Making a case for employer branding

Many companies still see recruitment as a cost center: vacancies need to be filled, so money is spent on job boards, ads, and agencies. However, recruitment marketing shifts this perspective. It’s an investment that not only helps find the right people faster but also reduces cost per hire and improves candidate quality. But securing budget for something as abstract as visibility and employer branding can be challenging.

Proving the ROI of Employer Branding

How do you demonstrate that investing in your employer brand pays off in the long run? It starts with showing the impact on your recruitment process and mapping out your current spending. A strong employer brand ensures that candidates already know and trust your company before they apply. This leads to reduced reliance on expensive recruitment channels, a shorter time-to-hire, and a higher candidate conversion rate. And, over time, you should be able to measure the rewards.

The Hidden Costs of Not Investing 🚨

One of the most effective ways to highlight the importance of recruitment marketing is not just by showcasing its benefits but also by mapping out the consequences of inaction:

💸 Higher recruitment costs: Without a strong employer brand, you rely heavily on paid channels and external agencies.
🐢 Longer time-to-hire: Open vacancies lead to understaffed teams and decreased productivity.
👋 Lower candidate engagement: A weak or inconsistent employer brand results in less committed candidates and higher dropout rates.

Measuring the Impact of Recruitment Marketing

Employer branding and recruitment marketing don’t always deliver immediate results, but clear trends emerge over time. One way to measure impact is by tracking your dependence on expensive recruitment channels, such as external agencies, or the time and resources spent on intensive sourcing.

For example, let’s say you hire 10 employees per year via an agency and 5 through organic channels, with an average agency fee of $15,000 per hire. That’s a total cost of $150,000. With investment in recruitment marketing, this ratio should shift. A year later, you may hire 10 employees through organic channels and only 5 via an agency, reducing agency costs to $75,000. If this improvement was achieved by investing $25,000 in employer branding, you haven’t just saved A LOT of money—you’ve built a more sustainable and effective hiring strategy. 🎉

Conversion is another key metric. Candidates who apply to a company with a strong employer brand tend to be better informed, more motivated, and more likely to stay longer. This should lead to a higher success rate per application and improved retention.

🌱 The First Step: Start Small, Think Big

Recruitment marketing doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing approach. Start with small pilot projects, track measurable results over time, and scale strategically. By making the financial benefits clear and exposing the hidden costs of inaction, you can build support for a long-term strategy that strengthens your recruitment efforts.