, you take the opportunity to and be all nice with them again.  The more you visit, the more trust you have built.  And one day, after enough contact with you, they might accept you as a part of their family.

Obviously you know where I am going with this hackneyed relationship advice right?

A subscriber might not have need for your services right away.  A smaller company might not have such a high turnover, and from one year to the next, not lose a member of staff.  But it will happen.  If you have given up by email number three, or you have slacked off from sending recruitment email campaigns, then you will lose out.  The recruiter down the road is probably still emailing your prospect.  If the moment comes and their email is sitting winking at them from the inbox, and your emails dried up a few months ago, who do you think will get the call?

Wrapping up

Despite the fierce competition that surrounds the entire recruitment process, it still is all about relationships.  Making impressions.  As recruiters, once your employers are fully engaged, you become matchmakers, marrying one employer to the candidate of their choice, and hoping the relationship lasts long enough for your client to trust you in the future.

As always,  I am interested to hear what makes you tick.  If you are a recruiter, what is your golden advice for email marketing to clients?  If you are an employer, what are looking for in email marketing when contacted by a recruiter.  All advice would be worth it to anyone ending up on this page having a read, so please leave helpful hints in the comments.