HR Content Strategy: How To Attract And Retain The Best Talent

75% of job seekers consider an employer’s brand before applying for a job, and only 13% of your current employees strongly feel that you communicate enough — a predictor of low employee engagement. 

Yet, HR teams continue to have limited visibility as a unit.

HR invisibility can harm or hamper efforts to hire top candidates, build team morale, or improve job satisfaction.

The solution is simple: a solid HR content strategy that reaches your target audience in the right formats through the right channels.

Content can play a big role in increasing employee engagement.

Before we dissect the ‘How’, let’s first understand ‘Why’ content is key to a sound HR strategy.

The benefits of a good content marketing strategy for your HR team

Content helps you to:

1. Build employer brand equity
2. Hire faster with fewer resources
3. Perform employee training faster
4. Communicate your company values
5. Boost team morale and improve retention
6. Showcase your internal work environment
7. Attract external partners to your initiatives
8. Communicate critical findings to your network

The HR team is the first touchpoint prospective employees have with your company. 

Many decisions a potential candidate makes – such as whether they buy into your vision or believe your promises to give them autonomy – happen at this point.

Your goal is to set the right tone for your ideal employee experience.

Content lets you do that at scale, asynchronously, without spending hours convincing each new candidate you’re the best option for them. 

Top candidates want deeper insights into your company

If you are an HR leader at your company, your profile is highly visible.

Prospective candidates (and new recruits) look to you for mentorship, and HR content is an effective way to communicate your advice, strategy, and vision.

When the most talented candidates in your market’s talent pool believe in your vision, you won’t need expensive recruiters to poach them away from your competitors.

The candidates will beat a path to your door willingly. 

This is because the best talent isn’t convinced solely by your cleverly-worded job ad. They’re hunting for deeper signals than that. 

Before or during the application process, they check out your company’s LinkedIn page, connect with the right people, and assess the content your executive team publishes.

In short, they’re assessing your employer branding.

Your HR content strategy gives you an edge

As an HR leader, you can sway these candidates in your favor through content that communicates your company culture and highlights your values. 

Forget tooting your own horn in a one-off job ad; do it daily through LinkedIn.

A solid HR content strategy lets you share insights from any research you’ve done internally or discovered externally. 

For instance, if new data shows that 65% of your workforce consists of young parents under 40, discuss the generous allowances your company makes for those new moms and dads in a blog post.

If you’ve just doubled your headcount and are growing well, celebrate that milestone with your network of partners, employees, and candidates. 

Is The Great Resignation or Great Return affecting your hiring process?

Share your thoughts on what that means for your recruitment efforts – and what you’re doing to combat its effects.

And remember: Data + Angle = Great Content

But content marketing can also face inwards from an HR perspective. 

You can use regular email newsletters to keep each employee in the loop, announce news, and celebrate internal wins. This builds team morale and raises staff retention.

How to create an effective HR content strategy

After understanding the ‘why,’ it’s easy to figure out ‘how’ to create an HR-focused content strategy that works.

There are a few ways to implement this at your organization.

1. Get the whole team involved in your HR content strategy

Content isn’t just Marketing’s job; it’s everyone’s job. Start a conversation with your HR leadership and everyone on the People team about ways to create content that highlights your efforts.

2. Define a content publishing schedule

Discuss required time commitments for each HR professional working on your content and define a publishing schedule that works for everyone. 

Some may only spend 15 minutes per month writing LinkedIn posts, while others may need to dedicate two hours each week to record footage, for example.

3. Work with your creative department or hire an agency

If you don’t already have a dedicated content strategist within the HR department, partner with the Marketing or Creative team at your organization to define an aesthetic for your content.

Alternatively, partner with an external content agency to develop a strong HR content strategy.

4. Automate the process

Use content templates and tools to speed up the HR content production process.

Blog articles can follow a defined format, for example, while video content may reuse brand assets. 

Writing tools like Grammarly and Hemingway may speed up the editing process.

Meanwhile, leverage content scheduling tools to speed up your workflow and free up time. 

Instead of cluttering your calendar with reminders to post tweets, use tools like Publer or Buffer to schedule posts weeks in advance.

You can also use HR software or HR tech platforms to improve internal communication.

5. Track results and adapt your HR content strategy

As you generate content to build a strong employer brand among your target audience, track and measure the results of your HR content strategy to determine ROI.

• Are your highlight reels generating more CV submissions?
• Has thought leadership around your HR practices garnered you press and recognition among HR experts?
• Are your Glassdoor reviews improving?

Use these results to inform the direction of your HR content strategy.

For HR, content strategy is key

HR content can accelerate a company toward cheaper recruitment, higher employee retention, and a stronger employer brand. 

Top candidates nowadays hunt for signals beyond your carefully worded job ad — they want to know how their future employers think about the workplace.

To win this game, hire people with content chops on your People team, collaborate with Marketing to deploy LinkedIn campaigns, and hire a content agency to craft campaigns that work.

In the great talent war, the companies with the best content win.