The Difference Between Marketing a Job and Marketing a Product
Product marketers are mostly marketing to the 90%+ of potential buyers who have yet to move in-market. In recruiting, those numbers are flipped.
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Perhaps the biggest difference between marketing a job and marketing a product is the amount of time that the target buyer spends “in-market” (aka in buying mode).
A large percentage of job candidates are always in-market; with buying interests spanning from: “I’m open to the idea of a new and interesting opportunity” to “I need a job today”. Regardless of where these candidates fall on the scale of interest, they’re in-market.
While the buyer of a product only moves in-market when timing and need magically align. This requires a lot more ramp time and the window of opportunity to capture their demand is much narrower.
As a result, product marketers are mostly marketing to the 90%+ of potential buyers who have yet to move in-market.
In recruiting, those numbers are flipped.
This is why marketing a job can be driven by direct and specific information. You’re targeting people who are always kinda sorta in buying mode.
There are a number of overlapping tactical strategies between marketing products and marketing jobs. But when it comes to buyer behavior, this key difference needs to be acknowledged. It should inform everything from the copy you write to the assets you share to the content you create and where you distribute it.
Marketing a job like a product is the right mindset.
And in order to draw the straightest line between you and your target buyer, you have to map out what information you’d want if you were already somewhat interested in the idea of buying a new role.
Then, share that stuff.
That’s the difference between marketing culture fluff that only you think is cool (literally) and marketing the information that helps candidates of all interest levels opt themselves in or out of conversations with your recruiters.