Australia’s health workforce shortage means that skilled healthcare professionals are in high demand. When combined with increasing demand for services, that workforce shortage creates a challenging environment for practices seeking to build a strong, stable team.
Employers need to work harder to attract the right staff – simply posting an ad on Seek or a healthcare recruitment platform just won’t cut it in this environment.
To build your dream team, it’s essential to leverage effective marketing strategies that make your practice stand out so that top talent wants to work for you.
Marketing to healthcare professionals
Marketing is not just for attracting patients: it’s also a powerful tool for attracting healthcare professionals. Effective marketing strategies can help you create a compelling employer brand, reach a wider pool of candidates, and showcase your practice as an ideal place to work.
Here’s how to harness marketing’s power to build your dream healthcare team.
1. Craft an appealing employee value proposition (EVP)
A strong EVP is the foundation of successful recruitment marketing. It encapsulates what makes your practice unique and appealing to potential candidates.
Career coach Leah Lambert of Relaunch Me argues that there are 5 key considerations when it comes to job satisfaction. These are:
- Culture – values, people and sense of belonging
- Compensation – being appropriately rewarded
- Content – the tasks that fill up each day
- Control – the right mix of freedom and structure
- Compromise – nobody gets everything they want, but job satisfaction declines if people compromise on more than 1 aspect.
Those aspects can help you craft a compelling EVP. You might outline factors such as competitive compensation, a supportive work environment, opportunities for career growth, a commitment to employee well-being, and the chance to make a meaningful impact on patient care.
Show how you deliver this in practice rather than simply making a broad statement. Plenty of employers pay lipservice here. Stating that “We allocate time for you to meet with your mentor each fortnight” sounds much more meaningful than a vague comment about supporting your professional growth.
2. Create some videos to show your culture
Incorporate video marketing into your recruitment strategy to provide a glimpse into your practice’s culture. Videos can humanise your practice, making it more relatable and attractive to potential candidates.
Your videos could feature:
- A walk around your practice
- Interviews with current staff members
- Some aspects of a typical day (e.g. your whole team engaged in a multidisciplinary case conference)
- Examples of your commitment to patient-centered care.
3. Present your practice in the best possible light
Your marketing materials should exude professionalism and competence – after all, you’re trying to persuade professionals with plenty of other options to choose you above the competition.
Don’t be shy. This is a time to:
- Highlight your achievements – mention any awards or accolades you’ve received
- Share employee testimonials about how great it is to work for you
- Showcase anything that sets your practice apart.
4. Creating an effective landing page
Develop a dedicated landing page on your practice’s website specifically to entice job seekers. All your digital job ads should link to this page.
Your landing page should provide detailed information about your practice’s:
- Mission, vision and values
- Culture (link to your videos and employee testimonials)
- Current job openings
- Contact details.
5. Copy that resonates and converts
Try to get into your audience’s mindset. They’re exploring new job opportunities for a reason. So, what does your ideal candidate probably dislike about their current job, what frustrates them or disempowers them? And how could you be different?
Once you’re in their headspace, you can then market your practice as the solution to their difficulties. With you, they can thrive in a supportive environment, have a chance to implement their ideas, accelerate their career growth and really make a difference in patients’ lives.
Use persuasive language to convey the benefits of working at your practice, highlighting your unique qualities and your commitment to excellence. This not only gives an authentic reflection of your practice, it makes your ads stand out because they have some personality.
6. Harness digital platforms
LinkedIn has emerged as an indispensable recruitment tool in the healthcare industry, facilitating the search for top-tier talent in a highly specialised field.
It is a vast professional network. Countless healthcare professionals are actively engaged on LinkedIn, making it an ideal platform for healthcare recruitment.
To succeed here, you need to:
- Establish a strong employer brand – create your practice profile, ensure staff connect to it and ensure you regularly post content that showcases your organisation or demonstrates thought-leadership in your sector
- Leverage LinkedIn’s advanced search filters to pinpoint candidates with specific qualifications and expertise then explore their professional backgrounds, recommendations, and endorsements – actively target potential candidates.
Similarly, many healthcare professionals are active users of Facebook and Google. Running paid ads here can increase your visibility and help you reach a wider audience of potential job candidates.
7. Streamlined hiring process
Marketing can bring qualified candidates to you but it can’t guarantee you hire them. Remember, you’re trying to secure skilled professionals who are in high demand. If your hiring process is slow and cumbersome, they’ll probably accept another offer while you’re still getting around to considering them.
Minimise delays and maintain clear communication with applicants throughout the process. A smooth and well-organised recruitment process reflects positively on your practice.
8. Continuous improvement
Monitor the success of your marketing strategies and be open to adjustments. Seek feedback from candidates about their experience with your practice’s recruitment process and make improvements accordingly.
How can Splice Marketing help?
Recruiting healthcare heroes to build your dream team is not an easy task, but with strategic marketing, you can create an attractive environment that draws in top-tier talent.
The key is to invest in marketing strategies that showcase your practice’s unique qualities and commitment to providing exceptional patient care, ultimately making it a place where healthcare heroes want to work.
We can help you stand out in a crowded market by articulating what makes your practice unique and leveraging digital platforms to help you find ideal candidates. We’ve helped many medical centres and allied health practices to secure a strong team that builds their business.
If you’d like to learn more, please book your free 30-minute consultation with us.
