The Importance of Video Outreach in Recruitment

Video is everywhere around us. For those who remember logging on to YouTube for the first time, or seeing GIFS on Twitter and eagerly “saving” them to use later, it’s wild to step back and think about how technology has progressed over the past 15 years. It feels like yesterday that we needed our phones on the hook to access the internet, and now we have smartphones, laptops, tablets, and a sea of gadgets to accompany us in our day-to-day lives.

Philosophy, nostalgia, and reflection aside, let’s look at the facts regarding video. 

Video impacts how consumers engage with brands

Trust is a large contributing factor for customers to make decisions. So, building trust is crucial for conversion rates and, in essence, getting them to buy or sign up for your product or service. However, trust takes time to build, and a lot of businesses that are time-poor or simply have high sales targets, can use video as an acceleration tool. Video allows brands to connect deeper with their target audience, establishing themselves as industry leaders and gaining trust a lot quicker than other mediums such as e-mail or even a phone call. 

HubSpot posted an informative article in 2023 detailing this. The piece highlighted that video is more important to consumers now than ever before. Their annual survey revealed that 91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool, more than any of the previous years since the survey started. HubSpot also acknowledged the following stats:

• The number of digital video viewers worldwide is expected to reach 3.5 billion.
• In 2023, people are watching, on average, 17 hours of online videos per week.
• People are 52% more likely to share video content than any other type of content.
• 75% of viewers watch short-form video content on their mobile devices.
• 83% of marketers suggest videos should be under 60 seconds

The results speak for themselves. In short, you don’t have to research too far into video to understand the positive impact it has had on businesses globally.

Let’s take you back to a year of transformation: 2020

We won’t dive too deep into the Pandemic - however, it’s a key milestone in video’s story. Before remote working became the only way for many businesses to operate, video wasn’t considered as much. Then, businesses quickly realised that they could generate substantial connection, trust, and fluidity over video and replicate in-person relationships, virtually. 2020 propelled video into the spotlight and ultimately demonstrated its benefits on a global scale.

This was the catalyst for audiences to see the benefits of video for themselves. From reaching more people and fostering deeper connections to day-to-day information being easier to consume because of video, people were inspired to integrate video into their organisations and how they operated. 

The rise in video and how it affects how we all consume information and why it’s a no-brainer that salespeople have caught on and realised that video prospecting works.

Is investing in video really worth it?

So, this begs the question - is investing in video really worth it? Of course, we’re huge fans, and our Hinterviewers are too. Their video success is undeniable, data doesn’t lie!

And it isn’t just recruitment, multiple industries are seeing the benefits of investing in video. Whether it’s Engineering Marketers encouraging firms to use video for internal and external engagement, or Banking and Finance industries recognising the part video plays in building trust for their clients, video transcends one industry or specialism - it’s important for all!

How can video fit into your recruitment strategy?

The “if it isn’t broken, then why fix it” mantra is used quite often in the world of recruitment. Rather than finding a place for video (or using it to replace a dated recruitment approach) businesses tend to brush video to the sidelines purely because their current methodologies are working. However, there are a myriad of ways that video can fit into your recruitment strategy and add a ton of value:

Prospecting and business development

Business development and winning roles are every 360 recruiter’s bread and butter. It’s such a crucial (and large) part of their role, so finding ways in which more business can be won or time can be maximised is paramount. Video can freshen up your business development approach to differentiate your offering and stand out from the crowd, as well as give you another medium to reach clients.

Following up/keeping relationships

Ensuring that you can stay up to date with all of your connections (clients and candidates) is crucial for your success as a recruiter, as well as having a sustainable desk. Video and creating evergreen content is an incredible way to maximise your time whilst also having a library of video content that you can share for “keep in touch” purposes.

Building a brand for yourself and your organisation

Don’t underestimate the power of investing in your personal brand. Your network is your net worth, and failure to establish yourself as a credible source in your market will make it much harder for you to foster and maintain new client and candidate relationships. Video can be integrated into your personal brand through things such as e-shots and newsletters to focus contact groups, all the way through to posting publicly on LinkedIn to your network. 

Feedback and a personalised service

Recruitment nowadays is all about the service that you’re providing. Some may argue and say that’s how it’s always been, but those of us who have been in the game for a while will know that there was a point in time where transactional recruitment led the way! Modern recruitment requires you to stand out against the competition, and video gives you an excellent opportunity to do this. Whether it's client or candidate feedback, you can use video to make these interactions personalised and create a process that is seamless and enjoyable for all. 

We have put together a more comprehensive guide on different video types, you can find that here, including a breakdown of evergreen content.