January 18, 2016 | less than a minute read

Why "there isn’t nearly enough recruiting content out there"

Get in touch

Adam Elgar

Co-founder

Get in touch

Adam Elgar

Co-founder

There is a on-going conversation about the amount of content being created and whether and when we might reach "peak content" after which point, the quantity will start to fall.

James Ellis

in the article below frames the argument very well by looking at content through the eyes of a recruiter. His view is that the variety of audiences (or personas if you prefer) that need to be addressed by an organisation means that having a one-size-fits-all approach to content does not work any more.

He's absolutely right of course but I think his point is valid beyond his niche of recruitment. He suggests that this variety of individuals differentiates recruitment content from marketing content and for many B2C businesses the "largest possible audience" may well be the goal. However, in our world of Business-to-Business, the "right audience" is unquestionably the goal even if it's only a "handful of people".

That’s why MTV and ESPN and CNN (and the like) were created, to focus on specific markets. As the channels continued to fragment from 57 to more than 300, they could get more narrow in their focus. How many different news channels are live right now? Enough to appeal to almost every flavor of political interest. And then the internet came, and 300 channels became three million. If you can’t get enough of Fox or MSNBC, certainly there is an online publication tailored to your very specific interest. The content that drives an entry-level nurse isn’t the same story that motivates an experienced one. What differentiates recruiting from marketing is that recruiting doesn’t need the largest possible audience, they need the right audience. And often that right audience is only a handful of people.