Recruiters’ Guide to Facebook Ads

Why wait for job boards to generate enough candidates for you, crossing your fingers? Facebook Ads allows you to quickly recruit TOP talent without burning through your budget. It’s time to use paid ads on the social media giant to attract more applicants to your open roles than ever before. Separate from job boards.

Think about it: Where else can you reach millions of potential candidates with just a few clicks? Facebook’s got the crowd. It’s where people hang out, whether they’re scrolling through cat videos or engaging with their friends. So the easiest way to get your jobs in front of the right potential candidates is while they are scrolling through their Facebook feeds. Thanks to the super sophisticated targeting ability of Facebook Ads, your job ads pop up on the feeds of the people who are the best fits for your roles. That’s something that no boosted posts or organic posts can achieve.

The benefits of using Facebook Ads for recruiting by the numbers

• 81% of the North American population spends hours on Facebook every day.
• With over 285 million users in North America, Facebook is the largest candidate pool in history within the region.
• 73% of the workforce are passive job seekers who are not registered on job boards. But they are on Facebook.
• 81% of candidates want to see job opportunities on Facebook.
• 90% of employers say that Facebook and Instagram Ads reduced their cost per hire.

How do Facebook Ads for recruitment differ from job boards?

Job boards	Facebook Ads
They provide you with a small candidate pool as they only include individuals who register on them.	Gets you access to the largest candidate pool with a vast user base.
Generate duplicate profiles due to the inability to prevent prospects from applying for multiple roles within the same company.	No duplicates. Facebook Ads leverages user accounts tied to unique profiles, preventing duplicate submissions through data validation.
They are unable to help you quickly hire good-quality candidates in high volumes.	Only quality candidates. The precision targeting ability of Facebook Ads ensures that your job ads are shown to individuals who are more likely to be a good fit for the position, resulting in a quality applicant pool.
You rely on active candidates who actually look for jobs, missing out on passive job seekers.	Thanks to its precise targeting ability, Facebook Ads ensures that your job ads are seen by a broader audience, and gets your jobs in front of passive candidates too as they browse their feeds.
A one-size-fits-all candidate experience that undermines your potential and diminishes your company’s ability to attract top talent.	Engaging candidate experience. The interactive nature of Facebook Ads allows for more engaging and informative job postings, further attracting candidates who are genuinely interested and qualified for the role.
Make it difficult for candidates to find roles that truly match their skills and interests.	Facebook Ads delivers job opportunities to users’ feeds, making the process of finding relevant positions for candidates effortless.
Lengthy and complicated application processes that deter candidates from applying.	Quick candidate journey, fast application. Facebook Ads drives leads directly from the ad and guide them to engaging conversion pages, so the application can be filed in under 1 minute.
Communication channels between candidates and employers are often limited, leaving applicants feeling disconnected and uninformed about their application status.	Facebook Ads empowers employers to engage with candidates more effectively throughout the hiring process, enhancing transparency and reducing the sense of disconnect experienced by applicants.
With high competition for roles, candidates may struggle to differentiate themselves effectively on job boards, leading to a sense of being lost in the crowd.	Due to the personalized and interactive approach of Facebook Ads, candidates are more likely to encounter job opportunities that resonate with their unique qualities and preferences and stand out compared to job boards.
It’s hard for an employer brand to stand out as job postings are displayed in a standardized format, so they may not have much room for customization or branding.	The combination of targeted advertising, visual and interactive content, customization, engagement features, quick application process, and messaging integration makes it easier for your employer brand to stand out and capture candidate attention with Facebook Ads compared to traditional job boards. And don’t forget that Facebook Ads are optimized for mobile while job boards often don’t provide candidates with a mobile-friendly experience.
With the current changes in job boards, you can expect a 500% yearly increase for placements only on Indeed.	Facebook Ads is currently the most cost-effective recruiting tool. Boostpoint leverages Facebook Ads for attracting the best fits for your open roles. Our clients slash their cost per lead by up to 88%. Home Instead reduced their $15 cost per lead to $1.80-$3.50.

Facebook Recruiting: This is why you should focus on paid advertising

You get the best ROI with Facebook Ads. The reason is that Facebook Ads are designed to attract qualified leads and to convert them into applicants. Thus, if you have a specific hiring objective, it can be accomplished with Facebook Ads faster than with boosted posts due to their super sophisticated targeting ability, conversion pages, and follow-up potentials. When you boost a post, you basically buy views to reach people outside of your followers, an efficient strategy for growing brand awareness but you can’t be certain that the people who click your boosted post become applicants. However, with Facebook Ads, you can.

As a paid advertising solution, Facebook Ads gives you the opportunity to fine-tune your ad goals, track your ad’s performance and gain a better understanding of your results from the detailed analytics. That’s why every TA team should know that recruiting with Facebook Ads is not about pouring money into some ad campaigns; it’s about spending your recruiting dollars smartly. Thanks to the hyper-targeting ability of Meta’s algorithm and the engagement opportunities it offers, you convert more prospective candidates into applicants with Facebook Ads than with traditional job boards. 

The anatomy of the most effective Facebook Ads

Besides its precision targeting features, Facebook Ads outperforms text-only job postings on job boards because they leverage visual storytelling and engage potential candidates more, ultimately leading to higher quality applicants and multiplied candidates.

Images

High-quality visuals command attention and convey professionalism, reflecting positively on your employer brand. When potential candidates encounter visually appealing ads, it signals that your organization values excellence and attention to detail, fostering trust and credibility from the outset.

If you want to create a successful Facebook Ad, feature people in the image doing the job because it adds authenticity and relatability to your recruitment efforts. Seeing someone in the role not only provides candidates with a clear visualization of what their future work entails but also humanizes the opportunity. This human element helps candidates envision themselves in the role and makes the job more tangible and compelling.

Also, keep in mind that the image shouldn’t look busy. What does “busy” mean, you ask? It means that although the image composition should depict individuals engaged in the job and reflect that the photo element was taken by a professional, ensure the retains a sense of simplicity. One way to do so is using short, catchy headlines such “Now Hiring” or “We’re Hiring”, while refraining from incorporating bullet points or lengthy sentences within the image.

Copy

Some say using a compelling on-brand image and simply featuring a “We’re Hiring” sentence in an image is more than enough to skyrocket conversions. The thing is, it’s not. The effectiveness of image ads on Facebook for recruiting depends on more than visuals. Compelling copy plays a crucial role too.

Clear and concise captions that include the following elements:

Headline

A short, attention-grabbing line that communicates the main message of the ad, such as “Now Hiring [POSITION]” or “Join Our Team”

Body text

A concise description of the job opportunity or the company’s values and benefits. This text should be clear, compelling, and tailored to the target audience.

Call to Action (CTA)

A sentence that encourages viewers to take action, such as “Apply Now” or “Learn More.” This directs interested candidates to the appropriate landing page or application form.

Messaging and style

Adding your company’s personality to your ad is key for making it memorable. With clear, convincing messages and eye-catching visuals, you can grab potential candidates’ attention and get them engaged.

If you optimize each of these elements, you can create winning Facebook Ad captions that capture the attention of the candidates you need.

Targeting the best candidates with Facebook Ads

Hyper-targeting is the advantage of Facebook Ads that no other recruiting solution can beat. Unlike the broad strokes of traditional job listings, the sophisticated approach of Facebook Ads allows you to tailor your ads to specific requisites. This newfound capability ensures that your jobs reach individuals with the exact skills and interests you need. This way you can boost your chances of quickly finding the perfect candidates and easily building robust pipelines.

The precision targeting ability of Facebook Ads skyrockets the visibility of your jobs in any location and makes it cost-effective to attract a diverse pool of applicants. Why would you pay for a candidate who is not even close to qualify for your job? Imagine how easy your life would be interviewing only those who are qualified, excited about the opportunity, and aligned with your company culture. With Meta’s smart algorithm, it is possible. You can say goodbye to sifting through countless resumes of mismatched candidates and hello to building a talented and engaged workforce with ease.

But wait, there’s more! Navigating the intricacies of targeting Facebook Ads is no walk in the park – it’s a complex endeavor that demands years of learning and practice to execute effectively. From defining precise audience segments to optimizing pixels, ad placements and budgets, Facebook Ads targeting requires a deep understanding of the platform’s algorithms and ever-evolving best practices. That’s why, rather than venturing into this daunting territory alone or resorting to costly agencies, we’ve developed Boostpoint: a game-changing recruitment marketing software designed to simplify the Facebook Ads building process and help TA teams deliver exceptional results with it. Recruiters can now harness the power of Facebook Ads without the steep learning curve using Boostpoint. Our proven ad creatives and copy, combined with expert guidance from our Customer Success Managers, ensure that your campaigns reach the right candidates and triples your applicant pool. Just submit a request on Boostpoint today with a few clicks, and let us handle the rest!

Key recruitment marketing metrics for Facebook Ads

Cost per lead (CPL)

CPL is the cornerstone metric for assessing the efficiency and effectiveness of your Facebook recruitment ads. It encapsulates the monetary investment required to acquire each potential lead. By tracking CPL, you can gauge the return on investment (ROI) of your job advertising campaigns.

Lower CPL indicates better campaign performance and higher cost-effectiveness in lead generation. To optimize CPL, make sure you refine audience targeting, ad creatives, and bidding strategies to attract quality leads at a lower cost.

Clickthrough rate (CTR)

CTR measures the percentage of users who click on your job ad after viewing it. A high CTR reflects that your ad resonates with the target audience and entices them to take action. Monitoring CTR provides insights into ad relevance, messaging effectiveness, and audience engagement. Continuous experimentation with ad elements such as headlines, images, and call-to-action buttons can boost CTR and drive more qualified traffic to your recruitment conversion or landing pages.

Ad frequency

Ad frequency refers to the average number of times a Meta user sees your ad within a specific time frame. While repetition is essential for reinforcing brand awareness, excessive ad frequency can lead to ad fatigue and diminished campaign performance. Striking the right balance is crucial to maintaining audience interest and engagement. Monitor ad frequency closely to prevent overexposure and optimize campaign delivery for sustained effectiveness.

5 things you didn’t know about Facebook Ads

1. Facebook’s automated ad delivery system optimizes your budget allocation in real-time to maximize ad performance and reach.
2. Detailed analytics provided by Meta enable you to track key metrics and gain insights into ad performance, audience behavior, and ROI.
3. Facebook Ads allow you to optimize budgets by comparing different ad creatives, targeting options, or placements to optimize performance.
4. The dynamic nature of Facebook Ads automatically show personalized content to users based on their past interactions with your website or app.
5. Your Facebook Ads will be automatically posted on Instagram on behalf of your Facebook profile.

Wrap Up

Diving into the world of Facebook Ads is key if you want to reel in TOP talent. It’s like unlocking a treasure trove of potential candidates waiting to be discovered. With Facebook’s hyper-targeting power and those catchy ad formats, you’ve got the chance to zero in on the perfect candidates. So, if you’re ready to try new ways to find candidates separate from job boards, Facebook Ads is the way to go.