Professional Services Firms Use of Video in Recruitment and Branding
Independent correspondent Oliver Cox, reports on the rise of video in recruitment strategy.
The number of people
who have access to the internet is continuously
increasing in line with the number of tasks for which people use it. It is in this environment that professional service companies are
developing the way in which they express their recruitment needs to
new talent and in which they promote their brand identity to
potential customers. One of the most innovative ways in which
firms are doing this is by posting specially designed videos on web
2.0 sites.
Companies have used
video – usually through television – to raise brand awareness for
decades. However, the immense popularity of social networking sites,
especially ones which involve video, means that
companies can quickly contact a large audience as well as targeting
their efforts to a certain group of people. Unlike with many
other types of marketing and recruitment, companies, by uploading
their branding and recruitment media in this way, can access the
audience through search hits, and by making use of existing social
groupings – allowing them to target their information very directly
to the audience with which they wish to interact. This article is a showcase of a few examples and a demonstration of the differing approaches that professional services take to new media.
The US accounting firm Dixon Hughes Goodman makes full use of the potential for video to allow the viewer to engage more personally with the company. It has its own YouTube channel, on which it displays videos where the staff share their thoughts on working for the firm. This type of recruiting can help firms to interact with potential employees by giving viewers a personal idea of what it is actually like to work for the company.
Certain firms, for example, those who wish to recruit Patent Attorneys, use video methods to promote a requirement in a very digestible manner. This is useful in the case of a patent attorney because video allows this type of company to purvey the details of what is an esoteric role in a concise and enjoyable way. If companies can make the content interesting and fun to watch, they can maintain the viewer’s attention so as to provide them with a lot of information.
The way in which different companies are achieving this varies. Other firms, such as Murgitroyd & Company, produce their videos in a more traditional way. One of their branding videos takes a form which is similar to a television advertisement, using illustrative graphics and a voice-over. This allows a company like Murgitroyd to illustrate its points in a classic cinematic way while making use of the social and targeted aspect of using YouTube to post the video.
The consulting firm Deloitte takes almost the opposite strategy, posting a video in which a 12 year old boy conducts job interviews. Aside from a few brief references, the video contains very little information on the role in question, instead it amuses the viewer so that they will visit the firm’s recruitment page.
The legal firm Cobbetts has released a video in which a staff member talks about his skills and background and how this relates to the legal profession. This is another example of a company releasing a video which will allow potential employees to identify with an existing employee of a certain firm. However, Cobbetts’ video is at the far end of the production spectrum in that the video focuses entirely on the speaker. This is in contrast to the Murgitroyd example, which was entirely graphical; and the Dixon Hughes Goodman example, which featured graphics and music at the same time as a visible speaker.
Fisher Meredith, another law firm, produces videos in which employees give small lectures about certain legal principles. This is an effective way to attract potential clients, as it will demonstrate to the viewer the extent of the company’s knowledge. At the same time, these videos will not only attract people who are interested in the particular law firm, but in also those who are interested in the legal principles – allowing the company to benefit from both sources of search hits.
Overall, this kind of
social video recruiting and branding is potentially very effective
and valuable, leading to the appearance of new firms which offer
other companies the chance to outsource their operations in this
area. Nevertheless, it is still an area of growth, and I expect
companies to make greater and more refined use of this resource as
time progresses.
Have you seen any unusual, funny, or simply great recruitment videos recently? Keep us in the loop on [email protected].