Recruitment Marketing in Action: How Cleaver-Brooks Attracts Top Talent

When Cleaver-Brooks set out to transform their talent acquisition strategy, they knew they needed to think big and bold. With locations across the country and a competitive market for skilled candidates, they needed a strategy that could elevate their employer brand and attract the right talent at scale. Cleaver-Brooks didn’t just want to fill positions—they wanted to build a recruitment process that reflected their company culture, engage employees and strengthened their ability to retain top-tier employees.

In partnership with Advanced RPO, Cleaver-Brooks developed a Recruitment Marketing strategy that combined employer branding with targeted talent acquisition efforts. In fact, this holistic approach won second place in Best Launch of Recruitment Marketing Strategy in the 2024 Rally Awards!

In this Q&A, we asked Rachel Flanders from Cleaver-Brooks and her partner Grace Kraemer from Advanced RPO to share the strategies that helped reshape Cleaver-Brooks’ talent attraction strategy and the lessons learned along the way. From brand audits to employee engagement initiatives, you’ll discover practical insights you can apply to your own Recruitment Marketing strategy.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• How Cleaver-Brooks used Recruitment Marketing and employer branding to attract the right candidates
• The role of a brand audit in uncovering new opportunities
• How employee engagement became a key driver of their employer brand
• Why adaptable, flexible recruitment marketing strategies are essential for long-term success

Now, let’s meet Rachel and Grace!

Rachel Flanders is the Director of Talent Acquisition & Development at Cleaver-Brooks, a manufacturer of boiler room products for over 90 years, where she leads recruitment and employee development initiatives. With over 6 years of experience at Cleaver-Brooks, Rachel specializes in relationship building, strategic HR leadership and talent management. Throughout her 20-year career in recruiting and HR, she has a proven track record of developing innovative talent acquisition strategies to attract top talent and drive organizational success.

Grace Kraemer is a Recruitment Marketing Manager at Advanced RPO with responsibility for developing and executing data-driven Recruitment Marketing strategies for clients. Her expertise includes aligning employer branding with business goals, creating localized and role-specific content and driving talent engagement through innovative campaigns and initiatives. She also implemented tracking processes to measure ROI and optimize strategies, ensuring consistent results.

Let’s get started!

Inside the Strategy: How Cleaver-Brooks Transformed Talent Acquisition

1. Rachel: Tell us about the initial challenges that Cleaver-Brooks faced with talent acquisition and how you approached developing a Recruitment Marketing strategy?

Rachel: Like many employers, Cleaver-Brooks faced challenges in securing highly skilled candidates across diverse locations, yet we didn’t have any existing Recruitment Marketing initiatives to proactively attract talent. We knew that to achieve our TA goals we would need to develop a Recruitment Marketing strategy that addressed our recruiting challenges by enhancing our employer brand, activating our employees and tailoring messaging to resonate with our target candidates. This led us to partner with Advanced RPO. Together, we quickly created a game plan and identified strategies that could make a significant impact.

2. Grace: What specific steps did you take to conduct the brand audit, and how did those findings influence the overall strategy recommendations you made to Cleaver-Brooks?

Grace: To conduct the brand audit, we first performed a comprehensive assessment of Cleaver-Brooks’ existing employer brand, including their online presence, social media platforms and employee perceptions. This involved analyzing competitor EVPs, reviewing existing content and gathering feedback from employees through surveys and focus groups. The findings highlighted a need to shift the focus from “how” Cleaver-Brooks does things to “who” is doing them—their employees. This insight led us to develop a strategy that emphasized storytelling, employee spotlights and a more personalized approach to their employer brand, which became central to the strategy.

3. Grace: Could you elaborate on the tiered approach used to amplify Cleaver-Brooks’ employer brand recognition? What were the different tiers, and how did each one contribute to the overall strategy?

Grace: The first tier focused on enhancing the Cleaver-Brooks online presence by revitalizing social media content and concentrating on internal employee engagement, launching campaigns that featured brand ambassadors to elevate morale and showcase company culture. The second tier involved creating localized marketing materials like flyers, lawn signs and referral cards, customized to meet the specific needs of different locations. The third tier focused on refreshing the careers page to better reflect their employer brand. The key was ensuring that each tier played a vital role in building a cohesive employer brand that resonated with both current employees and potential candidates.

4. Rachel: How did you go about enhancing Cleaver-Brooks’ online presence and social media platforms? What specific changes or additions had the most significant impact?

Rachel: Enhancing Cleaver-Brooks’ online presence has meant a thorough overhaul of our social media strategy. We worked closely with our corporate marketing partners to create consistent, engaging content that highlights employees and company culture. We introduced “Employee Spotlights” and “Why Work With Us” campaigns, which showcased the personal stories and achievements of our staff. These changes not only improved engagement but also created a more relatable and attractive brand image that appealed to potential candidates.

Rachel: We identified brand ambassadors by collaborating with HR to conduct surveys and distribute Cleaver-Brooks cards to employees, especially those in shop floor locations. This helped us pinpoint individuals who were enthusiastic about the company and willing to share their experiences. We then featured these ambassadors in social media campaigns, allowing them to share their stories and insights. This approach not only increased employee engagement but also humanized the brand, making it more appealing to potential candidates.

6. Rachel: The survey and Cleaver-Brooks cards were central to understanding employee perceptions. What were some of the most surprising or insightful findings from this initiative?

Rachel: The surveys and Cleaver-Brooks cards revealed several insightful findings. One surprising revelation was the strong sense of pride employees feel in their work, despite the lack of previous employer branding initiatives. Many employees expressed a desire for more recognition and opportunities to share their stories, which reinforced our strategy to spotlight employees in our branding efforts. Additionally, the feedback highlighted areas for improvement, such as career growth and work-life balance, which we incorporated into our ongoing strategy to enhance the employee experience.

7. Grace: How has Cleaver-Brooks managed to maintain high engagement and response rates with bi-monthly surveys? What strategies helped in keeping the employees motivated to participate?

Grace: It’s crucial to ensure that employee surveys are concise, relevant and easy to complete. You also need to communicate the purpose and importance of the surveys to employees, emphasizing how their feedback would directly influence company decisions and improvements. Additionally, another recommendation is to provide regular updates on how the feedback is used, which helps build trust and motivate employees to continue participating.

8. Grace: In a dynamic hiring landscape with fluctuating requirements, how have you ensured that the Recruitment Marketing plan remains adaptable and effective?

Grace: One way this has been achieved has been developing a comprehensive master vendor list for outsourcing tasks and creating customizable marketing materials that can be tailored to different locations or roles. By streamlining the approval process and regularly updating the strategy based on feedback and market trends, we’re able to keep the plan effective and responsive to Cleaver-Brooks’ evolving needs.

9. Grace: What types of tracking and measurement did you put in place to know the impact of this strategy?

Grace: We implemented several tracking and measurement tools to gauge the impact of our strategy. These included monitoring social media engagement metrics, tracking application rates and candidate quality, and conducting surveys to assess employee sentiment. We also used analytics to measure the effectiveness of our localized marketing materials and adjusted our approach based on the data. This allows the team to continuously refine the strategy and demonstrate tangible results.

10. Rachel: Looking ahead, what upcoming projects or initiatives are you most excited about to continue to elevate the Cleaver-Brooks’ employer brand?

Rachel: Looking ahead, we’re excited about several upcoming initiatives, including the development of a comprehensive photography and videography library that will showcase Cleaver-Brooks’ various locations and roles. We’re also planning a revamp of the careers website to better align with the updated employer brand and a thorough analysis and update of job descriptions to ensure they accurately reflect the company’s culture and values. These projects will further solidify Cleaver-Brooks’ position as an employer of choice and continue to attract top-tier talent.

Key Takeaways for Building a Strong Recruitment Marketing Strategy

Congratulations once again to Cleaver-Brooks for winning second place in Best Launch of Recruitment Marketing Strategy in the 2024 Rally Awards! As you’ve learned in this blog post, the Cleaver-Brooks journey to transforming their talent acquisition strategy highlights the importance of a holistic approach that combines employer branding with Recruitment Marketing. By conducting a brand audit, focusing on employee engagement and creating a tiered strategy to amplify brand recognition, the team was able to overcome recruitment challenges and build a strong, relatable employer brand.

Key takeaways:

• Conducting a brand audit to uncover opportunities for a stronger employer brand
• Leveraging employee engagement to humanize the brand and attract top talent
• Developing adaptable, localized marketing materials to resonate with diverse candidates
• Using data-driven insights to continuously optimize recruitment strategies

Ultimately, the Cleaver-Brooks case proves that a well-executed Recruitment Marketing strategy doesn’t just fill positions—it builds lasting relationships with both candidates and employees. Remember, your employer brand is more than a message—it’s the heart of your organization, and with the right strategy, you have the power to attract, engage and retain the best talent. The future of recruitment is in your hands, so think big and be bold!