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This week’s post and podcast are the second part of our mini-series on content marketing for recruitment businesses. We’re diving into one of the most critical aspects of successful content marketing: truly understanding your audience and creating content that resonates with them.
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Understanding Your Dual Audience
As a recruiter, search owner, or staffing owner, you’re in a unique position compared to other businesses. You’re simultaneously serving two distinct audiences: employers who need talent and candidates seeking job opportunities.
This duality can be challenging, but it’s precisely what makes recruitment marketing and content creation complex and powerful. It’s important to remember that even if you only need clients at the moment and don’t have a problem with candidates, you should still create content for both groups. Things in recruitment can flip-flop quickly, so maintaining a balance is crucial.
According to data we’ve examined, including the Manpower survey, over 80% of companies across multiple sectors are experiencing skill gaps this year, whilst more than 20% of workers plan to change jobs. There’s tremendous need, uncertainty, anxiety, and opportunity on this equation. For those who can provide valuable, genuine content, you’ll significantly increase your chances of getting on the radar of the people you want to reach.
Creating Content For Employers
Generic business content doesn’t work when creating content for client companies. Recruitment is highly personal—you’re helping companies find people who will help them scale and grow. Your content needs to reflect your understanding of where candidates are, what it means to run a company, and what it means to build a team.
When thinking about your client segments, consider:
- The main vertical you’re working with
- Company size (SMES, enterprise, etc.)
- Geographical location (UK recruiters recruiting in Europe, US recruiters recruiting internationally)
- Growth stage of the companies (startups, scaling businesses)
It’s also essential to understand the decision-maker’s pain points. People will buy your service if they have an issue or problem they want to solve. Some common pain points include:
- Pressure to find talent quickly
- Budget constraints
- ROI concerns
- Predictability challenges
- Cultural fit concerns
- Administrative burden of recruiting
Your goal should be to position your content as a premium value-add, creating a halo effect that shows you’re the person who can help them. This will make a significant difference in attracting clients.
I currently favour Perplexity Pro alongside Google and other tools for researching client needs. Industry trends analysis, client conversations, and surveys are also valuable resources. It’s easier now to conduct client and candidate research than ever before.
Developing Candidate Content Strategies
When developing content for candidates, consider that they can be at very different stages in their journey:
- Early career professionals just entering the market
- Mid-level candidates with varying skill levels and specialisations
- The growing segment of “new collar workers” – people without traditional degrees but with specialised technical skills
- Active versus passive candidates
According to our research, about 76% of UK professionals report looking for a new job in 2025, but only 48% are confident about opportunities in their sector. This reveals a significant gap you can address with your content.
You also need to understand candidates’ motivations for moving:
- Career growth opportunities
- Skill development possibilities
- Work-life balance concerns
- Wellbeing priorities
- Cultural alignment needs
- Job security concerns, especially with ongoing layoffs and redundancies
You’ll never have trouble finding candidates for your roles if you get this right. For deeper research, consider talking directly to candidates, conducting surveys, interviewing them, mapping their journey, and reviewing industry reports.
Content For The Buyer Journey
When creating content, consider both the employer and candidate journeys. Consider the buyer cycle I often mention (you’re probably tired of hearing about it!): awareness, consideration, decision, and retention.
For each stage, develop specific content types. For example:
- Awareness stage: Salary and health trends reports
- Consideration stage: Case studies on “How we helped X achieve Y”
You can also create content that serves both audiences simultaneously:
- Workplace trends reports
- Industry salary guides
- Skills development resources
- Culture-building content
- Productivity tips
- Soft skills development materials
Thanks,
Denise and Sharon
How We Can Help
Understanding your audience and creating content that resonates with employers and candidates is complex but rewarding.
Our Superfast Circle membership provides ready-made content that you can use and adapt for your specific sectors. This saves you time while maintaining consistent communication with clients and candidates.
If you haven’t taken our new marketing scorecard yet, which measures your candidate and client attraction score, you can access it here.
The assessment takes 3-5 minutes, and you’ll receive a personalised report. For those who download the report, we’re offering a complimentary 45-minute consultation, during which Sharon and I can provide specific ideas tailored to your sector.
