Email Strategies for Modern Recruiting and Sourcing Stephen Schwander & Ian Alexander

Agenda

• Anatomy of an Email Campaign• Key Success Criteria• Lists and Segmentation• Offer• Creative• Conversion• Sourcing vs. Nurturing• Metrics• Client Examples• Q&A

Anatomy of an Email Campaign

Types of Emails

• Individual Outreach• Auto-responders• Sourcing Campaigns• Nurture Campaigns

Anatomy of an Email Campaign

Types of Emails

• Sourcing Campaigns• Nurture Campaigns

Anatomy of an Email CampaignComponents

• Target list• Offer• Creative (subject/body/CTA)• Conversion pages (job descriptions/landing

pages)• Analytics

CreativeOffer

Success Criteria40/40/20 Rule

• Response rate is determined by:• 40% target lists• 40% offer• 20% creative

Spend most of your effort getting the right offer (job) to the most responsive/interested target, THEN, focus on subject lines, CTA’s, email content

List

Target List

• Home grown is always best• ATS• CRM Talent Pool• Talent Network• Recruiter emails

• 3rd party• Rent from reputable list brokers• Beware of “bought” lists

• Deliverability issues• Spam traps

SegmentationTypical segmentation

• Location• Experience• Skills• Opt-in data• Past analytics (these candidates were

responsive to previous emails)

OfferGo beyond the description. Think more completely about what you are offering:

• Chance at a job• Comp• Benefits• Career ladder• Community• Lifestyle• Self worth / purpose

Craft a compelling offer of one or two sentences that will form the foundation of your creative. Make them time-bound if you can. Offers will be different for different campaigns.

OfferWhich would get you to respond?

• Option 1: Data Analyst II with great pay and benefits

• Option 2: A limited-time chance to work with some of the top data scientists for a cutting edge company in North Carolina’s beautiful and vibrant Research Triangle.

• Option 1: CEO for the #2 computer hardware and software manufacturer

• Option 2: “Do you want to sell sugared water for the rest of your life? Or do you want to come with me and change the world?”

CreativeSubject lines

• 28-39 characters optimal (no more than 50)• You’re competing with hundreds of other emails• Be creative• Personalization boosts response• Remember your brand• Avoid spam triggers• Don’t forget “From” name – important tool to get email

opened• Test multiple options

CreativeBody

• It’s a personal medium so be personable• Short text• Keep it simple for sourcing - Too flashy can suppress

response• Focus your email around your singular objective:

• Invite to apply• Join talent network• Start a conversation• Get a referral*• Keep in touch/inform• Gather more info

 

Creative 

Hi Mary,

I am looking for someone who is interested in a data scientist role working on some very exciting projects. This person would be a key member of the team and would be compensated accordingly.

Do you know anyone who might be interested?Click here to learn more about the role and to apply.

Regards,

Renny Recruiter

Short, focused, personal sourcing approach

ConversionRules of thumb

• Be highly specific with CTA• Create CTA-specific landing pages

• Career site home page – Meh• Targeted career site subpage – Not bad• Landing page that mirrors email CTA and

allows you to track conversion rate – Bingo

Sourcing vs. Nurturing• Sourcing campaigns

• Typically ad hoc• Invite to apply / Incite to reply• Drive qualified candidates to jobs

• Nurturing campaigns• Long term, often sequenced• Designed to keep candidates engaged

• Half awareness/half engagement• Reinforce brand• “Keep warm”

 

Nurture Campaigns• Must provide value or candidates

will unsubscribe. Be creative• Discounts• Incentives for referrals• Free / low cost training resources• “How to Get a Job at this Company” eBook

(teach them what you’re looking for)• Relevant content to their interests• Surveys or links to candidate profiles where

they can update info/experience/qualifications• Employee profiles/accomplishments (targeted)• Company news

• No more than monthly to any one segment

 

A Word About Spam Not a spam clinic, but:• Do not send mass emails unless you:

• Use an opt-in list• Clearly state the purpose of the email• Show the company name, address and phone• Have an easy opt out of future emails (unsubscribe)

• In Canada (CASL) you must have a positive opt-in to send the email, even the first one!• Use a system to retain the opt-in information – you have to be

able to prove you have it. • Use common sense

• Would you have an issue getting the email?• Don’t flood people’s inboxes• Stop sending emails when someone asks you to stop

MetricsStart macro and then get micro

• Open rate• Measures interest in your offer/subject line• Average for recruitment/staffing 7.9% (increased from 3.9% in

2012)• Click rate

• How successful was your overall list/offer/creative at inciting action

• Average click rate 1.7%• Conversion rate

• How many “clickers” turned into applicants, downloaders, etc. 

Metrics• Percent hired

• Measure which campaigns result in the most hires• Deliverability

• How many emails bounced. Shows age and health of your list

• Email addresses churn at a rate of 25%-ish per year• % of unsubscribes (should decrease over time)• Regular email campaigns clean your list of

unreachable, uninterested members and increases overall response rates

MetricsUse your metrics to plan campaigns

• Need to hire 250 store personnel fast?• (n) X (Click through) X (Conversion) = Expected Applicants• 50,000 X .17 X .03 = 255 applicants

Determine cost per applicant for ROI on list rentals• List = $250/M• 50k = $12,500• CPA = $12,500 / 255 = $49/applicant

Case Study• Veteran Campaign – National

wireless company• Emails Sent:

347,178 (100%)• Emails Delivered:

330,825 (95%)• Opened Email: 160,412

(48%)• Clicked Link to Landing;19,052 (6%)• Bounced back: 2,494

(.8%)• Spam reported: 344

(.1%)• Unsubscribe:

5,644 (1.7%)• Signed Up Via Talent Network (Jan 5th-Mar 26th):

• 8,590 clicked “Join Talent Network” 2,502 completed (.75%)

Case Study• Specialized Recruiting – Nursing (Large Hospital

System)• Sourced list and previous applicants• 300,000 emails sent• Landing pages created and managed• Campaign executed in 3 weeks over holidays• 1700 Nursing applicants ( .56%)

Questions and Wrap-up

Learn about Talemetry CRM and Sourcing Solutionsand Recruitment Marketing Platform

Talemetry.comialexander@talemetry.com