B.C., A.D. and B.G.?

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Tammy Bustin-DuPont, RVP Global APAC

6/11/2012


How did we find anything Before Google (B.G.)? Conducting searches on the Internet to find goods, services and information is so second nature that it is hard to imagine life B.G. Finding things B.G. almost has a medieval feel. Does anybody really look at the Yellow Pages anymore? Humoring myself, I took a quick look at my own search history online over the past week, and I’ve managed to conduct searches for:

• Scuba dive sites in Bali
• Hotels in Vancouver
• Maps of specific locations in Singapore
• Learning to play the Cajón
• Retail shopping for outdoor cushions
• Cooling fan for my computer
• Search firms in India
• Kilograms to pounds conversion
• Airfare to Bangalore

Rather than bore you with the details of why I’m conducting these various searches, let’s focus on those “sponsored links” that appear on the right-hand side of search engine results pages (and sometimes appear as the first few results on the left-hand side). Search Engine Marketing 101

I know, I know, you never click on those links, right? I used to say that too! However, with the advancement of Adword algorithm technology and savvy campaigns, those sponsored links have become more and more relevant. When I think about my own recent searches, guess what? I did click on a few of those links and found exactly what I needed! I found a great dive shop in Bali, and noted that the Fairmont Hotel was running a great sale rate in Vancouver. So, as much as we think we ignore those sponsored links, in reality, they can be quite useful when you are in midst of a quest to find something you really want or need.

To dive further into this topic, sponsored links are a direct result of Search Engine Marketing (SEM) advertising, also called Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising, which can be an amazing recruitment marketing tool.

For recruitment, job seekers now begin their job search on search engines more often than utilizing a job board. And Google dominates when it comes to search engines. According to comScore’s search engine rankings from January 2012, Google commanded 66.2% of the search market. Of the 17.8 billion searches that were conducted in January alone, Google led the way with 11.8 billion of the total searches.

Why include SEM/PPC as a Recruiting Tool?
• Recruitment SEM campaigns help employers reach a wider audience on the Internet. SEM campaigns don’t need time to ramp up, and results are almost immediate with the right strategy in place.
• When managed correctly, SEM campaigns running on Google can build your candidate pipeline effectively as well as capture the attention of passive candidates.
• SEM campaigns boost career sites that lack organic search engine visibility. Often, we implement PPC campaigns while a search engine optimization (SEO) campaign ramps up.
• Search engine marketing recruitment campaigns offer many benefits:
– Flexible Spend – With a PPC campaign, you only pay when your ad is clicked, so you can set a daily budget which can be increased or decreased based on your results. Also, there are no contract restrictions that limit where, what and when you advertise.
– Global: Target Candidates Based On Location – What's great about PPC campaigns is that you can target as broadly as a country or as specifically as a city. Precise targeting options help ensure that the most qualified candidates click on your ads.
– Employment Branding – Your organization receives free branding. Think about it. You only pay when your ad is clicked on, but the ad itself is on display with the company name and the promotion of a job. Also, did you know that job boards often bid on well-known company brand names to drive traffic back to their own sites? Why not harness this traffic for yourself? After all, the best destination for a targeted job seeker is your own career website.

With this in mind, perhaps it is time to evaluate your organization’s recruitment marketing strategy and determine whether to diversify your advertising spend to include SEM/PPC. If you’d like to learn more about SEM, click here: http://tmp.com/our-expertise/candidate-attraction/new-media/ or contact your Account Director.

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