Navigating Recruitment Marketing: Insights from the MorePeople Podcast
Welcome toThe MorePeople Podcast, your go-to source for recruitment trends, marketing strategies, and stories from industry insiders. In this episode, Managing Director Richard Hanwell sits down with Marketing Manager Natalie Smith to talk about the evolving landscape of marketing in recruitment, data-driven strategies, AI, and what it really takes to create impactful brand awareness in a competitive industry.
Meet Natalie Smith – Marketing Manager at MorePeople
Natalie has been with MorePeople for over two and a half years, bringing a decade of diverse marketing experience to the recruitment industry. While her background spans several industries and marketing disciplines, email marketing is her particular area of expertise.
“I didn’t come from a recruitment background,” Natalie admits. “But the principles of good marketing apply everywhere. What’s been challenging and interesting, is adapting them to a people-first, service-driven sector.”
Measuring ROI in Recruitment Marketing: Easier Said Than Done
One of the toughest parts of Natalie’s role is proving the return on investment (ROI) in a business that doesn’t sell a physical product.
“There’s no tangible click-to-purchase metric,” she explains. “So we have to get creative, track site traffic with Google Analytics, measure engagement spikes, and align closely with the consultant team to understand where leads and placements originate.”
Consistency, she notes, is everything. “It’s about being visible, week in, week out. That builds credibility and long-term value even if it’s harder to quantify.”
How Can Businesses Improve Their Marketing?
Natalie’s advice for businesses looking to boost their marketing game is refreshingly practical:
Have a Plan: Set a strategy and a time frame.
Stick With It: Don’t quit if you don’t see immediate results.
Focus on Consistency: Repetition builds recognition and trust.
Use Data Wisely: Accurate data leads to smarter, more personalised marketing.
“The better your data, the more powerful your marketing becomes,” Natalie says. “Especially when it comes to personalisation and account-based marketing.”
Marketing’s Evolving Role in Recruitment
Marketing is no longer just about promoting services, it’s about telling stories, building brand trust, and making recruitment more human.
“We’re really visual now,” Natalie shares. “People get to see what our culture is like, who our team is, and what makes us different. That emotional connection matters especially in a people-first industry like recruitment.”
This is especially true for candidate and client engagement. A strong visual and content-led presence enhances trust and showcases company culture in an authentic way.
Staying Consistent Across Channels
With so many platforms, LinkedIn, email, web content, and more, how does a brand stay cohesive?
“Having a central marketing team helps maintain tone of voice and visual consistency,” Natalie says. “You want creativity, but you also need guardrails. Without them, things can go rogue.”
She also points out the challenges of managing external vendors and collaborators. Without someone dedicated to guiding the marketing function, consistency becomes almost impossible.
The Importance of Data and Analytics
Data plays a central role in Natalie’s approach. “It’s not about the biggest database. It’s about having accurate, actionable data,” she emphasises.
She’s particularly passionate about email marketing, something she’s done for most of her career. “With clean data, you can personalise more, test more, and get better results. But you have to stay compliant. GDPR was a game-changer for the industry.”
Challenges on the Horizon: AI and Voice Search
AI is the elephant in every marketing room. But Natalie takes a balanced view.
“I hated ChatGPT at first. But now I see it’s a useful tool for ideas, for templates, to help kick things off. It’ll never replace creative marketers, but it can support them.”
Another emerging trend she’s watching? Voice search optimisation.
“People are searching differently now by talking instead of typing. That’s going to change how we write website content and ads. It’s about making information accessible in the way people actually ask for it.”
Collaboration is Key
At MorePeople, collaboration between departments is a huge part of marketing success.
“The consultants are the experts in their sectors. I rely on them to provide insights and ideas. In return, we help them build their personal brands and reach the right audience.”
That mutual investment means marketing and recruitment teams work hand-in-hand, not in silos, a model that many businesses could benefit from replicating.
Advice to Her 24-Year-Old Self
To close out the episode, Richard asked Natalie what advice she’d give to her 24-year-old self. Her answer?
“Keep learning. I left university and thought that was it, but marketing never stands still. I wish I’d jumped on platforms like Instagram earlier and been more confident and specific in what I wanted from my career.”
Final Thoughts
Marketing in recruitment is fast-moving, ever-evolving, and sometimes hard to quantify, but it’s never dull. As Natalie and the MorePeople team continue to innovate, collaborate, and refine their strategy, one thing is clear: the best marketing is built on real connections, consistent effort, and a willingness to adapt.
