5 Lead Magnet Ideas to Attract Better-Qualified Talent

In recruitment marketing, a lead magnet is a long-form resource content that employers can offer to prospective employees in exchange for their contact information.

The exchange happens during the ‘consideration’ stage of the applicant’s journey. During this period, you persuade candidates to apply for your vacancy, going beyond the usual job description by giving insights into your company’s core principles, values and success.

Ebooks, guides, checklists and similar downloadable assets are some examples of lead magnet.

How Lead Magnets Work

Before we dive into the benefits of lead magnet, let's quickly discuss the conversion path that turns passive candidates into future employees:

1. Call to Action (CTA) – a button that website visitors and blog readers need to click to access the lead magnet. Examples: 'Register for this Webinar', 'Get the Salary Guide.'
2. Landing Page: after clicking the CTA, candidates are lead to this page, where they are required to fill out a form with their name, email address, phone number, and other relevant details
3. Thank You Page: job seekers arrived at this page to download your resource and officially add them to your mailing/newsletter list
4. Welcome Email: this is the follow-up message to the candidate after the exchange takes place. Email marketing campaign starts when they start receiving updates and other resources to keep them engaged in the hopes of becoming a future employee.

Reasons to Consider Lead Magnets in Your Content Marketing Strategy

Before you start churning lead magnets with your content team, consider the following reasons for including them in your content strategy:

• What’s the purpose of your lead magnet?
• What type of employees do you want to attract with your lead magnet?
• Are you prequalifying candidates who may potentially be interested in working for you?

If your lead magnet doesn’t result in increased job applications or position you as a great place to work, then that’s a lead magnet you should discard.

With that said, there are benefits to incorporating lead magnets in your marketing strategy.

Reinforce Employer Branding

In a recent survey by Glassdoor,75% of active job seekers are likely to apply to a job if the employer actively manages its employer brand.

Producing a high-quality lead magnet is essential to attracting the right talent and creating a long-term reputation as an employer of choice. Presenting a better employer value story will help you attract more and better candidates than your competitors.

Providing gated, high-value content allows the candidates to gain a complete understanding of your employer brand. It will help them better understand what you have to offer when it comes to employment opportunities.

Build your Candidate Database

Creating the right content can enhance the recruiting process. Most candidates perform upfront research on your organization and your vacancies even before sending their applications or talking to a recruiter.

Communicating your brand messaging, EVP, and purpose via lead magnet helps ensure that the job seekers are better qualified because they've decided to apply based on what they've learned about your organization. Your employer/company culture and values appeal to them.

Nurture Passive Candidates to Become Active Applicants

If candidates opt to your lead magnet about building an incredible LinkedIn profile, it indicates interest. Most likely, it's a problem they have and being the company that presents solutions; it will help keep your company on top of their minds.

If you continue to build trust and nurture your target with helpful resources, they are inclined to appreciate the value you bring to their career and consider you their next employer.

When you’ve decided, here are things you need to keep in mind to increase conversions:

1. It should be precise and targeted to the right candidate and what it helps them achieve.
2. It should provide information or instructions that they can implement quickly.
3. Simple and easy to consume.
4. Covers only one idea

Types of Lead Magnet

Salary Guides

The salary guide provides job seekers with information about their market value. It serves as an important benchmarking tool during job hunting.

The usual content includes the most updated information on salaries according to years of experience or skill level. Figures are based on market trends, location, industry, type of role, and historical averages.

Example:

Robert Half

Guides

Lengthier than a blog, a guide educates candidates on common job search challenges like creating a resume, handling job interviews, preparing for the first day at work, etc.

Guides can work well as part of nurturing part of your candidate journey to educate them on why they should trust you and eventually be your employee.

Example:

Flexjobs

Online Course

An online course is the structured delivery of educational content hosted on your website or microsite. It usually contains individual lessons designed to be consumed in a specific sequence to help candidates successfully acquire a new skill.

Online courses are sometimes supplemented with lesson summaries, worksheets, study guides and quizzes to check for learning.

Offering training videos or online courses can be a great way of starting a relationship with your target audience.

Example:

UK Reed

Webinars

Webinars are online events, video presentations, workshops, and seminars using webinar software. Just like guides, they cover topics concerning job hunting and career development.

Webinars are an effective form of lead magnet and a great way to qualify your candidates further because it takes time and commitment to get through them. Some topics to feature on your next webinars:

• Present your company culture, management style, and policies
• Lecture on common issues faced by many candidates: career tips, finding the next employer, reviewing job offers, salary negotiation, etc.
• Broadcast your job vacancies: showcase your salary package, learning and development opportunities, career progression possibilities, and work/life balance perks.

When preparing your webinar, you need to set up the following:

• A well-developed presentation with eye-catching visuals
• Registration for interested candidates
• Webinar tool
• Recording software for future sharing

Webinars are high-value because they are held at specific times and on a limited run. However, if applicants cannot attend, organizers will send a link to the recording to watch at their convenience.

Example:

Flexprofessionals

Checklist

Checklists are popular lead magnets because they are quickly consumed, concise, and actionable.

And easy to create, usually 1-2 pages only.

You can summarize a blog post as a checklist by simplifying it into a series of bullet points or numbered steps in helping candidates create a better resume, nail that job interview, improve their LinkedIn profiles, etc.

Offering a printable checklist can inspire candidates to tick -off each item on their list as they complete it.

Example

Avant Healthcare

Case Studies

In recruitment marketing, case studies illustrate how you, as an employer, helped candidates achieve their dream careers through employee testimonials and interviews.

You can use the following questions to build your employee case studies:

• How did you hear about our company?
• What made you decide to apply/work for us?
• Would you recommend us an employer to your friend or colleague?
• How did your life changed for the better now that you’ve been working for us?
• What was the moment you knew you’d make the right decision to work for our company?
• What are you most proud of working for us?
• What kind of career growth (and promotions) have you experienced since joining our company?
• Tell me about a time when you had challenging situations that resulted in a new skill set and capabilities.
• Tell me a new skill you've learned while working for us.
• What keeps you working for our firm?

Example

Vista Staffing

How to Distribute Your Lead Magnet

After creating your lead magnet, the next step is making sure it is delivered to the right talent at the right place and at the right time in the candidate journey.

Your website

Some common locations include:

• Homepage – sidebar, in a pop-up, in the footer
• Resource page – a specific page to host all your ebooks, guides, checklists, webinars, etc
• Thank you page – thank you, people, for converting and then promote another offer.

Check your website analytics to help you decide which page will get the most conversion.

Example:

Avant Healthcare

Email/Newsletter

Offering a career newsletter is an excellent way of staying in touch with job seekers. It fosters long-term connection with prospects that ultimately results in them applying for your job openings.

• It works if an applicant hasn’t found a vacancy that fits his work experience and skills.
• It is a way to get back to job seekers who weren’t chosen for the role or have rejected your job offer.

Example:

Adecco

3^rd-Party Blogs and Sites

Blogging platforms like Medium or LinkedIn allow you to expose your employer brand to a specific target audience.

Write a blog narrating your company or employee success stories, the personal takeaway from industry conferences or your unique perspective on the latest industry trends. Within your blog, put a link to download the appropriate lead magnet.

Want more excellent lead magnet ideas?

If you need more topics and inspiration to craft more compelling and high-value lead magnets, check out the following blogs:

Recruitment Marketing Tips: 11 Recruitment Content Ideas

Recruitment Content for Every Step of the Candidate Journey

6 Tips for Creating a Perfect Recruitment Video

About the Author

Gem is a digital marketer and freelance content writer at Recruiter Copywriter. She specializes in recruitment marketing and employer branding, helping staffing agencies and small businesses for over ten years. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Difference Between Inbound and Outbound Recruiting?

Inbound recruiting is a strategy where companies attract candidates and encourage them to choose the company as their next employer. It involves creating and sharing engaging content and building a strong employer brand. Outbound recruiting, on the other hand, is where the company actively searches for candidates, often for specific roles that need immediate filling.

How Does Inbound Recruiting Benefit Long-term Recruitment Goals?

Inbound recruiting benefits long-term recruitment goals by building a pool of interested and qualified candidates over time. It focuses on creating a strong employer brand and nurturing potential candidates through engaging content and positive experiences, which can lead to a continuous stream of quality applicants.

When is Outbound Recruiting More Appropriate?

Outbound recruiting is more appropriate when there is an immediate need to fill a specific position, and there are no suitable candidates in the existing talent pool. It involves actively searching for and reaching out to potential candidates through methods like sourcing tools, attending events, or utilizing professional networks.

How Can Companies Implement an Effective Inbound Recruiting Strategy?

To implement an effective inbound recruiting strategy, companies should focus on defining their ideal candidate persona, creating compelling content (like blog posts and videos), optimizing their career site, and leveraging social media to showcase their culture and employee value proposition.

What is the Relationship Between Recruiting and Marketing in Inbound Recruiting?

In inbound recruiting, the relationship between recruiting and marketing is significant. Just like inbound marketing, inbound recruiting attracts candidates through relevant and engaging content. This approach treats candidates like customers, drawing them in with a compelling employer brand and the promise of a fulfilling work experience.

Frequently asked questions

What are lead magnets and how do they help in attracting talent?

Lead magnets are valuable resources or offers provided in exchange for contact information. In talent attraction, they serve to engage potential candidates and start building a relationship.

Can you give examples of effective lead magnets for attracting talent?

Effective lead magnets include industry reports, career advice eBooks, free webinars or workshops, job market trend analyses, and exclusive access to community events.

How do lead magnets improve the quality of applicants?

Lead magnets attract candidates genuinely interested in the industry and the company, ensuring a more engaged and informed applicant pool.

What are the best channels to distribute lead magnets?

Distribute lead magnets through professional networking sites, industry forums, email marketing, company websites, and social media platforms.

How can companies measure the success of their lead magnet strategy?

Measure success by tracking metrics such as the number of downloads, sign-ups, engagement rates, and the quality and conversion rate of the leads generated.