Every day, four billion email users engage in email marketing, which is a low-cost and highly effective digital communications channel. And for recruiters, it’s not only a simple way to communicate with candidates one-on-one, but it may also lead to new hiring opportunities.

However, this does not imply that every piece of content delivered to a job seeker’s mailbox will be acted upon or even looked at. There must be a compelling incentive for them to interact with what they’ve received and entrust their employment search to certain recruitment professionals.

That means it’s no longer a good idea to send out hundreds of boring emails to a bunch of prospective candidates – each with an irrelevant message that’s only partially received – with hope that someone would take up the offer made to them. It’s about sending communications that are important and useful in order to alleviate the stress of a tedious job hunt.

The good news is that email marketing may inspire applicants to participate in a variety of ways, even if they’ve never interacted with the recruiter before. Here are five areas recruiters should prioritize if they want their next communications effort to be a smashing success

Clickable Subject Lines

If a job seeker isn’t interested in the first line they see, they’re unlikely to open and read the rest of the content — no matter how expertly worded it is. After all, the brand itself accounts for 50% of a user’s choice to open an email. What about the other half? The subject line.

The subject line of your email is the most critical component. Here are some tips to remember for writing a subject line that will surely get noticed.

• Get to the point: Using subject lines that directly describe the job have proven to be most effective. Use subject lines such as ‘Nursing Specialist Roles’ or ‘Cardiac Surgeon Needed Immediately’.
• Think about and use verbs: What do you want the recipient to do? Let it be known explicitly within the body of the email what actions the receiver should take. For example, ‘apply today’ or ‘click here to submit your resume’.
• Create urgency: Using lines such as ‘hurry, last chance,’ or ‘the application window is closing’ signifies a sense of urgency within your email. This is great for getting more applicants to take immediate action.

Tell the Recipient What to Do

What should a recruiter do after someone clicks on the subject line? This is where nurture comes into play – and it’s simple to accomplish.

To actually keep a candidate interested throughout the journey, simply distribute valuable email content across a series of email blasts. Furthermore, this strategy gives recruiting professionals even more chances to convey what they want their readers to do without coming across as forceful or a “hard sell.”

A 10-word headline and a clear call to action are effective. Not only is this a more concise method, but there will be no doubt as to what the end goal is. ‘Book An Appointment’ or ‘Download Our Guide’ are two examples.

Be careful not to alienate applicants by using jargon or tiny text that is tough to see on a desktop, laptop, or mobile device. Consider font size, colors, and overall sentence structure to ensure candidates have complete access to all pertinent information.

Use a Squint Test

Before reading the email headline, call to action, and view the main image, take a seat and squint. Is it still readable and visually appealing?

If elements are well spaced, scaled, and still stick out – that’s gold! Furthermore, the recipient is more likely to connect with the message because they are not struggling to decipher a clumsy text or being dazzled by a sea of color clashes. The best way forward is to keep things simple and effective.

Try Using the Trampoline Method in Your Content

The ‘trampoline’ refers to whatever content appears underneath the email headline and calls to action. Why? Because it is intended to redirect the reader back up in the email to where they should be clicking if they want to obtain more information.

If you are still confused about what this content should contain, consider using reviews and testimonials to instill trust and authenticity, or referencing comparable items and publications with phrases like ‘You Might Also Like…’

Personalization Reigns Supreme

Always hyper-personalize communications for every piece of material that goes into a candidate’s mailbox. The simplest and quickest method to accomplish this is to integrate an easy-to-use marketing automation software designed to allow users to send targeted, ultra-individualized emails to segmented groups. And it’s more than just saying ‘Hi [first name]’ – it’s about sending the appropriate message to the right person at the right time.

These are just a few of the ways recruiters may encourage more contact and get to know prospects on a more personal level. Developing a relationship built on trust can go a long way to improving your conversion rates.